Moycullen were crowned Hula Hoops U20 Men’s National Cup champions at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght.
In a thrilling final with UCD Marian, MVP Paul Kelly was the star of the show, top scoring with a whopping 36 points on the day – 33 of which he had in the bag by the end of the third quarter. Kelly was the standout on both ends of the floor, also collecting 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals throughout the game.
However, it was not until midway in the fourth quarter that Moycullen began to get some breathing room on the scoreboard. UCD had hung with them every step of the way, with Paraic Moran, Eoin McCann and Luke Gilleran in dazzling form for the Dubliners, combining for 50 points.
However, as the fourth quarter ticked towards the final four minutes, scores from Tommy McNeela and James Connair edged Moycullen out in front by four, and despite the best efforts of an extremely talented Marian team, Moycullen held firm to win out.
Moycullen head coach Gerald Lyons was understandably thrilled with the cup victory.
“I’m over the moon, absolutely delighted. We took aim and identified that it was going to be a physical battle before the game, and it was true to form and we are delighted to be on the winning end of it.
"It was never comfortable the whole game. We relied heavily on Paul Kelly’s scoring today and he really stepped up to the mark. We love winning National Cups in Galway."
