Houlihan lights up as Coláiste Éanna prevail against Castleisland 64-63 in All-Ireland Under 16A Boys Schools Cup showpiece

The resolve of Coláiste Éanna was certainly tested to the limit as they edged a nailbiting 64-63 victory over a dogged Castleisland Community College in Tuesday’s All-Ireland Under 16A Boys Schools Cup Final in the National Basketball Arena.

Michael Houlihan scooped the game MVP award with his haul of 26 points, that included six buckets from beyond the arc, while Karl Walsh also weighed in heavily for the Rathfarnham school with a further 17.

For Castleisland, Jamie Nolan equalled Houlihan’s game-high total, but even his huge contribution and the 11 apiece from Danny Murphy and Tadhg Murphy was not enough to see them prevail on the day.

Castleisland made the early running in this game, Nolan taking two from the free-throw line before draining another from the floor to see his side 4-0 up.

But Coláiste Éanna’s response was emphatic as they served up the next 11 points Houlihan striking from both sides of the arc, while Max McCarthy put up a deuce and Walsh made the most of his opportunity when he went to the free-throw line.

An eight-point run for Castleisland, however, saw them reduce their arrears to a mere point by the close of the first quarter, Nolan landing three quick buckets.

It remained tight throughout the opening two minutes of the second quarter, but the Dublin side again produced a surge with nine unanswered points that included big downtown scores from Liam Thuemmel and Houlihan.

Nolan did manage to arrest that run with a nice bucket, but further scores from Houlihan and Walsh saw Éanna take a 38-25 cushion into the half-time break.

The Kerry side did come out strong in the third, Nolan continuing to cause problems for Coláiste Éanna from the floor, while Glenn O’Sullivan picked up two from the free-throw line.

A timely three by Conor Naughton steadied the ship for the Rathfarnham school who increased their advantage to 14 when Walsh also struck from distance.

Danny Murphy drained a much-need score off the three-point line for Castleisland before executing again on the other side of the arc to help cut the gap to seven, but Walsh had the final say in the third quarter, his deuce making it 49-40 for Coláiste Éanna heading into the final quarter.

Castleisland began to turn up the heat almost immediately into the fourth as Nolan and Tadhg McCarthy combined for five points to cut the gap to four.

Another Naughton score from the perimeter was answered with a Nolan layup down the other end, and while the former took a further two from the line, McCarthy delivered another huge three to leave the very minimum between the sides with just 20 seconds left on the clock.

Both teams came up empty-handed with shots from the free-throw line over the closing ten seconds, but for Castleisland, those missed opportunities were to prove far more costly.

“It was a great fight by both teams” stressed Coláiste Éanna head coach, Hillary Netsiyanwa

“We went up a couple of times there and lost a bit of our composure, because they never gave up, but we had a couple of key performances from the players who started and guys who came off the bench and did so well.

“You just can’t fault the effort by either team and to win by just one point is huge.

“We’ve missed out on this one a couple of times now, but the fact that we were able to do all the hard work to get it to this stage and then deliver in the final, makes it more sweet” he said. 

Quarter Scores: Q1: 16-15, Q2: 38-25, Q3: 49-40, Q4: 64-63

Coláiste Éanna:

Max McCarthy, Michael Dempsey, Bobby Doyle, Paul Keane, Michael Houlihan, Shane Fitzgerald, Conor Naughton, Liam Thuemmel, Hugo Mulligan, James Devane, Karl Walsh (capt).

Top Scorers: Michael Houlihan (26), Karl Walsh (17), Conor Naughton (13).

Head Coach: Hillary Netsiyanwa

Castleisland CC:

Jamie Nolan, Jakub Surzgen, Podge O’Sullivan (co-captain), Shea O’Connor, Danny Murphy, Tadhg McCarthy (co-captain), Glenn O’Sullivan, Cian Cahill, Joey Kelly, Ogie Griffin, Darragh O’Sullivan, James Barry.

Top Scorers: Jamie Nolan (26), Danny Murphy (11), Tadhg McCarthy (11).

Head Coach:

MVP: Michael Houlihan (Coláiste Éanna)