Limerick Sport Eagles outlast Moy Tolka Rovers in InsureMyHouse.ie Presidents Cup thriller

Limerick Sport Eagles endured a nervy fourth quarter against Moy Tolka Rovers before holding on for a 95-92 win and the remaining place in the InsureMyHouse.ie Presidents Cup Final. 

An incredible 56-point haul from Sam Finlay and Kealan Coats paved the way and despite watching a 19-point lead evaporate after the midway point in the third period, Limerick Sport Eagles showed their steel when it mattered to repel one final surge from an excellent Moy Tolka Rovers side led by Jaja Davis. 

There was a fantastic tempo to the game throughout the first half as both teams tried to push the ball with varying effectiveness. Kealan Coats got the scoreboard ticking from beyond the arc along with his partner in crime Sam Finlay, who recorded consecutive buckets to give Limerick Sport Eagles a 7-2 lead early on. Moy Tolka Rovers weren’t going to be left behind however and Irish U20 international captain Elijah Faapito took it upon himself to get to the line twice and nail a corner three to bring the teams to within three at the close of the first, 26-23. 

Ajay Ryan Walsh has made some eye catching plays for Limerick Sport Eagles throughout this season and it was his time to shine in the second. He opened the scoring with a big dunk off a Dewan White turnover before ending an 8-2 run for Matt Hall’s charges with another tip in rebound and the score was suddenly 34-27 at the midway point of the quarter. Resilience has been a mantra of coach Harkai though and just when it appeared that they were getting themselves into an unassailable hole, up stepped Faapito and Jaja Davis in transition to make the deficit a manageable 48-37 at the break.

It was to get worse before it got better for the Dublin outfit as Kealan Coats struck with a brace from beyond the arc, bringing the lead to 17 points and forcing Hunor Harkai to berate his players during the ensuing timeout. That did appear to have the desired effect and soon an extraordinary comeback was on the cards. Davis roared to life scoring 11 of his 30 points along with a 7 point haul for Daniel Ayoade off the bench and despite a late Finlay jumper, the gap was only seven as the buzzer sounded.

That surge continued into the final quarter and within two minutes of play restarting – Dewan White had Moy Tolka Rovers in front for the first time since the opening quarter. The crowd at the MTU Arena were thoroughly invested now as both sets of players pushed for that final dagger. After exchanging scoring possessions for a number of minutes, that dagger arguably came from a very unlikely source as Daniel Shahab showed the ice in his veins from the free-throw line with just 12 seconds remaining and one point between the teams. He would go on to miss his second from the stripe but a big rebound by Nacho Folgueiras sent the Limerick Sport Eagles side of the gym into rapturous celebrations.

Quarter Scores: Q1: 26-23, Q2: 48-37, Q3: 68-61, Q4: 95-92 

Limerick Sport Eagles:

Kealen Coats, Reece Barry, Darragh Horkan, Yves Joaquim, Daniel Shahab, Sean Morrissey, Obinna Josephs, Nikola Ivkovic, Liam Price, Sean Cantillon, David O’Connell, Owen Chose, Ajay Ryan Walsh, Diarmuid O’Shea, Ignacio Fologueiras, Jason Killeen, Ronan Cregan, Sam Finlay.

Head Coach: Matthew Hall

Top Scorers: Sam Finlay (31), Kealan Coats (25), Ignacio Fologueiras (13)

Moy Tolka Rovers:

Daniel Ayoade, Rory Howe, Ethan Testa Farrelly, Marcus Black, Jaja Davis, Elijah Faapito, Samuel Badejo, Daniel Russell, DeWan White, Mike Daniel Nasri, Mark Convery

Head Coach: Hunor Harkai

Top Scorers:  Jaja Davis (30), Elijah Faapito (21), Dewan White (20)