There was little Christmas cheer for SSE Airtricity Moycullen when they posted a 71- 56 loss to Killester in Saturday's premier league fixture - the final game before Christmas.
Both sides were slow to start the match, but Moycullen, still missing some key players through injury, found some early scores through Ronan O’Sullivan, Cian Nihill and James Loughnane. At the opposite end, Killester got some good looks inside, with premier league veteran Jermaine Turner picking up six points early.
Despite some crisp passing and ball movement, Moycullen struggled to find baskets, and Killester capitalised to open up a 26-15 lead.
Moycullen's accuracy improved in the second quarter, with Stephen Tummon connecting on three consecutive offenses. James Loughnane looked extremely sharp defensively, and Kyle Cunningham picked up three steals, allowing Moycullen to chip further into the Killester lead. However the visitors to the Jes countered with a pair of three-pointers from Patrick Sullivan and Peter Lacey to maintain a 10-point lead at the break.
Moycullen produced their best in the third with Cian Nihill hitting two three-pointers, and Dylan Cunningham and Loughnanne impressing in defence, taking another charge and picking up a steal. At one stage they had reduced Killester’s lead to five, but a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Killester to maintain their lead, 54-44.
Kyle Cunningham, Paul O’Brien and Loughnane did their best to keep Moycullen within reach, but Killester continued to find some easy fast break scores. Soon after, James Loughnane fouled out of the game, and Killester began to slowly extend their lead. By the time the final whistle sounded Killester had pushed their lead to 15.
SSE Airtricity Moycullen: Stephen Tummon, Kyle Cunningham, Cian Nihill, James Loughnane, Paul Freeman, Ronan O’ Sullivan, Dylan Cunnngham, Paul O’ Brien, Joseph Tummon, Patrick Lyons.
NUIG Mystics Advance to Final
NUIG Mystics have booked their place in the Senior Women’s Basketball National Cup Final after a 77-52 win over Meteors in Galway.
Although Mystics held a clear advantage inside, Meteors remained within touching distance until a switch in defence ensured Mystics pushed ahead after half time - 35-25.
NUIG Mystics top scorers were Ailish O’Reilly 22, Michelle Fahy 20, and Lauren Murray 14.
