Wicklow Gators prove unbeatable
WICKLOW GATORS KUBS BASKETBALL 49 31
THE Wicklow Gators under-14 boys team finished off their league campaign and remained unbeaten for the season.
They recorded their 16th straight win beating rivals Kubs Basketball Club by a score of 49-31. This win clinched them the Dublin Men’s Basketball Board League Title.
Wicklow got off a slow start by conceding the first basket of the game.
As the nerves started to settle, baskets from Scott Fitzpatrick and Jack Hick put the Gators into the lead. Peter Dunne added to the scoreline with impressive shooting from the free throw line.
The quarter ended with Ruairi Jenkinson adding two more points.
Wicklow led 12-6 at the end of the first quarter due to the great defensive pressure on the ball by Christophe Oudart and Scott Fitzpatrick.
The second quarter started with Wicklow extending their lead by Coach Peter Dunne with nephew Conor Mitchell and son Peter Dunne after clocking up 16 straight wins and clinching the title.
great offensive play from Senan Rogan and Jack Kinnane. Meanwhile, terrific defence by Zac Hastie, Conor Mitchell and Padraig Doyle kept Kubs under control.
Wicklow finished the quarter with baskets from Conor Mitchell and Senan Rogan and led 32-14 at the end of the first half.
At the start of the third quarter
both teams traded scores backand- forth with Wicklow’s scores coming from Scott Fitzpatrick, Senan Rogan and Christophe Oudart. Wicklow’s tight defence and dominance on the boards kept the Kubs score low.
Similarly, in the fourth quarter, the Gators kept extending the scoreline with baskets by Zac
Hastie, Ruairi Jenkinson and Senan Rogan.
The Gators put in another impressive display which won Wicklow Basketball Club their first boys’ basketball team title in 20 years. With Wicklow Basketball Club celebrating its 30th year, the club will celebrate the boys success on their awards night on May 19. THE Wicklow Senior Football Post Primary School final will take place this coming Monday, April 16, ay 5.30pm, at Joule Park Aughrim between Coláiste Bhríde Carnew and St Kevins CC Dunlavin.
The original date for the important game in the Wicklow schools calendar fell foul to the weather some time ago, but looks certain to be played in front of a good crowd at the county grounds on Monday evening.
Defending champions Coláiste Bhríde will look to bring another Senior crown over Kilcavan Gap, but they face a tricky task when they take on Alan Deering’s St Kevin’s side who boast some very capable players, none more so than midfielder and current Kildare under-20 panel member Mark Barrett.
Pat Nolan’s Coláiste Bhríde side possess plenty of firepower in their ranks as well, with a strong Wexford contingent back boning a team that also includes the likes of joint captain Rory Stokes, Eoin Darcy, and Carnew’s Cillian Gilligan.
It was in their semi-finals that these two teams were made to really work for their reward of a place in the flagship final for 2018, with Alan Deering’s men certainly having the tougher of the two tasks when they came up against a gallant Scoil Chonglais of Baltinglass.
Coláiste Bhríde had the more straightforward of semi-finals if such a term should ever be used. A bright start for Avondale CC soon faded as the Carnew side took control of the game. A miserly defence with the likes of Darragh Brookes in goal, Jim Sharry at full-back and Gearoid Donohue and Jason Bolger in the corners gave nothing away cheaply and will look to be equally tight-fisted come Monday afternoon. Expect Sharry to have an altogether more challenging afternoon in the final when he encounters St Kevin’s full-forward Aaron Kennedy, who bagged 1-7 in the semi-final while being marked by Kiltegan’s Adam Wynne.
The concession of 3-3 in the opening half of their semi-final against Scoil Chonglais might suggest that here is a defence ripe for the picking, but such thoughts would be foolhardy.