Saurez has taken over from Ron Howard as the Killarney Lakers head coach, saying he is ‘very grateful for this opportunity’
Dublin Lions 66
Scott’s Lakers 71
A busy week for Scott’s Lakers new head coach Manuel Suarez was topped off with a hard earned win over Joels Dublin Lions in Clondalkin. He arrived on Monday, got to know his new team with a couple of training sessions and then faced Irish international Aidan Igiehon and his pack of Lions on Saturday evening. Suarez will have learned more after this latest win, the seventh of the season for the Lakers, but will be more than happy with his side’s display. It was something he alluded to afterwards but is targeting future improvement.
The Seville native felt the team’s rearguard action in the final quarter was pivotal to the win. “It was a difficult game, with a lot of runs for both teams but thanks to the defence in the last quarter, we got an important win on the road. But we still have a lot to improve on but I’m really happy for the guys and the club. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and it was a great way to start this experience,” he said.
It was a tight game throughout with the middle quarters seeing the lead exchange hands on numerous occasions but that final quarter steeliness from the Lakers held the Lions to just thirteen points and helped turn a possible reverse into a very important win. It was achieved with some shrewd decision making from Suarez and what was particularly pleasing was the even scoring spread and the ability of different players to contribute at vital times.
The first quarter was a case in point as six different players got on the scoresheet to help the Lakers stay pace with the Lions having a slight 18-17 advantage. Mark Sheehan was the headline act, hitting two swift threes early in the quarter. Eoin Carroll opened the scoring while Oisin Spring closed the first quarter account. In between Abdul Oladipupo worked hard for his points, Rui Saravia hit a nice floater while Mikah Blackwell was at the end of some nice combination play.
The second quarter saw the Lakers make a strong start, inspired by Oladipupo promptings and when Sheehan hit another from downtown the Lakers held a 27-20 lead. Aran Lee and Tiernan Howe had done the bulk of the heavy lifting for the Lions with the Lakers defence keeping Aidan Igiehon in check under the basket.
Kevin Anyanwu started to spark and that inspired Michael O’Connor and Conor Dikcius to greater efforts. Blackwell ensured his side kept their noses in front aided by a Darnell Snyers three and that saw the Lakers in front by 39-34 at the turnaround .
Igiehon had little joy inside in the first half so he decided to take up station further out and that started to pay dividends. He hit nine points in a little over four minutes and teammate Evan Blackmon also waded in to help the Lions create an 11-point swing and go 47-41 clear midway through. Igiehon would hit two further threes but the Lakers gathered themselves thanks to great work from Blackwell, Snyers, Carroll and Oladipupo on the offensive end and Jack O’Sullivan at the other end. That helped to make the game anyone’s heading down the stretch.
And the Lakers came out like greyhounds out of the traps in the pivotal fourth quarter. Spring stole in for two crucial baskets either side of a Blackwell dunk and an Oladipupo effort. That prompted a Lion’s time out but it had little effect as Snyers and Carroll made it a ten point game, 65-55 with five minutes on the clock.
Any comfort the Lakers might have felt soon evaporated as Howe hit two outside shots in a row to cut the gap to four. But what’s seldom is wonderful as Eoin Carroll hit a three from the corner to land his side a huge psychological edge. It had the required effect as the Lions could only come to within four points before Blackwell signed off on the scoring for the night from the charity stripe, to give his side a 71-66 win.
Captain Rui Saravia, who played a huge role defensively for his side, saw the good and bad in his team’s defending.
“Manuel mentioned Aidan Igiehon in his scouting report so it was important that we were ready physically and mentally for the game. But we all know we still need to work on our rotation in defence,” he said, welcoming new coach Manuel Suarez and his freshness.
“We only had one week but it was great to see his new ideas working already. As captain I’m very proud of the guys and the effort they put in. We’re already thinking of the next home game.”
That game is the Lakers final home game of 2024 and sees Waterford Vikings visit Killarney this Saturday at 7.30pm. The Vikings may be short on wins but they are extremely competitive and in Aaron Jackson and James Aboaba have two consistent scorers. It will be Manuel Suarez’s first home game in charge and he will be busy during the week fine-tuning the Lakers players.
Top scorers
Scott’s Lakers: Mikah Blackwell 20 points, Abdul Oladipupo 14, Darnell Snyers 10, Eoin Carroll 10, Mark Sheehan 9, Oisin Spring 6, Rui Saravia 2.
Dublin Lions: Aidan Igiehon 18 points, Aran Lee 17, Tiernan Howe 16.
