Enda Walshe looks forward to the St Paul’s v Templeogue under 20 men’s national league plate final this Saturday at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght (2.00pm)
With the majority of the squad having tasted men’s national league action, the St Paul’s under 20 team was nicely placed to challenge for honours in their own age grade.
The draw pitted them in a group of death with the highly rated Tralee Warriors and Limerick Celtics for company, alongside Galway kingpins Maree and Moycullen. Two of the opening three games were away, to the Warriors and the Celtics, and they showed glimpses in both games of what they were capable of.
They led the Warriors at half time but a costly third quarter saw the Tralee side prevail. Moycullen were beaten 98-67 in Kilcummin before they headed to Crescent College to take on Limerick Celtics. The Treatymen won out but the seeds of future performances were definitely sown in the final quarter when St Paul’s hit 31 points.
Maree and the Street Warriors were added to the win column which set up a make or break tie with Neptune in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre.
Those present were treated to a fantastic game of basketball which eventually went into overtime and resulted in a 77-76 win for the home side. Finishing third in the group behind the Warriors and the Celtics saw them qualify for a home quarter-final against another basketball powerhouse St Vincents.
Played in St Brendan’s College Gym, this game again went down to the wire but a raucous home support got the team home again by a narrow margin, 78-76.
Obviously the deeper you go into the competition the standard of the opponent tends to rise and Killester, in Sutton High School, was bound to be a formidable challenge. But an outstanding first half performance put them firmly in the driving seat, leading by as much as seventeen in the third quarter. Killester roared back into the contest and the game again went to overtime, with St Paul’s winning out 82-80.
When you consider the Tralee Warriors have made the A Final and the Celtics were narrowly beaten in the semi-final, it tells the standard of the competition is very high across the board with Templeogue bound to be a huge test.
The young St Paul’s side has a couple of seasons of experience under their belts with Scott’s Lakers and of course benefit from the experience of having the same coach, Manuel Suarez on the bench.
Eoin Carroll has certainly benefited from that, being the top scorer in the competition. His 29-point average leads the way but Jack O’Sullivan also features in the top five.
Mark Sheehan could be dubbed as the final part of the Three Musketeers with that trio averaging 60 points per game between them.
But they would be nowhere without the contributions of the likes of John Hughes and Shane Daly who have chipped in with some big totals when needed. Oisin Spring has shown in both the senior and under 20 leagues that he can come up with some huge moments as well, none more so than his five points in the Killester win.
Cian Forde and Adam Whitty are earmarked as future national league players and both play integral parts off the bench. The conveyor belt has also pulled in TJ O’Sullivan and Chris Healy with Dara O’Sullivan and Cathal Spring graduating from the under 18 squad.
Templeogue, like St Paul’s, have only tasted defeat twice in their eight games and came through their quarter-final comfortably against Maree. A name from the past, Merry Monk Ballina, gave them a stern test in the semi-final and they would be grateful for the scoring exploits of Jacob Fazande and Jake Mullins who combined for 53 points.
That duo seems to carry the biggest threat to St Paul’s hopes but an eye will have to be maintained on Tyrone Gonga and Jack Finn also.
St Paul’s have shown a huge hunger for silverware, especially in those hard-earned wins that were achieved in overtime. For the majority of the squad this is their hurrah at this level and they will be hoping to continue their progress with the senior side in future years.
What better way to bounce that forward than with a national title under their belts?
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