Galway Titans have pulled off a surprise victory over Moycullen to advance to the next round of the u-20 National Basketball Cup.
Prior to the weekend’s games both Moycullen and Maree would have been tipped as title contenders, but with Maree losing to Templeogue by 74-38, the Titans will now carry the Galway flag into the competition.
Titans went into Sunday’s match at the Renmore Community Centre as underdogs - never having achieved a win over Moycullen at this level. And although smaller and less experienced, Titans showed they meant business from the start when Gerald Echafu outjumped his Moycullen counterpart in the first of his 18 rebounds in the game.
In the first quarter the teams were well matched at both ends of the floor, and by half time there was still nothing between them with the Titans leading 38-37. However in the third quarter, Titans upped the tempo, running at the Moycullen defenders and scoring both from the free throw line and the three point line. At the other end Titans defended tenaciously with their seasoned Argentinian pairing, led by Latauro, starving the big inside Moycullen men of possession.
With the Titans well up at the end of the third, coaches Considine, Barile and Andre Tongo ran the bench to great effect, but it was in the fourth quarter that Ollie Brockmann, Tomz Fabriciuss and Kniuras dominated the offensive scoring, while Seamus Garrity ran the show to bring home a historic victory by 74-49.
Moycullen 49, T Bleasedale 14, P Lyons 13, S Candon 7.
Titans 74, T Fabriciuss 17; O Brockmann 12;R Kinuras 12; S Garrity 10 ).
