Belfast Star must be ready for the ultimate test in Irish basketball this Saturday night when they travel to face Killester in the All-Ireland Superleague, according to Aidan Quinn.

Quinn and Star were left bitterly disappointed after a 99-90 defeat away to Vincent’s on Saturday night, having only seven days earlier beaten the Dublin side.

Now they face Killester who lifted the National Cup with a victory over Demons and are sitting top of the Superleague.

Quinn does not doubt that Star will have to produce their best if they are to once again bounce back from a loss in what has been a rollercoaster season.

Quinn, who is hopeful that twin brother Conor will be back from injury this weekend, insists Star have the quality to make play-offs at the end of the regular season but need to find the level of last year when they won the northern conference.

“Last year we went down to Killester and the winning margin was double figures,” he recalled.

“It was probably our best performance of the season and we have to believe we can go and do that again against a side that is fresh off winning the Cup.

“Killester have been the benchmark this season. They have adopted a certain style and it has paid off for them. You can see how much they are enjoying their basketball, playing selfless basketball and the results speak for themselves.

“So there’s no bigger test at the moment than Killester. We have to be positive and go down and bring our best. Conor is expected to be back which is great because we have missed his leadership and the points he brings.”

Quinn believes that for Star to push hard for the playoffs, they must address defensive issues that raised their head in the loss to Vincent’s.

Star made a promising start in Dublin, winning the first quarter but then Vincent’s made them pay for what Quinn felt were too many defensive errors.

“Sometimes you can talk about strategies and tactics but what it really comes down to is showing a bit of grit and being the aggressor and that’s what we need to start showing. We need to be more aggressive and that’s personally and as a group,” he added.

“I thought against Vincent’s we were a bit soft at times, not aggressive enough in defence and that needs to change.”

American Darweshi Hunter was Star’s MVP, finishing with 30 points and eight rebounds. Deondre Jackson had 22 points, while Max Cooper hit 17 points and nine rebounds. Jaron Thames was once again the top scorer for Vincent’s with 29 points.

Hunter had 14 points in the first quarter, but it was a three-pointer from Paddy McGaharan that made sure they had a 32-27 lead going into the second quarter.

Star kept their noses in front until two minutes before the break when Giorgi Tvalabeishvili nudged Vincent’s ahead.

Jackson then managed to tie the sides on 47 with 90 seconds remaining. But Thames and Sam Henderson gave the home side a 53-50 half-time lead.

Vincent’s maintained their advantage, going into the final quarter with a 72-66 lead. Star didn’t score for the first two minutes until Hunter came up with a basket and by that stage, Vincent’s had opened up a 10-point lead.

Jackson brought Star to within five with a three-point play with three minutes remaining before Thames and Tvalabeishvili restored their advantage.

Star were then given real hope of victory when baskets in quick succession from Hunter and Cooper got them to within four points with less than two minutes on the clock.

But Star’s offence went cold just at the wrong time and Thames came up with the crucial baskets to give Vincent’s the win.