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Alan Cantwell reports on St Brendan’s Basketball Club’s win in the Mens U20 National Cup competition at the weekend…
St. Brendan’s 82
Éanna 69
St. Brendan’s Mens U20 Squad. Back row: Donal O’Sullivan, Joseph Sullivan, Andrew Wallace, Phoenix Costello, Eddie Sheehy, Gary Lynch, Olaf Michalczuk. Front row; Coren Hughes, Aaron Nolan, Evan Boyle, Eoin Creedon, Eli Fitzgerald.
St. Brendan’s negotiated their way past Éanna with an 82-69 win in Moyderwell on Sunday afternoon. The win sets up a home quarter-final with Belfast Star in December and a shot at securing a Cup semi-final berth in Cork in early January.
It was Éanna that started the contest better with Sammy Shah, Cathal O’Sullivan and Nathan Comerford combining to see them lead 9-2 early on. Olaf Michalczuk hit a three to spark Brendan’s response and when Eoin Creedon and Donal O’Sullivan found their range in quick succession the sides were level at 13-13.
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Shah gave Éanna the lead again from distance but when Michalczuk did likewise and O’Sullivan and Eddie Sheehy added Brendan’s led 22-18 at quarter time.
The sides settled into the contest in earnest in the second with Éanna again getting the upper hand through O’Sullivan and Caeden Ash to lead 25-24 but Eoin Creedon’s second three allied to a nine point volley from Michalczuk pushed Brendan’s ahead despite a three from Kiernan and an inside effort from Comerford.
Donal O’Sullivan and Michalczuk combined to edge Brendan’s back in front but a strong finish to the quarter saw Éanna hit threes from Mark Keogh and Kiernan to leave the half time score 43-42 to the hosts.
Éanna went on a run early in the third and quickly established an eight point lead through O’Sullivan, Comerford and Lovic but Creedon again found nothing but net from beyond the arc and when Evan Boyle followed his lead and Donal O’Sullivan was on the mark from close range the sides were level. Victor Lovic had the last word of the quarter to see Éanna 59-58 up at three quarter time.
St. Brendan’s grasped the initiative early in the fourth and shot their way into a double digit lead by the mid-way point of the quarter.
Evan Boyle set the tone with back to back threes and a hat trick of driving scores from Creedon had the hosts ten points up 73-63.
Éanna’s resistance came from Cathal O’Sullivan with back to back baskets but Brendan’s continued their dominant display with Sheehy and Donal O’Sullivan adding before Boyle hit his fourth three of the game.
Comerford hit a couple of late baskets for the visitors but Olaf Michalczuk capped an impressive individual performance with two late free throws to seal the 82-69 win in the end.
Scorers:
St. Brendan’s: Olaf Michalczuk 24, Eoin Creedon 20, Donal O’Sullivan 15
Éanna: Cathal O’Sullivan 17, Nathan Comerford 15, Dean Kiernan 11
Next up for St. Brendan’s is a quarter final date in December with Belfast Star at Moyderwell.
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