All-Ireland basketball titles for ISK and Mounthawk

SUBWAY ALL-IRELAND SCHOOLS UNDER-15 ‘A’ BOYS CUP FINAL Intermediate School Killorglin 53 Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra Rathmore 42

INTERMEDIATE School Killorglin won the Subway All Ireland Schools U-15 A Boys Cup title with a superb 53-42 point win over fellow Kerry school Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra.

The all Kerry final dished up a thrilling game that saw superb defence, fantastic three-point shooting and some brilliant young talent all round. A dazzling display from Killorglin’s Sean O’Brien saw him bag 22 points, getting some vital scores when needed as the sides were neck-in-neck through most of the game. Indeed, from the tip-off it was a close encounter, with the score reading 5-3 in favour of ISK at the end of the first quarter as each team found it hard to settle.

With the nervy period out of the way though, both sides began to find their feet, with O’Brien scoring well and Ronan Collins and Alan Dineen shining brightly for the Rathmore school to leave it 15-10 in favour of Killorglin at half time.

It was neck-in-neck throughout the third quarter, with Killorglin just managing to keep their noses in front, but they really pushed on in the fourth quarter, with O’Brien, Rian O’Donovan and Conor Murphy all combining well for some good scores to send their side home to a memorable 53-42 point victory.

In the semi-finals ISK had beaten St Joseph’s College Bish 44-42 while Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra Rathmore were 61-57 winners over SMGS Blarney. INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL KILLORGLIN: Rian O’Donovan, Sean O’Brien, Oisin Flynn, Sean Paige, Cian Knight, Darragh McKeefrey, Rory O’Connor, Stephen O’Sullivan, Conor Murphy, Sean Cleary, Ruairi Murphy, Diarmuid McGillycuddy. SCOIL PHOBAIL SLIABH LUACHRA: Daniel Collins, Damian Halloran, Ronan Collins, Paudie Murphy, Damian Cronin, Cathal Ryan, PJ McAuliffe, Tommy Bowlen, Alan Dineen, Ian O’Connor, Paudie O’Leary, James Dermody Mercy Mounthawk are All Ireland First Year champions MERCY Mounthawk’s First Year boys basketball team created history becoming the first boys team from the school to capture an All-Ireland School ‘A’ title when they defeated a St Patrick’s, Castleisland 29-26 in a nail-biting final in University of Limerick recently. It capped of a magic weekend for the team where they won six games in two days to be crowned champions.

On Saturday the boys beat St Josephs of Galway, Ard Scoil Ris of Dublin and Summerhill of Sligo in their group games to set up a quarter-final against Oranmore of Galway, who they’d lost to a week earlier in the All-Ireland Cup Final, but which they reversed to win by a single point.

The semi-final was an all Kerry affair against Rathmore, another team that had beaten Mounthawk earlier in the year in the regional league. Tim and Sean Pollman-Daamen really rattled Rathmore with some great shooting and lay-ups in transition in another tight game that Mounthawk eventually won with five points to spare.

The final against St Pats was a rematch of the regional final, which St Pats had won. The opening quarter was very low scoring. Mercy Mounthawk had to contend with St Pats greater size and physique but the Tralee boys showed a lot of fight and determination. The last quarter was nerve racking for all involved, Tim Pollmann-Daamen opened the quarter with some great shots and with just over a minute to go the sides were deadlocked. In the dying moments Mounthawk found an extra gear and some huge shots by Mikey McCarthy and free throws by Sean Pollmann-Daamen sealed the victory for Mercy Mounthawk. MERCY Mounthawk: Sean Pollmann-Daamen, Tim Pollmann-Daamen, Mikey McCarthy, Daniel Bowler, Joe Reidy, Conor O’Brien, John Feely, Odhran Pierce, Brian McElligott, Bryan Godley, Jack Dakissia. Coaches: John Dowling, Lyndsey Moriarty, Jimmy Diggins

OTHER BASKETBALL RESULTS

SUBWAY All Ireland Schools U-15 A Girls Cup final Scoil Chríost Rí, Por tlaoise 48 Presentation Castleisland 33 SUBWAY All Ireland Schools U-15 B Girls Cup final Jesus & Mary SS, Salerno 32 Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra Rathmore 30 SUBWAY All Ireland Schools U-15 C Girls Cup final Castlerea CS 24 Causeway Comprehensive 20

The Intermediate School Killorglin basketball team that won the All-Ireland U-15 Boys ‘A’ Cup title recently