Eagles win the final and seal Super League promotion

Alex Carlisle's 41 points carried Limerick Sport Eagles to an 82-63 win over Titans and promotion to the Super League.

Limerick Sport Eagles are going up. A 82-63 win over Titans in the Division One final at the National Basketball Arena on Saturday sealed promotion to the Domino's Men's Super League, and it was Alex Carlisle who led them there with 41 points and the MVP award.

The Eagles set the tone from the off, racing into a 12-0 lead inside the first four minutes. Carlisle had 22 by half-time as Limerick went in 36-25 up, and the Galway side never managed to close the gap. A Carlisle layup and an Ajay Walsh dunk pushed the lead out to 73-51 by the middle of the fourth, and from there it was a matter of seeing the night out.

Carlisle was close to unstoppable, going 13 from 20 inside the arc and 3 from 3 from deep on his way to 41. He had support across the floor. Ryan Leonard finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists, and Toby Christensen did the unseen work with 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. Ajay Walsh gave the bench real energy with six rebounds in 18 minutes.

This completes the double. The Eagles won the Men's Division 1 National Cup back in January, beating Drogheda Wolves 83-67, and now they have the league title to go with it and a place in the top flight to show for the season. Head coach Niall McDermott had said the goal was to get to this stage, and his side delivered when it mattered most.

Promotion to the Super League is a first for the club at this level and a reward for a season of hard, consistent basketball. Carlisle leaves the final as MVP and the best player on the floor, but this was a group effort built over a long campaign. The Eagles fly up. Next season they do it against the best in the country.