Maree held off a late Killarney Cougars rally to claim a win on the road on Saturday, but Titans lost to league leaders, Portlaoise Panthers, two days after claiming a derby win over Maigh Cuilinn.

That was the first of back-to-back defeats for the Connemara side, as they also lost to Tipp Talons at the weekend.

All three sides are back in action this weekend, as are University of Galway Mystics, who host Swords Thunder in the Kingfisher Arena this Sunday (3pm) as the women’s two divisions return to action after the international break.

MEN’S DIVISION 1

Titans 95

Maigh Cuilinn 84

Local derbies are supposed to be tight and tense affairs. Nobody told Titans and Maigh Cuilinn, however. A combined total of 179 points and 40 minutes of thrilling, end-to-end basketball later, it was the city side who emerged victorious, deservedly taking a win in front of a sold-out crowd in Ballinfoile.

This was Galway basketball at its most entertaining — fast-paced, high-scoring, and full of quality on both sides. Yet while Maigh Cuilinn brought energy and flashes of brilliance, it was Titans’ precision from beyond the arc and composure at key moments that ultimately decided the contest.

The hosts shot a blistering 48% from three-point range, knocking down 14 triples, and no defensive adjustment could survive that level of accuracy.

Maigh Cuilinn had opted for a 2-3 zone to protect the paint, daring Titans to shoot. Titans answered emphatically, with Umar Rachid leading the way on 28 points while Joseph Coughlan – back after a long injury lay-off – and Fortune Igbokwe delivered an inside-out performance that kept the scoreboard ticking throughout.

Coughlan’s perimeter poise and Igbokwe’s strength around the rim gave the city side balance and variety that Maigh Cuilinn struggled to contain.

Grant Olsson was immense for Maigh Cuilinn, scoring 30 points and leading by example with tireless defensive and transition work. John Hackett impressed again in his first full season at this level; while Rory O’Sullivan’s energy lifted the team throughout.

The game turned, however, in the final 30 seconds of the first half. Trailing 50-46, Maigh Cuilinn coughed up two costly turnovers that Titans punished ruthlessly, turning a one-possession game into an eight-point halftime gap that largely held to the finish. Despite battling hard, Maigh Cuilinn never quite found the defensive bite to overturn the deficit.

Titans: F Igbokwe (19), C McCormack (5), U Rachid (28), B Gaffney (3), M Sweeney (5), J Coughlan (24), B Kelly (7), V Tashev, L Herrick (2), S Owede (2), E Coughlan.

Maigh Cuilinn: G Olsson (30), I Basic (9), A Perez (14), J Hackett (9), D Cunningham (3), S Tummon, A Molina (6), L Moloney (1), B Hardiman, R O’Sullivan (9), J Hynes (3).

Pictured: Maigh Cuilinn’s Liam Moloney attempts to dribble past Viktor Tashev of Titans. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.