Templeogue fend off battling Eanna
By Alex Dunne
A STRONG finish from Templeogue saw them hold off a late rally from an Adam Charles-inspired Éanna to triumph in their Dublin Under 12 Boys Basketball Cup Final in the Oblate Hall on Sunday, March 11.
Charles notched 18 points and was key to the flow of the Rathfarnahm side's attack when on the court.
Templeogue celebrate their win in the Dublin Boys Under 12 Basketball Cup Final
Templeogue's highest scorer, Gareth Brady, notched half of Charles' total, but with nine of their players contributing to the scoresheet, Templeogue’s collective overcame the supreme individual efforts of Charles and Dean Kiernan.
Brady opened the scoring as he and Eoin Murray controlled the early passages, each scoring twice to give Temple-ogue an early 8-3 lead.
Éanna coughed up several chances and were very hesitant in general to shoot, but Charles got them off the mark with four early points. Still they were 12-7 down at the end of the first quarter following a strong end to it by Templeogue’s James Janas.
Janas and Rian O’Connor combined well on a gorgeous pick-and-roll at the start of the second as Éanna struggled to get out of the blocks, but a wonderful looping shot from Eddie Malone and a powerful drive from Kiernan turned the game towards them.
Kiernan got them back to within one point of Templeogue at 18-17, but three unanswered scores at the end of the half saw the gap open up to seven points by the interval.
Fast start
The third got off to a fast start with efforts from Brady and Fionan Power cancelled out by Sean Ryan and four more points from Charles.
Templeogue pulled away despite a further five from Charles, but a rousing three points from the Éanna playmaker kept them in touching distance heading into the fnal quarter at 36-30 to Templeogue.
But quick scores from Murray and Matthew Shortt quelled any momentum Éanna had, and despite a strong six points from Kiernan to round out the game, Templeogue continued to create and score easy chances.
The internal defensive weakness ultimately cost Éanna as they faded, Kiernan aside, towards the end of the game, and Templeogue’s collective strength won the day as they deservedly took home the trophy.
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