Tolka Rovers 82 v Maigh Cuilinn 70

Sat 4 Jan 2025 at Tolka Rovers Sports Complex

Maigh Cuilinn’s hopes of starting 2025 on a winning note were dashed in Dublin on Saturday evening, as Northern Conference leaders Tolka Rovers secured a well-earned 82–70 victory in the Basketball Ireland Men’s National League. Despite a spirited showing from the visitors, a decisive 13–0 run by Tolka, combined with a cold shooting night for Maigh Cuilinn, sealed the result in favor of the home side.

Strong Start Gives Way to Tolka’s Surge

Maigh Cuilinn opened the game with purpose, building an early lead through sharp offensive contributions from Dylan Cunningham and captain Grant Olsson. Cunningham’s basket with 2:42 left in the first quarter gave Maigh Cuilinn a 14–12 edge. However, that was the last time the visitors would score for almost four minutes of game time.

Tolka’s response was clinical. Powered by the athleticism of Mike Wallace and the strength of Emiliyan Grudov, the home side rattled off 13 unanswered points, straddling the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. By the time Cian Walsh broke the drought for Maigh Cuilinn with a three-pointer one minute into the second quarter, Tolka had surged to a 25–14 lead.

Wallace and Grudov did much of the damage during this pivotal stretch, with Wallace attacking the basket with precision and Grudov asserting himself inside.

Decisive Second Quarter

The second quarter continued to swing in Tolka’s favor as they capitalised on Maigh Cuilinn’s cold shooting. The visitors struggled mightily from beyond the arc, hitting just 9 of their 44 three-point attempts on the night. Tolka stretched their lead to double digits with a balanced offensive approach, eventually taking a 43–33 advantage into halftime.

Mike Wallace, in particularly sparkling form, led all scorers with 27 points on the night and the American wing was remarkably efficient, scoring on 10 of his 11 attempts from inside the three-point line. Grudov added 16 points, while Daniel Ayoade, another dynamic wing player, chipped in with 19 points as Tolka continued to attack the basket relentlessly.

Rally Falls Short

Maigh Cuilinn showed resilience in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter when they outscored Tolka 24–21. Despite the late rally, Maigh Cuilinn never managed to reduce the deficit to single digits. Tolka’s composure and ability to answer every Maigh Cuilinn surge ensured the result was never really in any serios doubt.

Depleted Roster Struggles

The busy holiday schedule appeared to take its toll on Maigh Cuilinn, who traveled to Dublin with just nine players due to injuries. This short rotation left little room for error, especially on a night when the team struggled to find their shooting rhythm.

Captain Grant Olsson contributed 12 points, while James Loughnane and Dylan Cunningham added 8 and 6 points, respectively. Cian Walsh’s early second-quarter three-pointer and another fine score from long range from fellow youngster Donagh McDonagh were some of the few bright spots from long range on a frustrating shooting night.

Defensive Positives

Despite the loss, head coach Paul O’Brien found positives in his team’s defensive performance.
“We played solid defense for large stretches, but the 13–0 run in the first half really hurt us,” O’Brien said. “Tolka are a quality team, and when you combine their scoring ability with our poor shooting night, it’s a tough ask to stay in the game. The lads worked hard, though, and I was generally satisfied with the effort on the defensive end.”

Next Up

There will be little time for Maigh Cuilinn to regroup, as they face another challenging road game next Saturday against Dublin Lions at Coláiste Bríde. With a short-handed roster and a tough schedule, the team will need to dig deep to return to winning ways.

Maigh Cuilinn Scorers

Aitor Perez 15, Antonio Molina 14, Grant Olsson 12, James Loughnane 8, Cian Walsh 7, Dylan Cunningham 6, Rhys Plower 5, Donagh McDonagh 3, Rory O’Sullivan.

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