A flurry of outside shooting in the final quarter secured Phoenix BC a place in the final of the InsureMyHouse.ie U18 Men’s Billy Coffey National Cup at the expense of Titans BC, 64-55 at MTU on Saturday afternoon.
Fointan Rogers and Daire O’Gorman hit the crucial shots in a game where the two sides were tied 10 times before Phoenix finally managed to create some separation down the stretch. Titans group of Irish internationals will need to regroup quickly as they attempt to reach the InsureMyHouse.ie U20 Men’s National Cup final on Sunday.
It was nip and tuck for much of the first half as Phoenix tried to negotiate Titans height advantage around the rim on both ends. Viktor Tashev attempted to establish his three-point shot early for the Galway side and succeeded at the second attempt to make it 15-12 late in the first. The score flipped for the first time early in the second, as Jacob Byrne and Eoghan Sherry started a lay up line to book end a 5-0 run for Phoenix and suddenly they have a three-point lead. That advantage wouldn’t last long though and further buckets from Omar Akhozada and Stephan Owede left it 26-26 at the break.
The game flowed much better in the second half, each team finding their rhythm on offence. Nathan Gbinigie used his size effectively inside to net 10 of his 14 points in the third and when Titans went into the huddle with a four-point lead going into the fourth, Phoenix players would have been forgiven for dropping their heads slightly. They did not. Their interior defence stepped up remarkably in the closing ten minutes as they held their fancied opponents to just 9 points from the field, scoring 22 of their own. Fointan Rogers went off for 12 points including two, three-point daggers, ably assisted by O’Gorman, Akhozada and Byrne.
In the end it was a deserved win for Phoenix BC, cheered on loudly by the onlooking Joels Dublin Lions squad in the bleachers. They’ll now meet for the Billy Coffey National Cup in two weeks’ time at the National Basketball Arena.
Quarter Scores: Q1: 15-17, Q2: 26-26, Q3: 42-46, Q4: 64-55
Phoenix BC:
Eoin Holman, Tom Kearney, Rory McParland, Fiontan Rogers, Faroug Nour, Omar Akhonzada, Jacob Byrne (Cap), James Bready, Eoghan Sherry, Sam Patterson, Daire O’Gorman, Archie Brennan, Conn Rush, Conall Ferran.
Head Coach: James Martin
Top Scorers: Fointan Rogers (20), Jacob Byrne (10), Eoghan Sherry (10).
Titans BC:
Declan Gbinigie, Viktor Tashev, Fortune Igbokwe ,Eoin Potito, Stephen Owede, Luka Mitchell, Richard Grebstels, Conor McDonagh, Nathan Gbinigie, Eoin O’Connor, Owen Meirin, David Schirliu, Luke Herrick, Mike Lydon.
Head Coach: Jack Considine
Top Scorers: Viktor Tashev (18), Nathan Gbinige (14), Declan Gbinigie (9)
