Killarney Cougars begin season with encouraging but losing start to Galway Titans

Titans BC 98

Killarney Cougars 77

Killarney Cougars opened their National League Division One campaign with a competitive contest, albeit a losing one, against the Titans away in Galway. The Cougars showed plenty of promise, especially in the first half, and will take many positives into their first home fixture of the season on Saturday.

Killarney started brightly, storming into a 6-0 lead with early baskets from Kani Glover, team captain Jack Lynch, and Andrew Fitzgerald. By the eight-minute mark, they had extended their advantage to 19-9. The Titans responded late in the first quarter with two key three-pointers from Micheal Gormley, narrowing the gap to 22-19 by the end of the period. Fitzgerald was particularly impressive early on, racking up nine points in the quarter.

The game remained tightly contested through the second quarter, with both teams exchanging leads. The Cougars' offense kept pace, led by an in-form Joshua Strongman who added nine points, while Glover sank a crucial three-pointer to keep the Cougars within a point at 41-40 with two minutes left in the half. However, the Titans finished the half on a strong note, increasing their lead to 47-40.

The third quarter saw a determined Cougars side fight back, with Glover's continued excellent play reducing the deficit to just three points at 50-47. However, the depth of the Titans' bench began to tell, as key contributions from Micheal Paul Hayes and Fortune Igbokwe helped the hosts pull away.

Late three-pointers from Joseph Coughlan, Brian Gaffney, and Matthew Sweeney allowed the Titans to take a 73-57 lead heading into the final quarter. Glover shone in this period, adding 14 points to his tally.

In the final quarter, the Cougars fought hard to reduce the gap, with baskets from Glover and Nathan Cox providing a brief momentum shift. However, the Titans used their bench effectively to maintain control, and despite a valiant effort from the Cougars, the gap proved too large to overcome. Both teams gave their benches some valuable minutes as the game concluded, providing experience for new players.

For the Cougars, this was an encouraging start to the season, with standout performances from debutant Kani Glover, who posted an outstanding 30 points, and Joshua Strongman, who added 22 points.

Andrew Fitzgerald contributed 15 points in what was a solid team effort, despite the absence of point guard Iyan Hiristov due to injury. The Cougars also saw debuts from Aaron Buckley, Dylan Bowler, and Adam Linehan, with all players showing potential for the season ahead.

With this competitive performance under their belt, the Cougars will be aiming to build on their positives when they host Waterford Vikings in their first home game of the season next Saturday at the Presentation Gym, Killarney at 7:30 pm, and the team will be looking forward to making the most of home-court advantage as they continue to grow and improve.

Top scorers

Killarney Cougars: Kani Glover 30, Joshua Strongman 22, Andrew Fitzgerald 15, Jack Lynch 4, Nathan Cox 4

Titans BC: Micheal Paul Hayes 22, Charles Anthony Yassi Pepin 15, Victor Tashev 14, Fortune Igbokwe 12, Micheal Gormley 12, Joseph Coughlan 7, Declan Gbinigie 6, Matthew Sweeney 5

National League Division One

Killarney Cougars v Waterford Vikings

Saturday, October 12 at 7:30pm in Presentation Gym, Killarney