Galway side Titans defeated Tralee Warriors 95-65 to win the U20 Men’s National League title at the National Basketball Arena on Sunday, denying the Kerry club a third title in a row in the process.
Titans led from start to finish in this contest, opening up a 22-14 lead at the end of the opening quarter. Tralee Warriors closed the gap to just three points, 33-30, just before the midpoint of the second quarter following David Lucid’s steal and basket. Titans then went on an eight-point run to put them 41-30 up with two minutes go following Fortune Igbokwe’s layup. The teams exchanged threes in the final minute of the quarter through Lucid and Eoin Potito, Titans were ahead 46-35 at half-time.
Titans pulled clear in the third quarter, they started with a six point run thanks to two Declan Gbinigie scores either side of Luke Herrick’s to put them 52-35 up. MVP Gbinigie would score 10 of his 24 points in the quarter. Titans finished the quarter strongly, Stephen Owede downed a lovely one-handed basket, followed by Joshua Osayanrhion’s three, which put them 73-44 up with 90 seconds to go. Tralee Warriors narrowed the deficit, David Lucid’s three in the closing seconds saw them trail 74-51 going into the final quarter.
Titan’s didn’t relent in the fourth, Valentino Edobor’s fastbreak and dunk in the final minute of the game was an illustration of the intensity they displayed all game, as they completed a 95-65 win.
MVP Declan Gbinigie said: “If you see the score that’s the fruit of our labour, every day we’re in the gym getting work done and we executed.It was big for us coming out of the half, sometimes we’re a bit flat, we emphasised it in the locker room that we’re going to come out and end the game there and we’re going to put our foot down and just keep on pushing. Defence is where it started and we got steals and we got fastbreaks, dunks and layups and that’s how we ended the game.”
He added, “Two years ago they played Titans (for the U20 National League title) and we fell short and we said we can’t let them three-peat, especially not against us again, so I think everyone was focused on what we had to get done and had a great playing plan from our coach and we executed that and came out with the victory.”
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 22-14, Q2: 24-21, Q3: 28-16, Q4: 21-14
Game Scores:
Q1: 22-14, Q2: 46-35, Q3: 74-51, Q4: 95-65
Titans:
Sam Cassidy (3), Eoin Hardiman (0), Stephan Owede (7), Luke Herrick (14), Jason Nwose (7), Filip Stosic (0), Eoin Potito (12), Declan Gbinigie (24), Viktor Tashev (8), Fortune Igbokwe (18), Valentino Edobor (2), Cassian Fuerst (0)
Tralee Warriors:
Joshua Osayanrhion (18), Patrick Lucid (5), Olaf Michalczuk (15), Evan Boyle (7), Ryan Sheehy (0), Brayden Pierce (4) Oisin McGibney (DNP), David Lucid (14), Jamie Burke (0), Aaron Nolan (0), Brian O’Donnell (2)
