Moycullen will go into Saturday’s game against Southern Conference leaders Neptune of Cork in high spirits after notching a victory last weekend. Tip off is at 4pm in NUIG.
They prevailed in an overtime thriller on Saturday away from home against Belfast Star. After two heartbreaking losses in their two previous games, the storyline seemed all too familiar for the Galway outfit when Star’s American centre, Tyson Johnson, tipped in a basket as time expired in normal time to level the sides.
Thoughts of Moycullen’s recent failures late in games must have rippled through the boisterous away support that had made the trip to Belfast as the home side’s momentum helped them establish a narrow lead in the extra time period.
Indeed things looked bleak for Moycullen as the impressive Stephen Tummon fouled out of the game with three minutes remaining in overtime.
Moycullen hung tight, however, primarily through the inspirational defensive effort of Eoghan Maxwell who took on the job of shackling Star’s Irish international shooting guard, Paul Cummins.
Trailing by one with a minute to go, a three-pointer from Cían Nihill saw Moycullen gain their first lead of the overtime. Another excellent defensive effort by the visitors followed, which led to a fastbreak opportunity that saw Luke Enos score as he was fouled. His subsequent free throw gave Moycullen a five-point lead and despite a final three pointer from Star, Moycullen were able to hold on, ending the contest with a 77 to 75 victory, their first of the season.
“It is a massive relief to get that first win, especially after the way we lost the two previous games,” said Maxwell.
“When Stephen (Tummon ) went out it didn’t look great for us, but we know we are good enough to win at this level and it was time to finally do it and forget all the excuses. There was no way we were willing to leave Belfast with anything other than a win.”
Coach Gerald Lyons can be particularly pleased with the stellar performance from his professional American player, Enos, who contributed a game high 30 points. Bizarrely, Saturday was probably the worst Moycullen had played all season. They won’t mind, however, as the breaks rolled their way and they gratefully collected a much needed win.
Unfortunately it was not to be a perfect weekend as the second game of the bank holiday weekend proved a stretch too far, falling to league champions Killester in Dublin. Without the services of Nihill, unavailable due to work commitments, Moycullen battled hard, trailing by just five after three quarters. However, despite strong performances from Michael Dowd and Paul O’Brien in particular, Killester pulled away late in the game with some sharp outside shooting, winning on a scoreline of 86-70.
Moycullen scorers v Star: Luke Enos (30 ), Stephen Tummon (17 ), Cían Nihill (16 ), Paul O’Brien (5 ), Dylan Cunningham (4 ), Michael Dowd (2 ), James Loughnane (2 ), Eoghan Maxwell, Nollaig Cunningham, Ian Burke.
