Moycullen u13 boys got their season off to a positive start last weekend when they made the trip to Gurranabraher for the annual Cork Co Board Tournament. Drawn in a group of three with Neptune of Cork and Eanna from Dublin the lads knew a tough task was ahead of them.
Moycullen’s opening game was against the local powerhouse; Neptune BC. It was Moycullen were quickest from the blocks, not showing any ill effects of the early start and long commute, leading from the start. Moycullen’s defensive pressure forced turnovers and lead to some nice scores on the break, and some excellent shooting from the guards saw Moycullen take the game on a score line of 34-27. With two from each group qualifying for the next round, the prospects were looking good after game 1. With Neptune beating Eanna in the next game by 2 it left the faith of the group in the hands of Moycullen in their last game; beat Eanna to top the group, lose by 10 or less to finish second and a loss by 11 or more would see Moycullen out of the tournament finishing in last place.
The Eanna game proved a much tougher task than the first. Moycullen struggled with the size and physicality for the majority of the game, and indeed it looked as if Moycullen would be hitting the road early when they trailed by 13 with less than a minute to go. However Moycullen didn’t panic and on the final offence showed great patience to find an open Padraic McNeila who connected from three point range, closing the gap to 10 and ensuring Moycullen’s passage to the quarter finals.
Moycullen faced Sligo in the quarter final. Moycullen got off to a dreadful start trailing 20-0 after the first quarter. Credit to Moycullen for not giving up and can take some solace in that they outscored Sligo for the remainder of the game 10-12.
The lads can take a lot of positives from the tournament, showing their ability to compete with the best in the country, however are also aware of the work that has to be done to improve.
Team; Mark Bradley, Jack Finn, Eanna Fitzgerald, Pearce Flaherty, Emmet Gwilliam, Jamie Haddock, Padraic McNeela, Fabio Mooney Garcia, Corey Plower, Aaron Sweeney, John Walsh, Patrick Walsh

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