BASKETBALL: Walsh stars as Neptune shock Demons
Man of the match Walsh shot a total of six three-pointers that broke the hearts of their Cork rivals.
The capacity attendance were treated to a grandstand finish but Neptune secured this win with a terrific third quarter display.
The celebrations at the sound of the final buzzer had to be seen to be believed as Neptune mentors wept openly and for coach Mark Scannell it was an evening to remember.
“We looked all over the place in the opening five minutes but credit to Demons they shot the lights out,” Scannell said.
“This group of player deserve all the plaudits they get because they have had many disappointments against Demons over the years but tonight thankfully they got their just reward.”
The mood in the UCC Demons camp was one of dismay but coach Paul Kelleher found time to praise the winners.
“Gary Walsh shot the ball extremely well and our third quarter performance was well below our normal standard,” Kelleher said.
“I think when we look back on this game we will rue the many turnovers at crucial stages but Neptune basically shot the lights out at a crucial stage.
“It’s not the end of the world but we are very disappointed to lose a game of this magnitude.”
The game was turned on its head in the 23rd minute when the Blackpool side shot three consecutive three-pointers in the space of 55 seconds.
In truth Demons never recovered and despite putting in a spirited fourth quarter performance time was not on their side.
Demons got the perfect start when Shane Coughlan shot a stunning three pointer and when Niall O’Reilly followed with a similar basket a minute later Demons had surged into an eight-point lead.
Neptune were slow into their stride and Demons chalked six consecutive points that saw them surge into a 13-point lead in the fourth minute.
Gradually Neptune found their stride and when Ian McLoughlin shot a stunning three pointer it started a mini revival.
Incredibly after five minutes Demons had scored 22 points but Neptune only trailed by nine as the trend of the game began to change.
When Demons began picking up silly fouls Neptune punished them and at the end of the opening quarter the lead was reduced to 26-22.
Coughlan hit his second three pointer on the restart but in truth Demons American Kenton Walker was poor in the opening five minutes that saw him substituted.
Neptune continued to chase the game and the introduction of Gary Walsh proved a wise substitution as he immediately began punishing Demons with his outside shooting.
Demons were dealt a blow when Coughlan picked up his third foul in the 18th minute as Townes was grabbing up a lot of loose ball in the offence court.
The closing minutes were scrappy but Neptune looked the happier team at the interval when they only trailed by the minimum, 43-42.
Ciaran O’Sullivan gave Demons the perfect start with a three on the restart but that’s as good as it got for them for the next five minutes as they were held scoreless courtesy of some rigid Neptune defending.
When McGinn levelled the game after four minutes the stadium erupted but in the next 22 seconds Walsh’s majestic shooting stunned Demons into submission.
Walsh brought his tally to six three pointers when he gave his side an 11 point lead as Demons looked all at sea.
Leading 64-54 entering the final quarter the Neptune fans sensed their team had on foot in the final.
Credit to Demons, they battled back and in the closing minutes on each occasion they had a chance to get back in the game they consistently turned the ball over.
A late three-pointer from Ciaran O’Sullivan reduced the deficit to three points but time was not on their side as the Neptune star player Gary Walsh sealed a famous win with a brace of free throws.
Neptune: D Townes 21, G Walsh 20, M McGinn 9
UCC Demons: K Walker 27, C O’Sullivan 19, S Coughlan 10.
UCC DEMONS: S Coughlan, N O’Reilly, K Walker, D O’Sullivan, C Cuff, L O’Mahony, M O’Leary, R Murphy, L Carmody, C O’Sullivan, N Murphy.
BORD GAIS NEPTUNE: G Walsh, M McGinn, S O’Sullivan, I McLoughlin, G Quinlan, G Noonan, J Wilkinson, D Lenihan, D Cronin, P Stapleton, D Dowling, D Townes, M Rudak.
Referees: David Caballe (Cork), Paul Dempsey (Dublin), Joe Robinson (Dublin).
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
