Moycullen Superleague Match Report

Date: 10^th November 2018

Venue: IWA Centre, Dublin

Killester 99 (52)

Moycullen 74 (43)

Moycullen were given a lesson in offensive efficiency Saturday night as they were no match for a ruthless Killester outfit in Basketball Ireland’s Men’s Superleague.

Despite a solid effort from the visiting Galway side, the home team proved too big, sharp and cohesive to be curtailed and ran out deserving 99 to 74 victors.

“They really showed what a top team in this league can do when playing at their best,” remarked Moycullen’s Cian Nihill after the game.

“We obviously did not perform the way we can but a lot of that was down to the way they moved the ball and themselves on offense. It was a battle just to stay in touch for most of the game.”

The result however, did not look like a foregone conclusion by any means for large stretches of the contest. After Killester shot off to an early 12 point lead four minutes into the game, Moycullen adjusted to the speed well for the remainder of the first half.

Led by a battling performance by Dylan Cunningham, Moycullen stemmed the early Killester momentum and, aided by some fine shooting by Cian Nihill, the visitors had the margin back to single digits at the interval, the Dubliners leading things 52 to 43.

Moycullen had expended huge energy to pull the game back from the brink in those first two quarters however and it showed as the second half got under way.

Much like the start of the game, Killester began the second half with a flurry of scores that went unmatched by Moycullen. A switch to zone defence did little to curb the Killester attacking rhythm and what had always been threatening came to pass as the gap on the scoreboard widened.

Moycullen battled gamely to the end but can have little complaints about the final score on a night when they were, in truth, outclassed by a better team.

Three straight losses after a promising start to the season will now have head coach John Cunningham worried with his team starting to slip down a very competitive league table.

Things do not get any easier in the immediate future however as next weekend sees Moycullen travel to table toppers Belfast Star hoping to cause a major upset and get their season back on track.

Moycullen Scorers: Dylan Cunningham 24, Cian Nihill 17, Isaiah Harris Winn 13, Connor Curran 7, Patrick Lyons 5, James Lyons 2, Paul Kelly 2, Joseph Tummon 2, Kyle Cunningham 2

Categories: Men's Superleague, News