MAREE are the only Galway side left standing in this year’s Men’s Division One Cup after they got the better of Titans in a Galway derby last weekend; while Maigh Cuilinn were beaten in Jordanstown by an Ulster Universit side that will host Maree in the quarter-finals next month.

The two beaten sides met in Ballinfoile Community Centre last night looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their respective cup exits to kick-start what is a busy weekend for the two sides, with both also in action on tomorrow (Saturday).

Maigh Cuilinn host Tipp Talons in the Kingfisher Arena in the University of Galway (7pm); while Titans head to the Midlands to face the league leaders and title favourites, Portlaoise Panthers (7pm).

It will be a special day for the Maigh Cuilinn, as the men’s game will be preceded by the first home match in the Basketball Ireland Development League for the club’s women’s side, when they take on Dublin Raiders (3.30pm).

They began their BIDL campaign with a 75-61 win away to Boyne Warriors last weekend, with former Republic of Ireland senior footballer, Julie-Ann Russell, leading the way with 18 points.

They are joined in Group 2 of the BIDL by Claregalway, who get their season underway this weekend when they host Meteors from Dublin in Coláiste Bhaile Chláir on Sunday (4pm).

Meanwhile, cup survivors Maree will look to maintain their good form when they head to Kerry to take on Killarney Cougars tomorrow (7.30pm); while Mystics are not in action this weekend in the Women’s Division One due to the senior Irish women’s side being in Eurobasket 2027 qualifiers this week.

MEN’S DIVISION ONE CUP

Maree 88

Titans 72

Maree claimed the local bragging rights, and a place in the quarter-finals of this year’s President’s Cup, after overcoming a poor first-half to get the better of a young Titans side in this derby clash in front of a packed hall at Calasanctius College last Saturday.

The city side, which boasted 11 young local players that have come up through its academy structure in its 12-man match-day roster, flew out of the traps, finding their range from inside and beyond the arc.

They enjoyed an 11-point cushion on no less than five occasions in the opening quarter; and led by as much as 13 just past the midway point in the second-quarter, but Maree finally got motoring in the last three minutes of that second-quarter, finishing on an 8-0 run to trail by five points at half-time.

Ten minutes later, they had turned things around to lead by two heading into the final quarter, where they blitzed their visitors to claim the win.

Titans had started well, and a 13-0 run early in the first quarter gave them a 17-6 lead and forced Maree into a time-out before even five minutes of the game had elapsed. The charge was led by Fortune Igbokwe and Comhgall McCormack, who combined for all but two of those early points as Maree struggled to get any kind of offence going.

Jake Morris came off the bench to drain a long 3-pointer for Maree to steady the ship somewhat, but with both Matthew Sweeney – who won the Pat Duffy Cup with Maree two years ago – and their lone ‘outsider’, Umar Rashid, draining back-to-back 3-pointers for the visitors, it was Titans who ended on the front foot to lead 31-22.

Both sides struggled in the early stages of the second quarter, Maree scoring just five points in the first five minutes, while Titans went just one-from-five from the free-throw line, but once Isaiah Taylor found his range for Maree, the home side began to eat into the Titans lead.

The US import scored just two points in the first quarter, but finished the game with 31, including eight in the second quarter to cut the Titans lead to five at 42-37 at half-time.

Nathan Gbinigie edged Titans further ahead at the start of the third quarter, but Justin Wickham and John Burke replied for Maree, before Taylor took over, scoring 10 of his side’s final 12 points of the quarter to see Maree lead 57-55 heading into the final quarter.

Daniel Oyeleye threw in a 3-pointer at the start of the final quarter to stretch the Maree lead and set the tone for the final 10 minutes: Titans scored a respectable 17 points, but Maree hit them for 31 scores of their own to ease into the last eight.

Maree: I Taylor (31), H Bevan (3), J Wickham (16), R Dragusha (17), J Burke (2), J Morris (5), D Oyeleye (12), C Cannon (2).

Titans: F Igbokwe (20), B Powell (2), C McCormack (5), U Rashid (21), M Sweeney (9), B Gaffney (5), V Tashev, N Gbinigie (6), J Coughlan (4).

Pictured: The Titans squad beaten by Maree in the Last 16 of the Men’s Division One Cup in Oranmore last Saturday. Back row, from left: Erin Bracken (coach), Fortune Igbokwe, Umar Rashid, Nathan Gbinigie, Victor Tashev, Ben Powell, Brian Gaffney, Caner Dogan (assistant coach), and Declan Gbinigie. Front: Stephen Owede, Joseph Coughlan, Comhghall McCormack, Matthew Sweeney, Ben Kelly, and Luke Herrick. Photo: Virzhiniya Tasheva.