A sharpshooting third quarter guided Neptune to their first InsureMyHouse.ie O40 Men’s Masters National Cup success, defeating defending champions Brothers Near and Far (BNAF) 76-66 at the National Basketball Arena.
Ger Noonan took home the game MVP Golden Ball on the back of a 21-point performances for the Cork outfit.
Each team came out of the blocks shooting well. Joey Haastrup got Brothers Near and Far off the mark with an early three. Marius Kazlauskas added two more moments later. Neptune settled into the task thereafter, a pair of Robert Lynch baskets made it 7-4 at the midway point and the game assumed a more even pattern. As the quarter closed, Kevin Reddy picked up his own rebound for the putback two, leaving it 19-18 in favour of Neptune.
Neptune extended that advantage with the first points of the second quarter. Ricardo Leonard flipped the ball to a driving Eamonn O’Neill. He duly obliged with the layup to make it 21-18. Jason O’Callaghan piled on the pressure through a nice shot from the top of the key and when Ger Noonan made a difficult corner two, it was 25-20 to the Cork side. That momentum didn’t last though, and the teams entered the break level following a 7-2 BNAF run. Ian Durham and a terrific Peder Madsen and one play ensuring it was 27-27 at the interval.
BNAF turned the game on its head at the start of the third. A Scottie Sommersgill triple capped a 7-2 run in the first 90-seconds and suddenly they held a 34-40 lead. Neptune had to respond to adversity for the first time and they did so with aplomb. Marcus Walley brought them back into it with seven points in succession, Ger Noonan and Michael McGinn then got in on the act give Kieran Leahy’s team a 51-39 lead as the clock wound down. The defending champions were on the ropes, it took a Joey Haastrup long range three to keep them In the fight, 51-42 Neptune as they entered the final quarter.
BNAF did their best to conjure a comeback in the final ten minutes, but despite the concerted effort of Sommersgill, who had 13 points during that spell and Bronislovaitis who had 7, Neptune weathered that storm. Noonan, Walley and McGinn capped fine individual performances with scores down the stretch that ensured Neptune kept their opponents at arm’s length to claim a 76-66 win.
Speaking after collecting his MVP award Neptune’s Ger Noonan said: “Regardless of what level you are at or what age you are, it’s always nice to win a cup with your friends. As for MVP well anyone out there could have gotten it. There are four or five lads there who deserved it as much as I did. I’m delighted my kids got to see me win the MVP and the trophy so that’s a really nice touch.”
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 18-19; Q2: 27-27; Q3: 42-51; Q4: 66-76
Teams:
BNAF: Vytautas Bronislovaitis (7), Tommy Costello, Peder Madsen (5), Sven Van Der Ven, Ian Durham (6), Scottie Sommersgill (22), John Quigley (2), Marius Kazlauskas (8), Saulius Kulvelis (3), Bernard Walsh, Joey Haastrup (8), Tony McDonagh, Mike McLaverty, Michael Bonaparte, Paddy Kelly.
Head Coach: Bernard Walsh
Top three scorers: Scottie Sommersgill (22), Marius Kazlauskas (8), Joey Haastrup (8)
Neptune: Michael McGinn (19), Jason O’Callaghan (3), Thomas O’Sullivan (4), Marcus Walley (16), Robert Lynch (6), Ricardo Leonard (1), Eamonn O’Neill (4), Kevin Reddy (2), Derek Nolan, David O’Brien, Denis Wallace, Iarmantas Skeirys, Ger Noonan (21), Rory O’Sullivan.
Head Coach: Kieran Leahy
Top three scorers: Ger Noonan (21), Michael McGinn (19), Marcus Walley (16)
InsureMyHouse.ie O40 Women’s Masters National Cup
Rebel Ramblers narrowly overcame Midland Masters 62-50 to claim the InsureMyHouse.ie O40 Women’s National Cup and bring the curtain down on a pulsating weekend of action at the National Basketball Arena.
Maria Harty was awarded MVP following a 14-point performance.
Rebel Ramblers and Midland Masters went blow for blow in the opening exchanges. Maria Harty opened the scoring for the Cork team, immediately cancelled out by a Attracta Phelan three following a nice exchange with Maria Ramsbottom. That set the tone for the quarter, Catherine O’Sullivan and Anna Reddin scored heavily for the defending champions, while Montse Salvado, Angelene Myers and Nollaig Cleary responded for Rebel Ramblers. Peter O’Sullivan’s Midland Masters eventually took a slender 17-16 advantage into the second.
That lead grew to 8 points within two minutes. O’Sullivan, Reddin, Phelan and Grainne Tomlinson all making scoring contributions, the latter from the free-throw line. John Glavin called timeout and from that huddle, Rebel Ramblers offence came out transformed. They closed the half with a 15-4 run, which saw them get plenty of open looks. Maria Hearty, Juliet Murphy and Catriona O’Connell all showing up in important moments and from nothing, Ramblers had a 33-30 lead at half-time.
Both teams continued to shoot the ball well in the third, but it was Rebel Ramblers who eventually took the upper hand. With the clock approaching the midway point, Harty worked some space to fine Murphy in the paint and she capitalised to give her team a 46-38 lead. Midland Masters needed a response, but it was the challengers added to their lead by the quarter’s end. Harty took her personal tally to 14 through a seventh jump shot of the contest, while O’Connell held her composure at the line to ensure Rebel Ramblers took a 51-41 advantage to the final quarter.
Midland Masters needed a big start to the fourth, but it was Rebel Ramblers that sealed the game with the opening two scores. A couple of early offensive rebounds led to Nollaig Cleary’s 11th point of the game and when Juliet Murphy also reached double digits from the mid-range, the tie was effectively wrapped up at 55-41. Midland Masters fought valiantly to the buzzer, Marie Ramsbottom and Catherine O’Sullivan leading the charge, but the closing score went to Catriona O’Connell via a corner two, making it a clean sweep for Cork teams in the InsureMyHouse.ie Masters National Cup.
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 16-17; Q2: 33-30; Q3: 51-41; Q4: 62-50
Teams:
Rebel Ramblers: Angelene Myers, Juliet Murphy, Catriona O’Connell, Neasa O’Keefee, Maria Harty, Sharon Doyle, Gillian Condon, Montse Salvado, Nollaig Cleary, Mary Gardiner
Head Coach: John Glavin
Top three scorers: Maria Harty (14), Juliet Murphy (14), Catriona O’Connell (13).
Midland Masters: Olive Maher, Catherine O’Sullivan, Grainne Tomlinson, Attracta Phelan, Claire Foyle, Ailish McLernon, Deirdre Tomlinson, Edel Larkin, Ann-Marie Troy, Jackie Costelloe. Anna Reddin, Marie Ramsbottom.
Head Coach: Peter O’Sullivan
Top three scorers: Catherine O’Sullivan (16), Anna Reddin (11), Attracta Phelan (9)
InsureMyHouse.ie Over 40 Women's Masters National Cup Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 2/4//2023Midlands Masters vs Rebel Ramblers
The Rebel Ramblers team
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
