D2 Men get back on track!
A strong first-half from Tolka saw the D2 men brush past St.Vincent’s(2)
Final Score: D2 Men 66-45 St.Vincent’s(2)
Starting five: Ale Biffi, Ethan Farrelly, Misan Fyne, Sam Badejo, David O’Beirne
After a month off from games, the D2 men were eager to get back into action today with a big win. Tolka set the tone early for a strong first quarter start, something that had been a problem in the previous games. As soon as Sam Badejo won the opening tip, Ale Biffi found a cutting Ethan Farrelly with a lop pass for an easy finish. The U20 connection in full show. Defence was a key contributor to Tolka’s strong start. David O’Beirne was an intimidating force in the paint , using his experience and high IQ to be always in the right spots and the right time in order to contest and alter shots. Tolka’s defensive anchor Misan Fyne, was an absolute monster once again, shutting down Vincent’s star player early on. His athleticism and long wingspan makes him a nightmare matchup for any opposition. His defence does not get enough credit! Ethan Farrelly carried the offensive load to start off, knocking down jumper after jumper and even taking it to the rack for some tough “and-ones”. After a Vincent’s time-out, Coach Brendan’s motivational words kept the lads in check. The game was not won yet, we could not take the foot off the pedal! The team responded by increasing its defensive intensity which forced turnovers. One of these was a great interception by Badejo which led to a ferocious dunk in transition for the athletic freak. Spoiler alert, this was not his only dunk of the game. The first quarter ended with Tolka up double-digits.
As subs began to roll in , Tolka continued to push the ball and be aggressive. There was huge hunger in the team tonight to get back in the W column. Tom Kenny could not be stopped in the second quarter. Vincent’s were not able to handle Kenny’s physicality and aggressiveness as he took the ball numerous times to the basket for some great finishes. You know it’s a great day when Kenny is making his free throws!! Father, Paul Kenny left the hall in disbelief after he saw his son splash free-throw after free-throw! Debutants Paul Caffrey and Oisin O’Reilly had excellent performances tonight! The OG National League connection was seen early on when O’Reilly caught a nice lob from Caffrey for a sweet alley-oop finish. Haters will say Paul airballed the shot! The two men continued to be aggressive for the rest of the game, getting numerous steals and baskets offensively.Caffrey’s double-clutch layup and O’Reilly’s sweet floaters brought a few tears to the eyes of the bench and the spectators! It was great to see these talented men back in action and off their coaches! The highlight of the game was definitely Sam Badejo’s monster dunk. After picking up the ball on 3 point line, Badejo took the ball aggressively to the basket and then proceeded to rise over his defender and dunk it on him. The whole bench was up on their feet to celebrate Tolka’s first poster dunk of the year! Badejo showed no mercy to his defender! At the half, Tolka maintained a double-digit lead.
Tolka’s second half was quite sloppy , the big lead led to the lads becoming too comfortable and not executive as-well on both ends of the floor. Brian Curran crashed the offensive boards and was an absolute beast on both ends of the floor. Just when a Vincent’s player believed he had an easy layup, the high flying Curran came out of nowhere to block the shot aggressively off the backboard. What a play! Bradley Owens, Andy Quinn and Cian Coleman had excellent games off the bench. The lads provided great energy to end the game strong. Quinn used his speed to get himself free in transition for some easy baskets! Unfortunately Ale Biffi had a terrible 30 second stretch, as he was able manage to earn himself two “Shaqtin-a fool” moments in a record amount of time. As he spot up to shoot a 3 point , his shot his nothing but air and he returned on defence, as he tried to take a charge he was absolutely flattened by the Vincent’s big man as he gave up an “and-one”. Fella needs to hit the gym!!!
Overall, it was a very solid performance from the D2 men. Plenty to work on but plenty to be proud of! Next Week the D2 men face-off against St.Vincent’s(1) once again ! The D2 men are lucky to have the opportunity to smash our biggest rivals , four times this year!!! Tip-off is at 7:30pm in St.VIncent’s. St.Vincent’s(1) are currently leading the D2 table with 6 wins and 1 loss, hence the lads will need as much support as possible in what promises to be a thriller!
