Coláiste Éanna edge St. Mary’s CBS 61-58 in All-Ireland U19 'A' Boys Schools League Final

Coláiste Éanna again served up a performance of great tenacity to haul themselves back from 14 points down in the second quarter and clinch a thrilling 61-58 victory over St. Mary’s CBS Portlaoise in Wednesday morning’s All-Ireland Under 19A Boys Schools League Final in the National Basketball Arena.

St. Mary’s, having raised the Under 19A Cup only last month, were looking to make it an All-Ireland double this season and they went extremely close to fulfilling that dream as they carried a five-point lead into the final period.

But Éanna delivered the runs when they needed them most, helped no end by the combined 39 points that Dean Kiernan and MVP, Adam Charles served up on the day, to help see the Dublin side land this prize for the fourth year in succession.

Cormac Howson, who was St. Mary’s most prolific performer on offence with a 20-point haul, supplied all the scores, including a superb ‘and one’, in a seven-point run that handed his side the early initiative on Wednesday

And while Conor Chambers and Kiernan did respond for Coláiste Éanna, the Portlaoise side continued to pull clear, as captain, Cillian O’Connell followed his superb reverse layup with a three.

Further buckets from Howson saw St. Mary’s take a 23-13 lead into the second quarter and they continued to turn the screw as Daniel Booth and Fionn Stack both got in for scores to see them push their lead right out to 14 points.

But Éanna dug in and hauled themselves right back with an 11-point run to which Charles, Patrick Walsh and Adam McCarthy all contributed.

Howson did strike twice from the paint to steady the ship for St. Mary’s, but their Dublin rivals kept coming, and a buzzer-beater by Charles left just four points (35-31) between the teams at the half-time break.

Éanna made a blistering start to the third quarter accounting for the opening ten points of that period as Kiernan and Walsh each put up a deuce, while McCarthy and Charles both drained big attempts from beyond the arc to help their side overtake into a four-point lead.

Timely buckets from O’Connell, Stack and Love Omoijade saw St. Mary’s regain their poise and take a five-point (50-45) lead into the final quarter, helped by two successive threes from O’Connell and Stack.

But, yet again, Éanna hit the ground running when they returned to the court, serving up 12 unanswered points compliments of Kiernan, Charles and Augustine Farrell.

Another three from O’Connell did arrest that surge and when Jayden Umeh followed suit, Portlaoise were back to within three with just under three minutes remaining.

Yet Éanna maintained that narrow advantage as Charles and Stack exchanged buckets, and while St. Mary’s did managed to make the stop and set up a final attack, they were unable to get the crucial drop that would surely have taken this contest to overtime.

“We had a chat at the end of the first half and talked about the things that we needed to fix and the boys went out and delivered” said Hillary Netsiyanwa, Coláiste Éanna head coach.

“We did have a lapse in judgement and in our execution, but we went out and got there in the end.

“We missed out on the cup, but we’ve now won the All-Ireland [League] for the last four years in a row and that’s huge for the lads” he said. 

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Quarter Scores: Q1: 13-23, Q2: 31-35, Q3: 45-50, Q4: 61-58

Coláiste Éanna:

Adam McCarthy, Danny Hamill, Harry Lynch, Conor Chambers, Augustine Farrell, Karl Walsh, Patrick Walsh, Chisom Chime, Emmet Callan, Aodhan O’Neill, Adam Charles (co-capt), Finian Moran, Dean Kiernan (co-capt).

Top Scorers: Adam Charles (22), Dean Kiernan (17), Adam McCarthy (8).

Head Coach: Hillary Netsiyanwa

St. Mary’s CBS:

Jayden Umeh, Mark Delaney, Luke Kavanagh, Cormac Howson, Jack Fennell, Cillian O’Connell (capt), Tony Walsh, Justice Iheme, Oisin Crosson, Daniel Booth, Love Omoijade, Fionn Stack, Scott Davis, Desmond Ogedegbe.

Top Scorers: Cormac Howson (20), Cillian O’Connell (18), Fionn Stack (9).

Head Coach: Jack Scully 

MVP:  Adam Charles (Coláiste Éanna)