BASKETBALL: Heart Aching Defeat for Merlin College in National Final

Merlin College suffered a heart-aching defeat in the Pinergy All-Ireland Boys U19C Schools Final at the National Arena.

A thrilling fightback in the final quarter saw them nearly erase a 14-point deficit before going down 45-42 to St. Joseph’s CBS, Nenagh.

The Galway side led 9-4 after the opening quarter but couldn’t stop the Tipperary outfit from overturning the deficit.

However, their efforts were acknowledged when Merlin’s Stephan Owede was named MVP.