Sullivan shines as Moycullen recover from poor start to grab overtime win in Dublin

Dublin Inter 72Moycullen 75

YOUTH may have its drawbacks, but one is not a lack of stamina and energy. That youthful exuberance was evident for all to see last Friday night as Moycullen’s young guns helped see their team snatch a third overtime win of the season.

The victory over Dublin Inter at the National Basketball Arena brings Moycullen’s SuperLeague win total for the 2012/13 campaign to four. With a return leg upcoming in Galway this weekend, the basketball faithful in the West of Ireland can be hopeful of the club equalling their best ever SuperLeague wins total in a single season (five wins, achieved by Moycullen three years ago) and all before the Christmas break.

Ahead of Saturday’s match up in NUIG, Moycullen player/coach Salva Camps will be hoping his team produces a much better performance than the one displayed Friday night in Dublin.

A sluggish start saw them trailing at half time by eight points, a deficit they were unable to eat into during the third quarter and began the fourth quarter 10 points in arrears.

Credit to Inter, whose combination of size and skill were creating problems for the Moycullen defence. On the far end of the court, the men from Galway did not help their cause, with all but an inspired Patrick Sullivan, who finished the game with an incredible 39 points, out of rhythm offensively.

With defeat staring them in the face, Moycullen rallied and produced a fourth quarter display packed with pride. Led by a forceful Stephen Tummon, who commanded the back of the Moycullen defence, Moycullen began to play with the desire sorely lacking earlier in the game.

A switch to zone defence was central to this resurgence and excellent contributions off the bench from Dylan Costello and Patrick Lyons completely stalled the Inter attack.

With a minute to go, Moycullen’s hard work and perseverance paid off as the visitors took the lead. The storyline was not going to be quite so simple, however, as Inter refused to lie down and recorded the necessary scores to force overtime, Moycullen’s third in just ten games this year.

Just like in their previous two overtime encounters, Moycullen got the first crucial score. This time it was an awesome three pointer from Sullivan who consistently proved to be unguardable on the night.This was followed by back-breaking baskets from Lyons and Tummon as Moycullen controlled the extra period and while Inter remained close, there was only to be one winner with Moycullen refusing to be denied.

“It was another really important win for us. We have two games in a row against Inter and if we can get another win this weekend, it would be a huge boost to our league standing,” said Moycullen power-forward Stephen Tummon.

“It’s a great feeling to be winning these close games. In past years, we nearly always lost these games and went home talking about how unlucky we were. Now, we have the confidence that we are going to win any close game. That definitely helped in this match, especially when we were down in the fourth quarter.”