Friday's county senior basketball semi final had it all and for those of nervous disposition, watching must have made tense viewing. The final score of 49 points to 36 suggests a comfortable victory but the scoreline does not reflect the pulsating contest that unfolded before our eyes. Indeed 14 points down at half time, victory seemed improbable to the point of fantasy and few present would have believed it possible.
Fermoy accompanied by a professional coach and two teachers arrived early, had a clear height advantage over us and looked like a team primed for action. One thing was evident. With two of our star post players Matthew and Robbie unable to play, Szymon and Sean would have to be at their very best to control the defence.
From the tip off, Ger MacEoin threw himself into the action slicing through the zone and fired us into the lead. But our lead melted quickly under the intense Fermoy onslaught. In the opening half, the visitors bossed us with the desultory air of a team strolling to victory without having to get into second gear, popping in outside shots from all angles and dancing through our zone with ease. Under the pressure, our attack was littered with errors, poorly executed close and long range shots and a lack of fluidity in our motion offence. Sean Daly slotted one home in reply from a beautifully timed pass from David but Fermoy continued to stretch their lead. The loss of Sean and Szymon in the first quarter to injury was another enormous blow to our side. Bit by bit, the seams seemed to be coming apart, a sense of panic had set in like concrete. SCS looked destined for defeat.
At half time, the situation was looking increasingly desperate. When a team is winning well, it is easy to perform. Finding the net is that bit easier. At 14 points down, it is a whole different ball game. During the half time talk, the Skib boys faced a decision. Do we drop our heads and spend the rest of the year in regret? Would Steve Redmond, their club coach stop swimming if he was in the middle of an ocean? No doubt about it, we had to step up and be counted or our basketball days for this season were over.
Roared on by a passionate group of junior basketball players, the Skib boys stepped up to the challenge in the second half. The switch to a full court press , relentless chasing down by our players and an inspired performance from sharp shooter Eividas Andreikius brought about a dramatic change in our fortunes . Eividas popped in ten points in this period, found his nerve to sink three free shots from the line and popped in a majestic three pointer from a yard outside the zone a second before the referee brought the third quarter to a close. David, Patryck and Micheal Sheehy slotted into the post. David upped the tempo of our attack and Szymon resurrected himself from injury to boss the visitors and became our top scorer with 14 points. Micheal Sheehy was sensational, chasing down attackers, soaring high for rebounds, driving through the Fermoy defence and contributing 12 points to the scoreline. The Ilen Rovers star shows why he has a pivotal role in the Cork minor football team this year and had an enormous impact on this game.
The realisation that there was a fight to be fought seemed to unhinge the visitors and our victory was secured. Now we face a formidable Youghal side in the county final and our passage to the All Ireland play offs is secured. Onwards and upwards boys. SCS abú.