Mayo school bags All-Ireland Under 19 basketball title
A 23-point winning margin was some statement by St. Muredach’s College, Ballina, who defeated Pres De La Salle, Bagnelstown, to claim the Pinergy Basketball Ireland Under 19 B Boys Schools Cup title at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght today (Tuesday), writes John Melvin.
The Ballina school is still in line for a double having made the last eight in the Under 19 National League, and on this form they have a more than realistic chance of landing the double.
But this cup victory, secured on a 63-40 scoreline, was a sweet one, bridging a gap of 17 years since the last national basketball title came back to the school – and the manner in which they disposed of the opposition says a lot about the quality of this Ballina team, a number of whom are part of the local Team Merry Monk senior men’s squad. That experience and maturity came to the surface in this game, which was never in doubt after the first quarter.
By the end of that opening quarter St. Muredach's were ahead by 26-13, baskets flying in from a number of players, including James O’Boyle, Brian Donoghue and MVP Brian Morrison
Nathan Roddy and Mark Cunningham also contributed to the scoring in the first quarter as St. Muredach’s took control of the game, although they did fall asleep at the wheel in the third before normal service was soon resumed in the fourth.
By half-time St. Muredach’s – who were fast down the floor, forcing a lot of turnovers – had opened up the gap to 18 points.
The Carlow side staged a mini comeback in the third quarter, nailing nine points on the bounce, but St. Muredach’s were never in trouble, and they bounced back to take the fourth quarter with some ease.
For coach Barry Murphy, who has soldered with the Ballina college for more years than he can remember, this was deserving reward not just for himself but for the team who have worked so hard and have come through the underage system in Ballina.
Said Barry (who was no bad player himself back in the day): “The first quarter gave us a big advantage and we held on to that by half-time. We fell asleep a little bit in the third quarter, but in the fourth we were very good again, so I’m very pleased with the performance.”
He added: “We haven’t won it for 17 years, so this means a lot, and with only two of those guys gone from next year, we’ve an extremely young side for Under 19 level.”
Top scorers for St. Muredach’s were Nathan Roddy (20), Brian Morrison (19) and Brian Donoghue (12). The Pres top scorers were Jeremy Hla (16), Rian Broderick (11) and Ben Smyth (4).
St. Muredach’s College squad: Cian Morrison, Brian Morrison, Matthew Fox, Conor Bourke, Matthew Leonard, Mikey Caden, Patrick Carr, Nathan Roddy, Mark Cunningham (captain), James Gil, James O’Boyle, Brian Donoghue.