Titans 82 – 78 Maigh Cuilinn
Ballinfoile Community Centre – 1 March 2025

Maigh Cuilinn pushed their Galway rivals Titans to the limit in a thrilling National League clash on Saturday night that saw 13 lead changes throughout but ultimately went the way of the city lads 82-78 in front of a packed Ballinfoile gym.

A fiercely contested battle saw the game ebb and flow, with Maigh Cuilinn staging a late push to take the lead with three minutes to play, only for Titans to close out the game with a composed finish to secure the victory.

Titans Edge Tight First Half

There was little to separate the sides for much of the first half with Titan’s secondary threats causing the primary damage – Declan Gbignigie netting 8 points in the first quarter while in the second quarter it was Joseph Coughlan who had a remarkable 17 points in the quarter.

Maigh Cuilinn’s James Loughnane and Grant Olsson were in good form meanwhile for the visitors as they combined for 20 first half points.

Late Game Dramatics

While the game always seemed destined to be decided in the final minutes, the only team with a real chance of breaking the game open did look to be Titans who managed to forge an eight point lead by the end of the third quarter.

Playing in front of a raucous home crowd where capacity is extremely limited and therefore a mere 25 tickets were reserved for Maigh Cuilinn supporters, Titans were certainly able to ride the momentum from their supporters throughout.

That tremendous home court atmosphere was most evident right at the fourth quarter when the imprssive Fortune Igbokwe froze Maigh Cuilinn’s Aitor Perez with a nice cross over before exploding into the lane and throwing down a thundering two hand jam to give Titans a 67 to 57 lead.

Credit to Maigh Cuilinn however who steadied the ship from there, even when star man Grant Olsson was fouled out on an unlucky offensive foul call with six minutes remaining.

When Dylan Cunningham drilled a three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining, it capped a 10-3 run for Maigh Cuilinn and had the Connemara outfit ahead 77 to 76.

However, just as Maigh Cuilinn looked set to take control, Titans responded. A well-executed offensive attack saw Michael Hayes restore their lead before Igbokwe stepped up with two clutch baskets in the final minutes to push the home side back in front.

With only a single Dylan Cunningham free throw in reply for Maigh Cuilinn, the visitors saw their late-game hopes slip away.

Playoff Spot in Sight for Maigh Cuilinn

Despite the disappointment, Maigh Cuilinn can take plenty of positives from their performance. To push Titans so close in a hostile atmosphere is an encouraging sign as the playoff race intensifies.

With a postseason berth all but secured, Maigh Cuilinn will now look to bounce back quickly in their remaining fixtures, knowing that performances like this will make them a dangerous opponent for any team in the playoffs.

Maigh Cuilinn play Northern Conference leaders Portlaoise Panthers next Saturday (8 March) before the final home game of the season on Saturday 15 March at 7.30pm in the Kingfisher.

Scorers:

Maigh Cuilinn: Grant Olsson 30, Aitor Perez 15, Antonio Molina 11, James Loughnane 8, Cian Walsh 6, Dylan Cunningham 4, Eoin Cleary 2, Rory O’Sullivan 2, Liam Moloney, Donagh McDonagh, Rhys Plower, John Hynes.

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