St Finian’s College heading for the All-Ireland basketball final

Pinergy ‘B’ Cup All-Ireland basketball semi-final

St Finian’s College, Mullingar 61, Salesians College, Limerick 47

In an exhilarating showdown at the impressive University of Limerick Sports Campus on Thursday, the Mullingar side finished the game strongly to see them qualify for the Pinergy ‘B’ Cup All Ireland Final.

It was a match that was closely contested throughout the four quarters, with nine lead changes and both teams were level on points on five separate occasions.

St Finian’s got off to a strong start with Andrzei Volusko Opala and Rian Keaveney helping to build an early lead. Trailing 9-2, Salesians called a time out and were a more focused outfit after that. They tightened their defense and scored back to back three pointers. A strong drive by Ryan Bell saw him open his scoring account. The quarter ended with St Finian’s holding a slender lead, 13-12.

As the second period unfolded, the lead was exchanged multiple times. Fred Klimas scored an impressive 10 points for the Limerick side throughout this quarter. However, St Finians’ resilience allowed them to keep it close. Baskets from Volusko-Opala and Bell along with some strong defending from Alfie Murray and Alex Walsh helped to keep it a close contest. Rian Keaveney scored the final basket of the second quarter, yet at half-time the Mullingar side trailed, 30-28.

The third quarter continued in a similar pattern with both sides proving that they were an equal match for each other. Two quick baskets from Alfie Murray got St Finian’s off to a strong start to the second half. Some fine rebounds from Jakub Volusko-Opala and Ben Akinnola helped the Mullingar team gain valuable possession in what was the most intense quarter of the game. The penultimate quarter ended with an impressive three pointer from Andrzei Volusko Opala, and St Finian’s went into the last quarter leading 44-40.

In the final quarter, the atmosphere in the arena was intense. The Limerick team enjoyed the benefit of being the local side and had a large following of supporters. With a place in an All-Ireland Final at stake, the Mullingar lads showed composure, determination and character. They upped their efforts on the defensive end, this pressure lead to a number of missed shots for Salesians. At the other end of the floor, St Finian’s showed some real style scoring thirteen points without response. Baskets from Alex Walsh, Keaveney and Bell helped to build the lead and quieten the home crowd.

St Finian’s College controlled the final minutes, with the game ending 61-47. A wonderful win for St Finian’s College.

When the final whistle sounded there were great scenes of joy both on the court and on the St Finian’s bench. They will now play against Ballymakenny College, Drogheda on January 22 in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. They hope to have their joint captain, Dara Keaveney back from injury for the final. This is a fantastic achievement for this group of players who will be automatically promoted to the ‘A’ division of schools basketball next year in both Cup and League competitions, on account of reaching the All Ireland Final.

They are also through to the All-Ireland Playoffs in the ‘B’ League competition after winning their Midland Regional Final against Rochfortbridge in that competition in November.

The St Finian’s College coach Shane Campbell praised his side’s performance.

“I’m very proud of the whole panel of players. They’ve a great attitude towards training and constantly want to improve. Because of the building work at the school, we’ve been without our gym this year.

“The lads had to train on our new outdoor courts in all kinds of weather, especially in the last month or so. They have a great opportunity in January but they’ll need to maintain that focus and determination- All Ireland medals are hard won,” he said.

St Finian’s College panel: Andrzei Volusko Opala (C) 19, Alex Walsh 5, Rian Keaveney 18, Ryan Bell 15, Alfie Murray 4, Jakub Volusko Opala, Ben Akinnola, Adam McDonnell, Abdul Odusoga, Hugh Isdell, Omer Yousif, Alan Dzialo, Oisin Durnin, Mohammad Hasabalah , Emmanuel Afolabi, Louis Willems, Oliver Brennan, Simba Chidavaenzi, Aodhan Malone, Arthur Vlad, Dara Keaveney (inj.).