Lions roar to Dublin Cup treble
DUBLIN Lions enjoyed a memorable weekend after they returned home from the Oblate Hall in Inchicore with the Dublin Under 13, Under 15 and Under 16 Basketball Cups.
While the club recorded a comprehensive 86-54 win over Malahide in latter competition, their Under 15s surmounted the challenge of BC Tauras while the Lions Under 13s prevailed in their decider against Éanna.
The Under 16 showpiece saw the Clondalkin side produce a blistering start as they opened up an 8-0 lead thanks in no small part to versatile playmaker Harry Scully and Dave Olokun.
Aaron Doyle turned in a solid defensive performance for Malahide, but despite his best efforts, the Lions widened the gap.
Olokun struck 10 of their first 15 points and by the close of the first quarter, his side had established a 30-13 advantage.
Dave Olokun measures up a basket during Dublin Lions’ clash with Malahide in the Dublin Under 16 Basketball Cup Final while Photo by Paddy Barrett
Shooting guard Ben Sheppard constantly found himself in good positions and his accuracy was unwavering, sinking 26 points overall for the side.
On defence, Rokas Luicvaitis managed to work a number of steals and was a dominant figure on rebounds, helping the Lions through to a 59-27 lead.
Still they were forced to absorb a lot more pressure in the third quarter as centre, Andrew Moffat heaved Malahide back into contention with his haul of 26 points, while Jack Collins and Fionn O’Driscoll also weighed in on the scoring front.
The northsiders managed to cut the gap to 13 points, but Lions held firm and ultimately ran out comfortable winners, Jiame Sales and captain Michael O’Connor figuring strongly for them.
“The lads played really well. They’re unbeaten in the league as well, so it’s great to see them get a trophy for their efforts,” Rob White, from Dublin Lions, told The Echo.
This Lions team remains unbeaten after 10 games in the league and are set to play two more against Malahide and Éanna this weekend with a win in both all but guaranteeing them the title.
It was a much closer affair for the Lions Under 13s in their respective cup decider last weekend as they emerged 59-49 winners over Éanna.
Nemanja Prodanic, Gustav Vitols and Majus Raziunas emerged their top scorers as they edged out their closest rivals in the DMBB Under 13 South League.
Meanwhile the Lions Under 15s produced a strong second-half surge to turn a narrow three-point advantage at the break into a 63-46 victory over Tauras, Karl Venas hitting 23 points while Shareef Elmahi and Oscars Ravejs combined for 17.
