Juvenile basketball clubs Ardrahan, Bearna, Ennistymon, Corrib, Claregalway, Maree, Moycullen and Titans are in the throes of a hectic league and cup season which will culminate in county finals in March.
The strength and vibrancy of these juvenile tournaments is reflected not only in the strong representation at u-16 and u-18 levels in Irish squads, but at senior level where Maree and Moycullen are contesting the Division 1 National League and Superleague for the first time this season.
The u-12 boys’ league has seen wins for Bearna, Moycullen, and Titans, while Maree has notched two league wins, beating both Titans and Bearna. In the girls’ league Moycullen are leading the way with three wins. After a hard fought victory against Corrib they accounted for a brave Cascaders before taking Maree’s scalp. Titans lost to a well drilled and talented Bearna side that dominated proceedings.
Maree’s u-13 girls played their first two games in the Galway League against Ardrahan and Moycullen2, grabbing two wins, while Corrib beat Bearna. The south Galway side also notched two wins in the boys’ u-13 league with wins over Bearna and Corrib, while Moycullen also secured a win over Corrib.
The most recent fixture saw Bearna also overcome Corrib by 26 - 16. David Givich started well, taking two baskets early in the first quarter, while Jonathon Pesaitis led the team into a strong lead, breaking through the Corrib defence for four. Both sides scored a single basket in the second quarter, and matched each other in the third, before Bearna pulled away in the fourth.
At u-15 boys’ level Moycullen, after a slow start, pushed Maree all the way to grab a three-point victory, and then followed up with a win over Bearna, while the u-14 girls saw Bearna prevail over Titans in a close contest. Behind by 10 points, Titans staged a late comeback but ran out of time chasing the game.
