Reds run riot to record underage treble of success

TEMPLEOGUE Basketball Club made it a treble in last weekend’s Underage Dublin Cup Finals in the Oblate Hall in Inchicore, with their Under 12s, 13s and 18s going all their way in their respective competitions.

The latter went some way to soothing the pain of defeat in the semi-finals of the Under-18 National Cup back in January when they captured the Boys’ Under-18 Dublin Cup, following a decisive 71-44 point victory over UCD Marian on Saturday.

Currently sitting at the top of the league table after an unbeaten run, the Reds were well-primed for this final.

There was plenty of international talent on show in this match with Templeogue boasting three Irish players in their squad, namely, Mark Gilleran, Sean Daly and Sam Walsh, while UCD Marian also fielded Donal Ring.

Templeogue began explosively with Walsh bagging the first couple of baskets, while some great team defensive work made for a few quick turnovers, giving his side a platform to build on.

Templeogue maintained their furious pace, with Daly pushing the ball at every opportunity and any missed chances were mostly mopped up by Gilleran with some brilliant inside play, that helped his side into an 18-point advantage.

Abdu Huss was working away inside and doing some trojan work while the dogged Owen Murphy was efficient in both defence and offence, creating some vital scores.

And with Conor Flood and Ciaran Cullen entering the fray, the entire team was on fire, surging ahead throughout the second half, to finish emphatic winners as captain Walsh emerged with a top score of 23 points, to his name.

Meanwhile Templeogue’s Under 12s were forced to pull out all the stops to overcome a stern challenge from a resilient Liffey Celtics side, winning 45-31 on Saturday.

The two teams had met in the league earlier in the season, with Templeogue victorious on both occasions.

Yet Liffey began this match with intent, racing into the lead with baskets from John Carlos Estrella, RJ Valenzuela, Milo McGivern and a brace from Lorcan O’Driscoll.

Then, with Celtics carding a number of fouls, Templeogue seized the opportunity to open their account from the free throw line with scores from Darragh O’Toole, Eoin Fegan and Alex Pulu, in addition to a basket and free throw from Charles Faure, finishing the quarter 7-10 in arrears.

Celtics began the second quarter by dipping into the subs bench, but Templeogue were out of the blocks quicker.

Following up on some great team work and assists from Jack Doran, Ralph Erin and Ben Kavanagh, Jack Finn (Captain) and Jacob Fazande combined to bag an amazing 22 points, with Templeogue going in at the break 29-18 ahead.

And in the last quarter, Templeogue introduced Eoin Murray and Luke Doyle, with Finn and Fazande, who top-scored with 18 points, adding a further 10 points to their side’s tally and closing out the match.

Templeogue’s Under 13 Boys then completed an amazing weekend for the club after they landed their fourth Dublin Cup title in a weekend that also saw their men clinch the Super League title.

A 32-20 point win over Malahide marked their final step on the road to the county cup in the Oblate Hall on Sunday.

These two teams had already clashed twice in the league, with the tightest of margins separating them so all the indicators pointed to a low-scoring encounter.

And that proved to be the case with a tight defence and little leverage given by either team.

The opening quarter saw Templeogue enjoy the better of the exchanges, with Jack Finn bagging six to edge them two points ahead.

Oisin Kenny, returning after a month out through injury, started the second quarter for Templeogue along with Darragh Butler, Togii Chilkhaajay, Jacob Fazande and Jack O’ Sullivan.

Fazande picked up where Finn left off in the first, scoring 10 with Kenny adding a further two.

Malahide were struggling with a series of shots that just would not drop, but eventually scored through Oran Flannery and Eoin Timmons, as Templeogue finished the quarter 18-8 ahead.

With both teams desperately seeking scores, it was Malahide through Angelo Pachico, Christian McDonald, Michael Downey and Mathew Poole who narrowly clinched the quarter, 6-8, with Templeogue’s Jack Finn tacking on a further six.

Malahide ace, Sean Fitzpatrick, finally found some space in the fourth to net two baskets as Finn, Butler and Murray planted shots for Templeogue, who ran out  winners after which captain, Daire Murray lifted the trophy.