News
Record crowd present as Lakers host big Kerry basketball derby
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THE big Kerry basketball derby between Scotts Lakers Killarney and Keanes Killorglin drew a record crowd to Killarney Sports Centre on Saturday night and it was the visitors who emerged victorious to maintain their unbeaten record at the top of the national league table.
The Killarney venue was full to capacity long before tip-off with almost 1000 people in attendance. With Tralee Warriors also playing at home before another huge crowd, the message went out loud and clear to all other clubs that Kerry is the real hotbed in Irish basketball circles.
Following a closely contested opening half, the Killorglin side stamped their authority in the third quarter with the outstanding three-point shooting of Kevin Gray a significant factor in the victory. Gray was well supported by talented European players Daniel Jokubaitis and Ivan Bogdanovic and Killorglin’s advantage to have three quality foreign players on court at all stages throughout the match was a luxury that Scotts Lakers just did not have.
Exchanges were even from an early stage and a three-pointer from former Neptune Superleague player Ian McLoughlin helped Killorglin to a 7-4 lead after three minutes. However Killarney's Antuan Bootle was making his presence felt at both ends of the court and a three-pointer from him gave Scotts Lakers a 12-9 lead left with three minutes left.
Lakers enjoyed a very productive spell early in the second quarter racing into a 22-14 lead. Mark Greene was in outstanding form but Killorglin's foreign trio of Gray, Jokubaitis and Bogdanovic kept their side well in contention to trail 26-24 midway through the quarter. Ten points from Mark Greene in this quarter alone and notable contributions from Mihail Kapitanov and Justin Tuason maintained the Lakers challenge and it was a tied ball game at 36 points each at the half-time interval.
Not for the first time this season, it was in the third quarter where Scotts Lakers self-destruct button and capitulation kicked into force.
Killorglin duly capitalised with American Kevin Gray emerging as a real hero sinking four huge three-pointers. Gray, who actually failed to make the score-sheet in the first and final quarters, ended up with 14 points in the third quarter alone, the actual difference between the teams at the end of this period when Keanes Killorglin led 60-46.
The game looked effectively over at this stage but Scotts Lakers did manage a strong revival with Bootle, Greene, Kapitanov and Fitzgerald all hitting unanswered baskets as the home side cut the gap to trail 60-54 midway through the final quarter. However Killorglin responded well to the stop the Lakers comeback with the outstanding Jokubaitis leading the challenge. The talented Lithuanian hit 11 points in the final period to maintain a firm grip on Killorglin's advantage to eventually secure victory.
The winning margin was 11 points for Keanes Killorglin to leave them at the top of the table. Scotts Lakers, playing in their first season in the league after an absence of nearly a decade, will be anxious to get back to winning ways again after their recent losses. The Killarney side are free this weekend and are hopeful of strengthening the quality of the squad ahead of their next outing away to Letterkenny on October 28 before returning home again to Killarney Sports Centre on November 4 to welcome Galway Titans.
Above: Mark Greene, Scotts Lakers, under pressure from Daniel Jokubaitis, Keanes Killorglin, in the national league division one basketball clash in Killarney Sports Centre on Saturday night. Picture: Eamonn Keogh
Killarney Gardaí await post-mortem results as Muckross Road scene remains cordoned off
Gardaí investigating the discovery of a woman’s body at a residence on Muckross Road in Killarney are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determine the direction of their inquiries.
It is understood that a full murder investigation is expected to be launched.
The deceased has been named locally as Jamey Carney, an American national in her 40s and the mother of a 13-year-old girl.
The scene at the domestic residence remains cordoned off today for a full technical examination, with a visible Garda presence continuing at the location.
An incident room has been established at Killarney Garda Station under a Senior Investigating Officer. Local businesses in the area have already begun supplying CCTV footage to assisting officers.
Speaking to the Killarney Advertiser, local councillor Martin Grady expressed the deep sense of shock in the area.
“I want to offer my condolences to the family,” Cllr Grady said. “This is an awful shock to the local community. I encourage anyone to come forward with any information they may have to An Garda Síochána. Whoever committed such a crime is a cowardly person and should get the maximum penalty.”
Gardaí continue to appeal to anyone who was in the Muckross Road area between the evening of Monday, July 6 and the afternoon of Tuesday, July 7 to come forward. They are particularly appealing to road users and business owners who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from the area during those times.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Killarney Garda Station on 064 667 1160, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
Council to monitor bus parking spaces in town centre
Kerry County Council is to monitor the use of town bus parking spaces over the summer months following calls to return specific roadside bays to regular car parking.
The issue was raised by the Mayor of Killarney, John O’Donoghue, at the Killarney Municipal District meeting.
Cllr O’Donoghue asked the Council to monitor town bus parks nightly. He proposed that if these parks are not full, the bus spaces on the Anam Centre side of Railway Road should revert back to car parking.
He said that the roadside area can fit three to four buses, which could instead provide parking spaces for around ten cars.
Cllr O’Donoghue added that town parking is under severe pressure during the summer, particularly with one main car park unavailable for over a month, meaning every extra space would help.
“I do not believe the bus parks in the town to be full very often, so do not see the need for roadside parking in the town,” Cllr O’Donoghue said.
In its official reply, Kerry County Council stated that it continues to monitor bus parking spaces throughout the town. The local authority added that the laybys provided on East Avenue are strictly for bus set-down only, and confirmed that officials will monitor these specific spaces to ensure drivers adhere to the rule.
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