Team Northwest 81 Portlaoise Panthers 95
Men’s National Basketball League Division 1
Portlaoise Panthers were missing several key players, but still had the necessary fire power to prevail against Team NorthWest when they made the long trip to ATU Donegal for their latest stop in the 2024/25 Men’s Division One season on Saturday.
Xabi Arriaga, Cillian O’Connell, Liam Kinsella and Dylan Dunne were all unavailable for the North Conference winners at the weekend, but James Phelan’s colossal 40-point haul, together with the additional 22 that Eric Anderson served up, helped propel the visitors to victory.
Shakeil Bertrand spearheaded the hosts’ offence with a big 33 points and 19 rebounds, but even that weighty contribution could not shackle the visitors, who benefitted greatly from the 30 boards won by Kevin Donohoe and Anderson on the night.
An early ten-point run, in which Anderson, Phelan and Davin McEvoy all figured, helped see Portlaoise into 24-17 advantage at the close of the first quarter.
NorthWest did fight back to overtake midway through the second when Alberto Rodriguez delivered a timely three and deuce either side of another Bertrand bucket.
Portlaoise responded with seven unanswered points, Phelan and Aleksandar Kovacevic doing the honours on this occasion to help leave their side two points ahead (40-38) at the half-time interval.
And Panthers took off again in the third, Anderson, himself, serving up seven straight points before Donohoe drained a deuce either side a three-pointer as the visitors took a 68-59 cushion into the final quarter.
Yet another seven-point run, that featured long-range efforts from Kovacevic and Phelan, only tightened Portlaoise’s hold on this game.
And, while NorthWest did haul themselves back to within seven when Rodriquez, Shane Malone and Tyler Mutemasango delivered from both sides of the arc, Panthers pushed on again with Phelan striking from everywhere in the half-court to see them comfortably over the line.
That result leaves Panthers on a sound footing ahead of the visit of Maigh Cuilinn to St. Mary’s Hall next Saturday night.
SCORERS – Team Northwest: Shakeil Bertrand (33), Alberto Valiente Rodriquez (17), Tyler Mutemasango (14), Luke Cassidy (14) Portlaoise Panthers: James Phelan (40), Eric Anderson (22), Davin McEvoy (12), Kevin Donohoe (12).
TEAM NORTHWEST: Shane Malone, Luke Cassidy, Darragh Scott, Isaac O’Neill, Tyler Mutemasango, Alberto Valiente Rodriquez, Sean McGettrick, Shakeil Bertrand.
PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: James Phelan, Eric Anderson, Davin McEvoy, Kevin Donohoe, Jayden Umeh, Aleksandar Kovacevic.
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