Saturday 13th of January was an action-packed day of basketball for our U15 boys who travelled to Cork for the annual John Coughlan Invitational. The tournament is generally considered the unofficial All Ireland at this age group and attracts the best from across Ireland every year.
Back row L-R- Sharon o Sullivan (manager) James Cummins (coach), Jack O Sullivan, Killian Banks, Sean Morrison, darragh Kelly, Ben Mac Loughlin, Rory Fahey, senan Devsne, Alex Finn, Cara Morrison (manager) Mairtin Conneely (Coach)
Front Row L-R – Fiach Silke, Jamie Flaherty, Brendan Walsh, Frank mc Donagh, Alex O Sullivan, Oisin Silke, Oisin O Grainne
A panel of 15 players travelled from Maigh Cuilinn bright and early to Parochial Hall, Cork at 5am to be ready to take on Blue Demons at 9am in Pool B. The tournament itself is run across three venues-Parochial Hall, Neptune Stadium and the Gaelcholaiste Mhuire and hosts 24 top teams from all over Ireland.
We were drawn in a tough group with local powerhouses Blue Demons and Fr Matthews from Cork City, Crosshaven of County Cork, UCD Marian from Dublin and the famous nursery of basketball that is St. Marys Castleisland of Kerry.
Maigh Cuilinn started strong with an impressive 53-10 win over Blue Demons before seeing off the challenge of Fr. Matthews 35-21. The boys made it a clean sweep of their rebel county opponents when they then defeated Crosshaven with a comfortable 38-11 win.
After lunch the team travelled down the road to Neptune Stadium for the final two games in Pool B. First up was a victory over UCD Marian which left the lads looking at a chance at a perfect record in what had been a very difficult group on paper. The final pool game after a long day didn’t go our way however and they were pipped by an excellent St,. Mary’s of Castleisland side 33-45. However, winning four out of five games in our pool determined our U15 Boys team as runner up and therefore through to the quarter finals of the tournament.
The draw was somewhat unkind in that it pitched Maigh Cuilinn against hot tournament favourites Limerick Lions and in the end, the strength of what was a superb Lions team won out in the contest, knocking our boys out at quarter final stage despite a truly terrific tournament and four wins from six. Not surprisingly, Limerick Lions then went on to win the tournament outright.
Well done to all 15 players who showed fantastic character all day and never gave up. Their work ethic was amazing and they can be very proud of their day’s work.
Well done to the coaches Mairtin Connelly and James Cummins who travelled with the guys and who have put in such great effort on and off the court with the team. Where would it all be without the tireless work of team managers of Sharon O’Sullivan and Cara Morrison. Thanks all! We are all excited for what this group has to offer for years to come.
Below are a few action shots from the day.
