U16: STEELERS 34 STAR 47 @ ST MACARTAN’S COLLEGE 15 February 2015Star dug deep into their reserves to emerge with a huge victory on their annual visit to the cauldron of St Macartan’s college in Monaghan, coming away with an important ‘W’ on a score-line of 47-34.
Minus 4 of the squad, including sharpshooter John Smye and Ethan Gibson who has really upped his game in recent weeks, the coaching staff didn’t hesitate to dip into the u-14 squad and drafted up 3 players to step into the challenge that is finding a way to win in Monaghan – and boy did they step up to the plate.
Star started off quite hesitantly, though, and the first quarter developed into a bit of a slugfest. Steelers settled into their predictable physical, inside-dominated game, and actually surprised Star by playing man-to-man from the get-go. The tempo of the game didn’t suit Star, and this was reflected in the fact they missed 3-4 relatively easy ‘chippies’, passes became hesitant and at the short horn, Star deserved to be on the wrong side of a 10-6 score-line.
However, things changed when the second quarter unit got themselves into the game from the start, anchored by two huge performances from John Moran & Niall McGinnity. ‘J’ Mo showed real character, and did exactly what the coaching staff asked of him for this particular assignment, attacking the basket at the right times, making the right passes when required, and along with McGinnity owning the paint defensively. CJ Fulton injected crucially important tempo into Star’s game, and all of a sudden it was business-as-usual on both ends, Star seizing the initiative behind tough, aggressive defence and excellent transition and half-court offence. Conor Cook and Conn Doherty played like they belonged at this level, forcing turnover ball on defence and being very active and involved offensively, and the u-14s contributed to half of the points scored in the quarter. Star went in at the break 7 points up, taking the 2nd quarter 16-5.
The money quarter was a wrestling match, with momentum switching over and back multiple times. Sloppy passing by Star allowed Steelers to get back into the game, with M O’Brien and Andy O’Connor showing signs of life, and again Star relied heavily on Eoin Nagle to handle the pressure and keep the team composed. Niall McGinnity, Michael McWilliams and John Moran hung tough on the boards at this crucial juncture, and Steelers were only able to claw back one point in the quarter, setting up the 4th for the big showdown.
Steelers upped the ante by showing full-court press, and initially this unsettled Star and forced a few turnovers. But they regained their composure during a time-out, and in fact fought fire-with-fire, counter-pressing Steelers. This was the game’s sucker-punch, and Star seized the momentum and never let go. CJ Fulton gave Eoin Nagle invaluable recovery time to dictate the pace, as did Conor Cooke for Michael McWilliams. Peter Henvey bounced back from a forgettable first half to put his stamp on the game, ‘J’ Mo played out a deserved MVP performance and Daniel Hackett followed up his best game of the season with another solid contribution.
All in all, definitely the most satisfying and important performance of the season to date, as for the first time Star’s strength across the team was given a stern test by a tough opponent, and importantly for the coaching staff, the players stood up to be counted. 12 fouls vs 21 fouls reflected how well the team defended, and again they punished Steelers’ indiscretions from the charity stripe. Before the game, Star identified that this game would be won or lost in the paint, and it was hugely satisfying that Star won this contest on both ends of the floor, showing great character right across the team to attack and defend the paint like their lives depended on it. A super victory.
Minus 4 of the squad, including sharpshooter John Smye and Ethan Gibson who has really upped his game in recent weeks, the coaching staff didn’t hesitate to dip into the u-14 squad and drafted up 3 players to step into the challenge that is finding a way to win in Monaghan – and boy did they step up to the plate.
Star started off quite hesitantly, though, and the first quarter developed into a bit of a slugfest. Steelers settled into their predictable physical, inside-dominated game, and actually surprised Star by playing man-to-man from the get-go. The tempo of the game didn’t suit Star, and this was reflected in the fact they missed 3-4 relatively easy ‘chippies’, passes became hesitant and at the short horn, Star deserved to be on the wrong side of a 10-6 score-line.
However, things changed when the second quarter unit got themselves into the game from the start, anchored by two huge performances from John Moran & Niall McGinnity. ‘J’ Mo showed real character, and did exactly what the coaching staff asked of him for this particular assignment, attacking the basket at the right times, making the right passes when required, and along with McGinnity owning the paint defensively. CJ Fulton injected crucially important tempo into Star’s game, and all of a sudden it was business-as-usual on both ends, Star seizing the initiative behind tough, aggressive defence and excellent transition and half-court offence. Conor Cook and Conn Doherty played like they belonged at this level, forcing turnover ball on defence and being very active and involved offensively, and the u-14s contributed to half of the points scored in the quarter. Star went in at the break 7 points up, taking the 2nd quarter 16-5.
The money quarter was a wrestling match, with momentum switching over and back multiple times. Sloppy passing by Star allowed Steelers to get back into the game, with M O’Brien and Andy O’Connor showing signs of life, and again Star relied heavily on Eoin Nagle to handle the pressure and keep the team composed. Niall McGinnity, Michael McWilliams and John Moran hung tough on the boards at this crucial juncture, and Steelers were only able to claw back one point in the quarter, setting up the 4th for the big showdown.
Steelers upped the ante by showing full-court press, and initially this unsettled Star and forced a few turnovers. But they regained their composure during a time-out, and in fact fought fire-with-fire, counter-pressing Steelers. This was the game’s sucker-punch, and Star seized the momentum and never let go. CJ Fulton gave Eoin Nagle invaluable recovery time to dictate the pace, as did Conor Cooke for Michael McWilliams. Peter Henvey bounced back from a forgettable first half to put his stamp on the game, ‘J’ Mo played out a deserved MVP performance and Daniel Hackett followed up his best game of the season with another solid contribution.
All in all, definitely the most satisfying and important performance of the season to date, as for the first time Star’s strength across the team was given a stern test by a tough opponent, and importantly for the coaching staff, the players stood up to be counted. 12 fouls vs 21 fouls reflected how well the team defended, and again they punished Steelers’ indiscretions from the charity stripe. Before the game, Star identified that this game would be won or lost in the paint, and it was hugely satisfying that Star won this contest on both ends of the floor, showing great character right across the team to attack and defend the paint like their lives depended on it. A super victory.
