There was plenty of action in the Youth Centre last week with Mallow Basketball Club achieving victories in all games played.

St. Mary’s Secondary School First Years

v Carrigtwohill

First years from St. Mary’s Secondary School played Carrigtwohill in the quarter-final of the Schools League last Wednesday morning in Mallow Youth Centre. An outstanding performance by all Mallow players resulted in a spectacular win with a score of 103 points to 18! This team, under their coach, Paula Russell, remain unbeaten in the Schools League and are now through to the semi-final, to be held in the Youth Centre on Thursday, 22nd March against North Mon Secondary School. Best of luck girls!

Boys under 16s

v Kanturk

Mallow’s under 16 boys played Kanturk last Wednesday night in Mallow Youth Centre and secured a three point victory. The first quarter saw Mallow taking the lead by 2 points. Scoring was quite low with both teams easing into the game, but the second quarter saw Kanturk coming out much stronger.

Initially the second quarter saw Mallow make a lot of mistakes, but they managed to gain control in the last three minutes. With 6 points clocked up by Rowan Bray, Mallow were strong contenders, but Kanturk still managed to take the lead by 6 points at one stage.

The third quarter of the game worked in Kanturk’s favour, gaining an early 11 point lead in the first three minutes. Mallow’s game had deteriorated and they were now on team fouls, which Kanturk used to their full advantage and it looked like the opposition were going to get the upper hand. However, the tables turned when the Mallow players upped their game and with excellent baskets scored by Mikey Flynn and Rowan Bray, Mallow were now back in the game.

Kanturk were at an advantage going into the final quarter with a lead of 6 points. However, Mallow’s teamwork and strategy had improved immensely and they were now a much stronger force. Mikey Flynn was on top form and a fantastic performance by this player pulled Mallow back into the lead by a point. Breshin O’Connor scored the final basket for his team in the last 90 seconds, securing a three point lead. Mallow held possession for the remainder of the game which prevented any further scoring opportunities for Kanturk. Top scorers for Mallow: Stephen Buckley (8 points), Rowan Bray (8 points) Mikey Flynn (8 points) and Breshin O’Connor (8 points).

Boys under 18s

v St. Anthony’s

The Mallow under 18 boys pulled out all the stops last Wednesday night in the last League game of the season when they defeated Cork’s St. Anthony’s team by 12 points. This Mallow team have now won out the Cork league and Mallow Basketball Club would like to congratulate them on their fantastic achievement under their coach, Mikey O’Sullivan.

First five on the court for Mallow were Richie O’Brien, Alex Buckley, Barry Hooton, David McSweeney and Padraig Buckley. With superb defence from these players, Mallow made it difficult for the opposition to cut through the zone for scoring opportunities. David McSweeney and Richie O’Brien were quick to open up the scoring for Mallow with two early baskets. An excellent shot by David McSweeney in the last second of the first quarter put Mallow ahead by 8 points.

Roy Crannitch, Alan Walsh and Andrew Healy took the court in the second quarter. David McSweeney scored an excellent three pointer in the opening minute of this period. St. Anthony’s changed their tractics in this quarter by going full court press, but Mallow dealt with this immediately by upping their performance. Excellent rebounding by the Mallow boys held possession and an additional 6 points scored by David McSweeney ensured that Mallow maintained a 13 point lead going into the second half.

The second half of this game saw Mallow pull further ahead, remaining confident at all times. Eoin Goggin, Paul Radon and Liam Deasy replaced players during the third quarter and Mallow’s determination to win was evident at all times. Scoring was quite low in this quarter with Mallow scoring 9 points and St. Anthony’s scoring 8, which was a good indicator of strong defence by both teams and the score going into the final quarter was 32 points to 18 in favour of Mallow.

Mallow remained in the lead throughout the final quarter, but St. Anthony’s did manage to claw back some badly needed points. Richie O’Brien opened the scoring for Mallow within seconds and picked up another 5 points during this period. A final three pointer shot from David McSweeney put Mallow in the lead by 12 points. Top scorers for Mallow: David McSweeney (18 points) Richie O’Brien (11 points).