SSE Airtricty Moycullen Basketball will be hoping to celebrate the Christmas with a fourth Superleague win when they host Radisson BLU UL Eagles on Sunday in the Jes (2pm ).
In this last home game before Christmas, Moycullen will be looking for the points to help them move into the upper half of the table.
The Eagles have just one win from nine and their visit should be welcome after playing the top two teams over the past fortnight.
Having lost to second place Sword Thunder, it didn’t get any easier when Moycullen they faced league leaders Templeogue for their first match-up of the season on Saturday evening in Dublin, and although looking for an away upset, Templeogue’s star studded cast proved too much for Moycullen, winning by 82-71.
Moycullen started well with Paul Freeman scoring four unanswered points and Philip Lawrence-Ricks scoring two tough jump shots and converting a three-pointer. However the imposing Jason Killeen, standing at 6’10", terrorised the paint, denying Moycullen the chance to extend their lead as they finished the quarter 18-15 ahead.
A poor start to second quarter did not help as they struggled to stifle Templeogue’s scoring run. Templeogue’s American Michael Bonaparte helped Templeogue to establish a significant lead, and although Moycullen guards Patrick Lyons and James Loughnane continued to attack the basket, it was not enough to quell Templeogue’s scoring as they forged ahead by 46-32.
Moycullen set out to disrupt Templeogue with improved offensive play, and Dylan Cunningham ran the floor well for some easy layups, while Paul Freeman continued his great play from the first half. Kyle Cunningham harassed the opposition guards, while forwards Joseph Tummon and John Hackett made good offensive contributions off the bench. However, Bonaparte helped extend their lead to 68-51.
Moycullen continued to show heart. Patrick Lyons picked up a steal against his old mentor Puff Summers, while Paul Freeman continued to do the dirty work in the paint. Connor Curran did a good job when introduced, converting a three pointer. However the Templeogue lead was just too big to breach against the only unbeaten team in the league.
Moycullen: Paul Freeman (18 ), Dylan Cunningham (14 ), Philip Lawrence-Ricks (13 ), Patrick Lyons (10 ), Connor Curran (5 ), Kyle Cunningham (4 ), James Loughnane (4 ), John Hackett (3 ), Joseph Tummon.
