2 wins against Limavady Lightning and Strabane Zenith in the space of 3 days sees North Star climb back above .500 for the first time since Christmas. With 2 Tough games at home to Magherafelt and Dungannon remaining North Star have it all to do if they are to finish at the top end of the Division 1 table this season.
North Star 73 – 39 Limavady
North Star’s Division one squad had a comfortable away victory over the Limavady Lightning on Thursday night. It was a game that North Star lead from the start and a win for the Derry side never seemed in doubt.
North Star began with a 221 full court press and a 23 zone defense which was effective in shutting out the Limavady squad. North Star managed to hold the lightning to only 3 points in the first quarter while piling in 16 of their own. Kevin Stanley scored driving to the basket while Niall Toland and Hugh Barbour were scoring from the 3 point line. In the second quarter Limavady begam more aggressive on offense and started to work the ball inside to pick up some baskets but they couldn’t stop North Star’s fast break offense lead by Sean McGowan which seen the Derry team go in at the half up by 35 points to 20.
The second half saw North Star change to a man to man defensive system which was equally effective and the first half zone. Stephen McCrudden was finding space in the Limavady zone and scoring well under the boards. At this stage the result was not in doubt and North Star rotated their subs to make sure the fresh legs closed the game out with the Derry team winning on a score line of 73-39.
North Star: T. Geller 12, S. McCrudden 11, N. Toland 9, J. Lyons 9, K. Stanley 9, N. McDermott 6, S. McGowan 6, S. Lecod 5, R. Hasson 4, H. Barbour 2, K. Temple
Limavady: G. McKee 17, M. Paragan 7, L. Thompson 5, A. Brown 4, F. Hartin 2, T Plata 2
North Star 77 – 67 Strabane
After a tough 1 point away win early in the season North Star completed the double over their closest rivals, Strabane Zenith, with a win in a closely contested and intense encounter on Saturday in Shantallow Community Centre.
Strabane had the better of the opening quarter as Emmett McCrory knocked down 2 jump shots and inside moves by Mark Henderson. Ryan Hasson was playing some great full court defense and this pressure was leading to mistakes for strabane. Baskets by Ryan Hasson and Hugh Barbour kept North Star in touch and after Daniel Quigley converted a 3 point play and Kieran Temple scored with a baseline drive it looked like North Star would take a slender lead in at the end of the first quarter however JP McMenamin sunk a deep three pointer to give the Tyrone men a 2 point edge at the end of the first. 16 – 14 to Strabane.
In the second quarter the sides traded baskets. Jason wells had 5 points in the period with a pair of jumpers as did Hugh Barbour. Johnny Lyons scored with 2 drives however North Star couldn’t stop Strabane getting the ball inside their zone and as a result Zenith managed to increase their lead to 4 points at the half. JP McMenamin again on fine form during the second with 7 points in the period.
After a harsh half time team talk North Star came out after the break like a new team. Within 4 minutes of the third they had managed to turn a 4 point deficit into a 10 point lead through some excellent full court defense and strong finishing. Hugh Barbour had 2 three pointers en route to 11 third quarter points and Lyons had another 6 points. North Star scored an incredible 29 points in the quarter which change the momentum of the game.
In the fourth quarter North Star traded baskets with strabane and allow the Tyrone side made a few runs they could never quite close the gap enough to get close to the North Star lead. North Star finished in control and Emmet Harkin and Stephen McCrudden showed their experience to finish the game strong for North Star who won by 77 points to 67.
North Star: Hugh Barbour 25, Jonathan Lyons 12, Kevin Stanley 8, Ryan Hasson 7, Daniel Quigley 7, Kieran Temple 6, Jason Wells 5, Stephen McCrudden 4, Todd Gfeller 3, Sean McGowan 2, Emmett Harkin, Seamus Soal, Niall Toland,
Strabane Zenith: Mark Henderson 14, Ali Gorman 13, JP McMenamin 11, Pete Doherty 9, Nigel Murphy 9, Stephen McGlynn 7, Emmett McCrory 4, Pete Farrell, C McGirr
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