An Cearnog Nua, Moycullen 56
Team Garveys, St Marys, Castleisland 69
In the top of the table clash in Castleisland on Saturday night An Cearnog Nua, Moycullen, slipped to a 13-point defeat to the home team.
A failure to capitalise on scoring opportunities negated another excellent defensive effort, but Castleisland were the better team on the night.
However it did not help that Moycullen went 6 of 19 from the free throw line and missed 8-10 reasonably straightforward lay-ups, a 50 per cent increase on return here would have made the difference.
It may be of no relevance, but James Loughnane’s late lay-up and Cian Nihill’s free throw kept the defeat below Moycullen’s winning margin in the reverse fixture in Galway. Thus, were the two teams to finish level on points at the end of the season, Moycullen would gain the higher ranking.
Now Moycullen must regroup over Christmas before facing a crucial three week period in January. In quick succession, they will face A Taste of Europe, Ballina, and Titans, and they also have a cup semi final against Titans. These three weeks will tell a lot about the team’s title aspirations for the 2008/2009 season
The game began with Castleisland showing the confidence of a team on an extended winning run. Declan Wall pulled the strings while their two imports, Limerick Senior footballer, John Galvin and Lithuanian, Dainus Varanauskas provided the scoring punch. Moycullen struggled badly at the other end, looking edgy in their offensive sets and forcing poor shots. Only Cian Nihill and Glenn Hynes scored for the visitors as they slipped to a 21-9 deficit.
A 12 point deficit and a Castleisland team buzzing with confidence can set alarm bells ringing but Moycullen dug in. Two scores off nice back door cuts from Eoghan Maxwell opened the second quarter and a Nollaig Cunningham score helped reduce the deficit. A three-pointer from Declan Wall opened Castleisland’s account for the quarter but Dylan Cunningham and Garnett Griffin cut the deficit to six points. Moycullen’s defence was now triggering turnovers but a lack of sharpness at the offensive end saw them fail to capitalize. Castleisland rallied and Galvin and Wall shared 10 points to end the quarter as they restored a 12-point margin at the half, 36-24.
The third quarter began with Cian Nihill inspiring another Moycullen charge. He connected on the team’s first seven points as they threatened again to break the game open. However, at the other end, despite excellent Moycullen defence, Varanauskas, Michael Broderick and Galvin muscled in for hard earned scores. It was evident that the home team would not fold easily and despite scores from Griffin and Hynes two late Maurice Casey baskets stretched the lead to 18, 56-38.
Many lesser teams would have packed their bags at this stage but Moycullen continued to battle away in the fourth. James Loughnane provided the spark with an early lay-up and Cian Nihill hit a three to cut it to 13 points. The old one-two punch of Brosnan and Wall responded for the hosts but then Loughnane went on a scoring spree. A pair of threes and two lay-ups saw just eight points between the teams with four minutes left as Moycullen threatened a dramatic comeback. It was not to be though as Varanauskas capped an outstanding display with five late points. It will be a few months before it’s known how important the late Loughnane and Nihill scores will be for Moycullen but, at the moment, their only relevance was to leave the final scoreline at 69-56 to the home team. Castleisland now top the league over Christmas while Moycullen follow closely in second place.
An Cearnog Nua, Moycullen: Cian Nihill(18 ), James Loughnane(14 ), Glenn Hynes(8 ), Garnett Griffin(5 ), Eoghan Maxwell(4 ), Dylan Cunningham(2 ), Nollaig Cunningham(2 ), Paul O’Brien, James Brophy, David Lee, Gerald Lyons, James O’Brien. Coach: Zbigniew Mardon
Team Garveys, St Marys, Castleisland: Dainus Varanauskas(21 ), John Galvin(18 ), Declan Wall(11 ), Michael Broderick(9 ), Maurice Casey(4 ), Liam Brosnan(4 ), Tom Fleming(2 ), Donal McCarthy, Niall Murphy, Conor Brosnan, Brian Clernon, Joe Watson Coach: Brian Clernon.
