Killarney

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National League: Division 1



Scotts Lakers v Killarney Cougars



Saturday at 7.30pm



Killarney Sports &amp; Leisure Centre



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Killarney&#8217;s two men&#8217;s National League teams will go head-to-head on Saturday night as Scotts Lakers and the Killarney Cougars clash at the Killarney Sports &amp; Leisure Centre.



The Lakers are enjoying a mid-to-late-season revival and after last weekend&#8217;s victory over the Limerick Sport Eagles, they currently find themselves in fifth place in the Southern Conference.



The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs so Jarlath Lee&#8217;s team are very much in the hunt, but time is running out. Saturday night&#8217;s meeting with their near neighbours will be their second last game of the regular season. The fact that the fourth placed team, the Limerick Celtics, have two games in hand is also a cause for concern.



All the Lakers can do is win their remaining fixtures and hope for the best.



Reflecting on their most recent victory, coach Jarlath Lee said his team performed well on both sides of the ball.



&#8220;We shot the ball really well and we have to give special praise to the team’s defence for keeping one of the league’s top scorers (Manny Payton) to just 17 points.



“David Gleeson was a huge loss for us but the bench really stepped up. Jamie O’Sullivan, Senan O’Leary, Paul Clarke and Marko Benčić all played their part when we really needed them. If I was to be hyper-critical, I&#8217;d say we missed a few easy lay-ups, but overall you&#8217;d have to be very happy.”



Lee confirmed that Gleeson should be fit again for Saturday’s derby match-up.



COUGARS



The Cougars, meanwhile, are hoping to finish off their debut season at National League level with a flourish. They waited a long time for their first win of the campaign but they were impressive in a pair of recent home wins. Another positive result in their final two fixtures could see them overtake WIT at the foot of the table.



Head coach Ignas Sijanas told the Killarney Advertiser he is looking forward to the challenge that the Lakers are going to bring.



“These kinds of games are always exciting. Derbies are fun. They bring the best out of the players.



“The Lakers a good team, very well-balanced. At the moment they are playing nice basketball. The last game against the Eagles showed how strong they are. Obviously, we are going in as underdogs but we will try to come up with some plans and some ideas. We’ll try to bring a good fight.



“We’re going to bring a different team to the one we had in the first derby game (the Lakers beat the Cougars 89-66 in December). I think we have definitely improved, especially after the two recent wins. That has given us more confidence.



“The season was a big rollercoaster but I’m happy. It’s better to have season like this for the first season. It shows the weaknesses, it shows the strengths, it helps you to see what the team looks like in general. We lost some players. We brought some new players in. It has been a long process for us with some bad moments, but also with some good moments. In general, it was a very positive season in terms of growth and learning and finding our identity as a team.



“The young guys made a step forward, some players built their confidence, and we got Rich Dunham in. I hope we can keep him for next season. And we know exactly what we need to add to look even better next year.”



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Rejuvenated Lakers and improving Cougars to meet in Killarney derby

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