Hard work works.
One year ago, our under 16 boys made their way to Killorglin on a damp and dreary Tuesday morning. Our mission was to gain a place in the All Ireland quarter finals. On that occasion, the hosts had packed the hall with hundreds of supporters and the Skib boys wilted under their roaring presence. Half way through the third quarter, we found ourselves 18 points adrift and the list of those in foul trouble was growing rapidly.
With the game seemingly lost, three of our first five fouled out and Tomás and James on 4, I looked to the bench. Forlorn faces stared back at me. During a timeout, we decided to throw everything we had at the Kerry champions. The game appeared to be over, we had nothing to lose. While every member of the squad dragged us from the ashes, two boys starred in the resurrection. Robbie Minihane's towering presence radiated through the team. Having the Haven man on your side is a tonic for tired limbs. On the other side of the court, Eividas who had come off the bench transformed into a shooting machine, sinking 4 three pointers in a row with razor - like accuracy. The seed was set and SCS went on to record one of its most famous victories.
On Thursday last, the sides were due to meet again. On this occasion, we enjoyed home advantage and we are deeply thankful to Jenny and NIall in the Sports Centre for making this wonderful facility available to us. A year on, the much anticipated battle with the Kerry champions turned out to be a one - sided affair. From tip to final buzzer, SCS took full charge of the action and the 70 to 25 point score difference is a true reflection of the match. As a spectacle, the game did little to ignite our tiny band of enthusiastic supporters but we thank those who cheered the side on and hope that the first and second years present will be inspired to follow in the under 16s inspirational footsteps. An All Ireland play off is an event to be celebrated.
The Eividas that took the challenge to Killorglin a year ago is a transformed figure now. On Thursday, he controlled the game, launched our attacks and slotted 25 points to our score. There is no doubt about it, hard work works and no one works harder than Eividas. Tom Kavanagh is another player who is unrecognisable from last year. Tom scored 16 points and dominated the boards on both sides of the floor. The exciting Brian O'Driscoll delighted the supporters with his classy manoeuvres and produced 16 points. In a defensive role, Colm Harrington and Daniel Buckley tormented Killorglin, stifling their attempts to score with ferocity. Every member of the SCS squad played their part but there are sterner tests ahead and courage is not tested in games like this.
Having suffered a heavy defeat in their first game, Killorglin looked an exhausted side when they went on to the court again against Clonmel giving the Tipperary champions an easy victory. This meant the final game between SCS and Clonmel would determine who would get the coveted All Ireland quarter final spot. Having beaten Clonmel in the Cup semi earlier in the year, some of the Skib boys could have been guilty of complacency. To blithely predict an easy victory before the throw in is a fool's game to play. When it goes wrong, it can go horribly wrong and teams are vulnerable after an easy win. In the opening half of this thrilling game, Clonmel belittled their own expectations. Form went out the window and a new belief had set in. Perhaps their victory over Killorglin had strengthened their resolve.
The Skib boys were tested to the limit in this opening half. When a game is in the melting pot and passions are running high, our character is tested. Tom Kavanagh stood tall, took the fight to Clonmel, exploded into the action, drove purposefully and had a stunning game on both sides of the floor. But Clonmel continued to throw everything at us and their tall, physical forwards were putting a huge strain on our ability to get rebounds. The fouls were mounting and Maria was quick to alert us to the growing tally. Daniel's tenacious defence adds steel to our play but his fouls were adding up too and with 3 minutes left in the second quarter, he picked up his fourth. Going forward we will have to address this weakness as we had four boys on 4 fouls going into the last quarter.
Stevie Redmond and Eividas had mercurial performances in this game. Stevie produced some awesome assists and contributed 19 points to the scoreline, while Eividas controlled the game and recorded his biggest personal tally to date of 31 points. Colm oozes class in his defensive role and his sheer work rate is fantastic to witness. As the second half progressed, SCS' dominance grew. The passes flowed, the openings appeared and the fast break led to a huge amount of scores, culminating in a 70 to 38 point winning margin.
The side will go on to meet St Peter's Wexford who have defeated the Cork runners up, Castletownbere, on Monday January 10th in the NBA in Tallaght. The semi final will be played later in the day.
I would like to acknowledge the huge influence of Coach Steve Redmond on our team and the invaluable work being done in the Skibbereen Eagles Club, Jenny Brickley who left no stone unturned in her preparation of the Sports Centre for our play offs, Niall who made the hall available to us last minute as the Parent Teacher meeting was going on in SCS, the fabulous team who did the table Áine, Maria, Garry, Ellie and Robbie and Mr O'Donnabháin for organising the supporters. We appreciate all those who went to the trouble of making sandwiches, baking and making this occasion one we will remember for many years to come.
Finally a big thank you to the wonderful boys in this team for their hard work and commitment to training. Ye are true SCS ambassadors and great role models for the younger students to follow.
Good luck to the team in next Monday's All Ireland Cup final and a huge thank you to Principal Anton O'Mahony for generously supporting this event. The game will be live streamed on the Basketball Ireland web site at 11am so ye can follow the action.