Maree are through to the quarter-finals of the Men’s National Cup following Saturday’s 84 – 48 win over Fr Mathews of Cork in Calasanctius Gym, Oranmore. Liam Conroy led with 12 points in a game that saw five Maree players score 10 or more.
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on Tuesday, and Maree have an away tie against neighbours Titans, the game to be played on the weekend of December 4/5.
It will be a busy weekend for the Oranmore-Maree club. Maree host Templeogue in an u-20 men’s quarter-final, and have away ties in u-18 quarter-finals - the Maree boys in Dublin versus Tolka Rovers, and the Maree girls in Cork up against Glanmire. In the meantime, Maree’s next men’s National League game is a local derby against Titans on Saturday, with the tip-off at 7:45 pm in Calasanctius gym.
Fr Mathew’s of Cork were an unknown quantity. They sit atop the Cork division one league with a record of seven wins and one loss at present, but Maree took control. A Conroy drive, score and free throw gave them a lead they never surrendered and seven Maree players scored in a first quarter that saw them take a 25 – 9 lead. Fr Mathew’s had no answer to Maree’s intense man-to-man defence and lightning fast-break.
The Cork visitors, led by Eoin O’Callaghan, regained their composure in the second period, but were still outscored 13 - 8 and went in at the half 38 – 17 adrift. If there was to be a Cork fight-back it had to be in the third quarter, but it did not materialise as Maree ran out 84 – 48 winners.
Maree: Con Crowley (11 ), Colm O’Hagan (10 ), Dave Hansberry (8 ), Danny Finn (10 ), Darren Callanan (4 ), Niall Higgins (4 ), Sarunas Zvirblinskas (11 ), Liam Conroy (12 ), Ciaran Harte (3 ), Brian Kelly (2 ), Ken Hansberry (5 ), Tomas Mitkus (4 ).
