Portlaoise CBS 59 Colaiste Eanna (Dublin) 68
Schools All-Ireland U-19 ‘A’ Basketball Final
There was heartbreak in the National Stadium in Tallaght yesterday as Portlaoise CBS missed out on back to back All-Ireland titles.
Coached by Jack Scully and Mark Bartley of Portlaoise Panthers, Portlaoise CBS returned to defend the title they had won last year.
But a slow start and too many missed chances ultimately cost them in their bid for what would have been an incredible feat.
Portlaoise CBS fell 18 points down at one stage but battled back to draw level in the 3rd Quarter.
It looked like they had all the momentum but opportunities to take the lead came and went as Colasite Eanna recovered to win by nine.
Irish international Adam Charles picked up the MVP in his final appearance at schools cup level, scoring 16 points.
The game began with Éanna flying out of the blocks early on. Charles, Adam McCarthy and Augustine Farrell all hit three’s in the opening two and a half minutes to race into an 11-0 lead.
A tough score inside from Portlaoise’s Justice Iheme brought Portlaoise CBS to within six points at 13-7 with four minutes to go in the first.
But it was Éanna who finished the quarter stronger, Karl Walsh hitting a three in the final 30 seconds to take a 24-13 advantage into the second quarter.
Karl Walsh picked up where he left off in the first, by hitting a big three in the opening minute of the second to make it 27-13.
Éanna started to step up their intensity with multiple stops including a steal that led to a fast break score from Aodhan O’Neill to give Éanna their largest cushion of the game of 18 points at 33-15 midway through the second quarter.
Portlaoise CBS started to gain some momentum with Desmond Ogedegbe converting free-throws and Iheme fighting through contact to get the and-one foul which reduced the deficit to 11 points with three minutes to go at 35-24.
With one minute left on the clock, Jayden Umeh hit a crucial three to bring the CBS to just four points behind with the score at half-time at 38-34.
Portlaoise CBS started the third period well and managed to come within one point of Éanna thanks to more free-throws from Ogedegbe.
Éanna showed strong resolve to recover after Ogedegbe’s free-throws, going on a 9-0 run that was capped off by a tough finish from Patrick Walsh to give Éanna a 50-40 lead with just over two minutes left in the third.
The fourth quarter began with CBS continuing to try and chip away at Éanna’s lead with the Portlaoise school getting a lot of success getting to the free-throw line.
Ogedegbe hit two big free-throws to bring them within nine points at 54-45 midway through the fourth.
Harry Lynch hit a vital three in the corner for Éanna to reinstate the ten-point advantage but it was instantly met with an Ogedegbe three for the CBS to bring the score to 59-52 with two minutes to go in the final.
Despite Ogedegbe and Portlaoise CBS’ best efforts, scores from the free-throw line in the final minute from Charles and Augustine Farrell ensured Coláiste Éanna would take home the U-19 A Boys All-Ireland Schools Cup.
COLAISTE EANNA: Adam Charles, Finain Moran, Emmet Callan, Aodhan O’Neil, Conor Chambers, Patrick Walsh, Karl Walsh, Augustine Farrell, Chisom Chime, Adam McCarthy, Hugo Mulligan, Max McCarthy, Harry Lynch
PORTLAOISE CBS: Jayden Umeh, Justice Iheme, Mark Delaney, Jim Hanamy, Luke Kavanagh, Prince Iheme, Jack Fennell, Ben Quigley, Ibrahim Ahmed, Daniel Booth, Love Omoijade, Scott Davis, Desmond Ogedegbe, Aaron McCormack, Echezona Onurah
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