Dominos Mens Super League National Cup Final

Ballincollig 104

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors 77

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors bid to capture their second Pat Duffy National Cup will have to wait at least another season as they were outgunned by Ballincollig who produced a devastating display of shooting to fire their way to their first National Cup title in front of a packed National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Saturday night. Ballincollig posted 20 three pointers in a game where their strike rate from distance, as well as their ability to temper the Warriors offensive threat, proved decisive in giving the Village their first National Cup title in fine style.

In front of a capacity crowd, the atmosphere at the Arena was at fever pitch as Iggy Hunte delighted the Tralee fans with the opening score of the game before going on to add another quickfire double. However, at the other end of the court Ballincollig launched an all-out attack on the Warriors basket and by the time Keelan Cairns and Latrell Jossell, with his first of eight three pointers, arced in distance and Latavious Mitchell finished under the board the Cork side took the lead that they would not surrender. Jossell then swished his second and third majors either side of another three pointer from Josh Steel to put Ballincollig 17-10 up. Daniel Jokubaitis and Jordan Perkins got in on the act from distance but Jossell’s blinding start continued with another hat trick of stunning scores and when Cairns and Steel chimed in again, the lead was out to 34-16. The Warriors could hardly catch a breath, but Perkins from the line and captain Eoin Quigley with his first of the game cut the considerable gap to 34-20 at quarter time.

The Warriors were desperate for a fast start to the second but could only look on as Steel fired down a double either side of Jossell’s sixth major of the game. Olaf Michalczuk was sprung from the bench to great effect striking from range and a double from Iggy Hunte pared the lead back to 44-29 midway through the quarter. Ballincollig’s player coach Ciaran O’Sullivan took his chance to put a three pointer to his name, but Michalczuk and Perkins hit a three each to keep the Tralee side in the contest. Try as they might, but the Warriors could not get any momentum going in their offensive plays and were limited to free throws from Cian O’Sullivan and Eoin Quigley late on while at the other end Cairns and Ciaran O’Sullivan kept the relentless volley of major scores going as Ballincollig took a 60-41 lead to the half time break.

The Warriors were always going to have a purple patch and early in the third they began to find the Ballincollig basket with greater ease and a double each from Iggy Hunte and Cian Sullivan cut the gap back to 13. However, Latavious Mitchell who hit foul trouble in the first quarter was brought back into the fray and quickly posted a hat trick of scores to quell the Warriors run. The Warriors scores then completely dried up as they were kept scoreless for a full five minutes while Ballincollig piled on the pressure at the other end with another double from Mitchell and Jossell’s first two pointer of the game put 24 between the sides. Padraig Fleming’s late major strike did lift the spirits of the Warriors crowd, but Cairns and Steel followed suit to push Ballincollig’s sizable lead out to 83-58 at three quarter time.

With the contest effectively decided, the fourth quarter played its way out with early scores from Hunte and Jokubaitis quickly negated by Ballincollig through Dylan Corkery, Mitchell and Steel. The MVP Latrell Jossell’s incredible scoring shift wasn’t quite finished as he added again from either side of the arc to bring his personal tally to 31 while the Warriors supporters were given something to cheer about late on when Padraig Fleming knocked down three cracking three pointers. For Warriors it was all too little too late as Colm Blount and Ronan O’Sullivan came off the bench to score and round out the 104-77 win for Ballincollig to see them deservedly crowned National Cup champions for the first time.

Scorers:

Ballincollig: Latrell Jossell 31, Latavious Mitchell 20, Josh Steel 19

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors: Iggy Hunte 22, Jordan Perkins 14, Padraig Fleming 14

The Warriors will need to quickly bounce back to form as they return to Super League action away to UCC Demons on Sunday next in the Mardyke Arena, Cork with tip off at 3.30pm