Moycullen girls topped their group, beating both St Mary’s, Castleisland, and Sligo Warriors on Saturday before edging Limerick Celtics by 34 - 32 in the last quarter of the division 1 semi-final on Sunday. Paired against surprise packets Killinkere, who beat a fancied Brunell team from Cork, this decider was a thriller. Moycullen enjoyed a great start to lead 14- 4 after the first quarter, but Killenkere came back strongly to reduce the deficit to three at half time, and with just three minutes on the clock in the fourth, they took the lead.
However Moycullen showed great composure, scored five unanswered points to regain the lead, and held possession to close out the game, winning 35 -33. Catherine Connaire, with 14 points, and Sorcha White, with an awesome game under the boards, led the way for Moycullen, coached by Paul O’Brien.
Maree’s u-14 boys ran past Sligo All Stars 55-21 and overcame a dogged and determined Belfast Star team 48-38 to set up a mouth-watering semi-final against reigning champions Fr Mathews, who were going for three in a row. However Maree played their best basketball in this game with a fantastic defence against a much bigger team, limiting Fr Mathews to 37 points. Maree opened up a slender lead at half time 20-15 before going to claim a superb 54-37 win.
In a tense final against Dublin champions Tolka, the lead changed hands seven times and was level on three occasions in the first half. Maree jumped out to a 12-point lead in the third quarter, but Tolka fought back to close the gap to four. However Maree outscored their opponents 14-5 in the last quarter, led by Rian Maher who hit 10 and pulled down fantastic rebounds. Maree held on to win 56-43, helped by top scorers Rian Maher 24, Eoin Rockall 15, Adam Cox 7, and Diarmuid Byrne 5.
