Moy Tolka Rovers down Drogheda Wolves to confirm InsureMyHouse.ie Presidents Cup final place

Moy Tolka Rovers confirmed their place against Ulster University in the InsureMy House.ie Presidents’ National Cup Final with an 8-point win, 82-74 over Drogheda Wolves, who come up short in their bid to make it two final appearances in succession.  

This game started in blazing fashion. Both teams bidding to outdo the other on the offensive end, going score for score in the opening quarter. Drogheda got the first bucket of the game through their guard Tiago Dos Santos Pereira. A notable absence for Moy Tolka Rovers was Irish International Matt Tracey, who was out due to an injury.

Despite this, Marcus Black got Rovers up and running with a deep three-pointer followed by an incredible alley-oop from Ramunas Ramanauskas which pleased their traveling supporters. With the help of those supporters, Tolka’s confidence grew as play continued and their shots preceded to drop as a result, allowing them to establish a four-point lead at the end 1^st.

Both team's struggled with fouls in the opening half. The carrot of a place in the final causing some nervous energy, which resulted in a high foul count as the game wore on.  Bates and Daniel Heaney both impressed to keep the score board ticking over for Tolka Rovers, but Drogheda remained a thorn in their sides with two quick baskets from Mark Bodnar to bring the gap back to a one-point game as the clock ticked towards the interval.

Bonaparte and Ayoade proved crucial in the closing minutes of the first half extending Tolka’s lead to 12-points, 46-34 in favour of Moy Tolka Rovers as the teams trooped back to the changing rooms.

A revitalised Drogheda side came out in the second half and they had the perfect start when they got the scoreboard back ticking in their favour early in the third, but patient defence from Rovers kept them at bay during that time and the Dublin side then looked to put the game to bed, extending their lead to 17-points going into the last quarter.

Back-to-back drives to extend their lead even further and Tolka appeared in cruise control. Tiago Dos Santos Pereira did his best to drag Wolves back into the game, but Tolka’s quick attack proved too much for them to handle and they closed out the game to advance on a scoreline of 82-74.  

Moy Tolka Rovers’ top scorer Michael Bonaparte was ecstatic with the win afterwards, but dismissed any suggestion that they would be favourites against Ulster University: “It’s a game we have to take seriously, they beat us last week in the National League so it will be interesting to get to play them again in the Cup Final”.

Quarter Scores:

Q1: 23-19

Q2: 46-34

Q3: 66-49

Q4: 82-74

Moy Tolka Rovers: Marcus Black, Matt Treacy, Conor Liston, Daniel Heaney, Rory Howe, Rory Carroll, Cormac Meehan, Michael Bonaparte, Martin Byrne, Sean Moore, Elijah Faapito, Daniel Ayoade, Ramunas Ramanauskas, Zachary Bates.

Top Scorers: Michael Bonaprte (20), Zachary Bates (15), Conor Liston (12)

Drogheda Wolves: Wede Esajobor, Denzel Ebose, Paul Adedeji, Max Tyndall, Padraig Mc Groggin, Rob Sullivan, Brendon Gooch, Steven Safo, Tiago Dos Santos Pereira, Shalom Matuluko, Mark Bodnar.

Top Scorers: Lemmie Howard Jr (21), Padraig Mc Groggan (16), Tiago Dos Santos Pereira (12)