6 January 2018; The Black Amber Templeogue team prior to the Hula Hoops Mens Pat Duffy National Cup semi-final match between UCC Demons and Black Amber Templeogue at UCC Arena in Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***
Hula Hoops Pat Duffy National Cup Semi Final
UCC Demons: 77
Black Amber Templeogue: 98
WATCH BACK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqi-09Jmu5s
FIBA LIVE STATS: http://www.fibalivestats.com/matches/3077/20/66/44/37MNivA83OYLo/
A 34-point fourth quarter for Black Amber Templeogue this evening saw them tee up an all-Dublin Hula Hoops National Cup final at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght later this month, as they stormed home to a 77-98 point win over UCC Demons.
However, up until the end of the third quarter, the fate of this game was undecided, as a superb battle between the two sides throughout the opening three quarters saw Templeogue up by just two points (62-64) at the end of the third.
Captain fantastic Stephen James led the charge back in the fourth though and he, combined with three Luke Thompson three pointers and a triple-double from Mike Bonaparte, saw Templeogue on their way to Tallaght for the Cup for the first time since 2016.
“We felt like we missed out last year, so we’re back where we belong now and we’re looking forward to it,” said James afterwards. “We have the ability to play the way we did in the fourth all the time, but we keep letting teams hang in there so we’ve a lot to work on now.”
A lively first quarter got this game off to a flying start, with Lehmon Colbert and Lorcan Murphy netting 13 points each at either end to keep the sides neck-in-neck. Strong scoring from Luke Thompson of Templeogue and Stephen James gave the Dubliners the edge at the end of the first 24-28, but Demons were only getting started.
Colbert continued to dominate for Demons, with the speed and skill of Adrian O’Sullivan proving difficult for the Templeogue defence. However, Jason Killeen, Puff Summers and Murphy were on hand at the other end to keep the scores ticking in, and Templeogue held the lead by the bare minimum (41-42) at the half time break.
Both sides maintained the in quarter three, with Colbert, O’Sullivan and Colin O’Reilly giving an exhibition of shooting for Demons. Killeen kept the ship steady for Templeogue at the other end, but there was still no breathing room between the sides at the buzzer (62-64).
Whatever was said to Templeogue in the break between quarters certainly worked, as they came out a different team. Stephen James, Murphy, Killeen and Mike Bonaparte began carving open the Demons defence. Thompson was on hand with a huge three-pointer and all of a sudden, a ten-point margin had opened up. James kept the pressure on as Thompson added two more three-pointers and Bonaparte hit a triple-double to extend their lead even further. Despite the best efforts of Colbert and O’Sullivan, momentum was firmly in the hands of Templeogue and they held on firm to win 77-98 in the end.
UCC DEMONS: Adrian O’Sullivacn, Conor Ryan, Lehmon Colbert, Kyle Hosford, Darco Bucan, Carlton Cuff, Jack O’Mahony, Niall O’Reilly, Colin O’Reilly.
BLACK AMBER TEMPLEOGUE: Eoin Murphy, Sam Walsh, Jean Francois Basileu, Luke Thompson, Mike Bonaparte, Stephen James, Lawrence Summers, Sergi Sole Bertran, Baolach Morrisson, Jason Killeen, Neil Randolph, Lorcan Murphy.
UCC Demons 77-98 Black Amber Templeogue
Top scorers UCC Demons: Lehmon Colbert 29, Adrian O Sullivan 18, Colin O Reilly 15
Top scorers Black Amber Templeogue: Lorcan Murphy 22, Jason Killeen 20, Stephen James 17
Half time score: UCC Demons 41-42 Black Amber Templeogue