Maree Basketball Club’s u-20s have advanced to the National Cup quarter-finals after recording a thrilling 67-63 win over perennial local rivals and 2008 champions, Moycullen. Maree will now enjoy a home fixture against Blue Demons of Cork in the next round.
Maree and Moycullen produced a high tempo encounter with each team looking to break from defence at speed and create short-handed opportunities.
Maree’s Con Crowley looked sharp as he stole a couple of early passes, and Dave Hansberry got the first score from one of these turnovers. After trading baskets in a testy first five minutes, Maree exploded with eight unanswered points, including two threes from Liam Conroy. Although Moycullen secured a couple of Maree turnovers at the end of the quarter, Maree held a 21-12 lead at the quarter’s end.
Moycullen’s Dylan Cunningham and David Lee hauled their team back into the game but Maree steadied the ship with Cathal Finn taking some key rebounds and hitting five in the quarter, including a big three, but at the half Maree’s lead had been cut to 35-29.
Moycullen mounted a fight-back in the third quarter, punishing Maree turnovers with James Brophy good for nine points. Maree were held to just 12 points of which Liam Conroy hit eight. The quarter ended all square at 47-47 to provide a battle-royale to the end.
Worse was to come for Maree as the industrious James Loughnane and Eoghan Maxwell worked their socks off in defence and forced turnovers and some poor pass options. Despite two baskets from Crowley and some timely free-throws from David Hansberry, Moycullen held on. Two baskets from Lee helped them, and suddenly, with less than three to go, they led Maree by five points.
A Maree turnover followed, and with Moycullen in transition, another score looked likely until Crowley stole the ball back, and a Finn three followed to bring Maree back to two down. Conroy’s fifth three re-established the Maree lead before stretching it to three.
At that stage Moycullen’s last five possessions had been fruitless. Conroy’s free throw with only seconds to go meant there was no way back, and it ended Maree 67-Moycullen 63.
Maree: Darren Shaughnessy, Ciaran Considine, Con Crowley (8 ), David Hansberry (11 ), Cathal Finn (12 ), Jack Conroy (c ), Dáire Greene, George Rahmani, Brendan Considine, Colm O’Hagan, Liam Conroy (30 ), Kenneth Hansberry (6 ).
Moycullen: Karolis Ngnorta, Thomas Gilson, James O’Brien, Gerald Lyons, James Loughnane (11 ), Neil Cantwell, Eoghan Maxwell (6 ), David Lee (12 ), Dylan Cunningham (13 ), Stephen Tummon (10 ), Chris McNairney, James Brophy (11 ).
