Congratulations to the Castlerea Kings who, following a frantic finale to the Lonleitros Basketball League, emerged as champions last weekend.
The Kings ventured to Sligo All-Stars knowing that they had to win their final game and move to 13-3 to have any hope of staying ahead of the Longford Torpedoes, who had to go undefeated in their final three games in order to be named as champions themselves. Until last weekend, the Torpedoes had not lost a game outside of their two clashes with the Kings, which crucially meant the Roscommon side held the upper hand in terms of the tie-breaker should their rivals fall once more.
The Sligo All-Stars team is one which has improved drastically over the course of the season and were to prove no pushover in their own gym. They put their youth and athleticism to good use and started the game at a frenetic pace. The Kings held their nerve, however, and triumphed 74-57 in a game that was much tighter than the scoreline suggests.
It was during a team dinner on Saturday night when word filtered through that the Longford Torpedoes had fallen to the Mohill Mavericks in Leitrim, no doubt sparking wild celebrations amongst the Kings and their many sponsors and supporters.
The team thanked all those who had helped them in anyway this year.
“The Castlerea Kings would like to thank our sponsors, An Gairdin Bia and Seanie Mac’s Barbers in Ballaghaderreen, the gracious help and facilities afforded to us in Castlerea Enterprise Hub, as well as all the help given to us by Joe Henry, Austin Waldron Photography, table officials and our supporters who have travelled the midlands with us as well as making The Hub a fortress of a home venue.
“The Top 4 Cup weekend beckons in Castlerea on the weekend of the 23rd of March, admission is free and the Kings hope to build an amazing atmosphere around the tournament as we bid to do the double!”
