Second-half surge sees Neptune power past North Munster 76-49 in Men’s Over 40s Masters Cup Final

Michael McGinn chalked up 18 second-half points on his way to a game high 26 as Neptune tore away from North Munster after the break for a 76-49 victory in the InsureMyHouse.ie Men's Over 40s National Masters Cup Final in Neptune Stadium on Saturday evening.

A Thomas O’Sullivan basket in the closing minute of the second quarter was all that separated the two teams at the half-time break.

But the defending champions moved through the gears in the last two minutes of the third, putting together a 12-point run that extended their lead to 18 heading into the final period.

  Neptune's Michael McGinn with Brian Flynn and Jakub Czuba of North Munster

The two sides matched each other stride for stride early on, Neil Campbell opening the scoring with a nice deuce for North Munster before O’Sullivan responded in kind for Neptune.

But, with Ger Noonan starting to pull the strings, Neptune put together a 10-point run with O’Sullivan, McGinn and Kevin Reddy all serving up buckets to turn a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

 Neptune's Eamon O'Neill and Deividas Venckunas of North Munster

Yet North Munster were not about to lose sight of their opponents at this early stage, and two timely threes by Willie Tuohy hauled them back to within two points of their Cork rivals.

And it remained tit-for-tat throughout the second quarter, each team putting up a further 11 points as the lead swapped hands no less than six times in that period.

 Jakub Czuba in action for North Munster

Yet Neptune began to open up a little daylight between themselves and their opponents soon after the restart as game MVP, O’Sullivan served up two buckets and a free throw before North Munster added to their account by way of a Rory Callaghan effort from the three-point line.

Additional scores from Tuohy and Jakub Czuba helped keep them in touch, but six points by McGinn, together with baskets from David Brosnan and Cormac Fouhy over the closing two and half minutes in the third quarter effectively saw Neptune place one hand on the prize.

And they refused to take their foot off the pedal in the fourth, outscoring North Munster by nine down the stretch as McGinn served up a further three deuces to which Brosnan and Fouhy each added another four points.

North Munster were afforded only 21 points in the second half and had no answer for the drive and intensity of their opponents, who managed 46 in the same period to successfully defend the prize they lifted last year.

Quarter Scores: Q1: 19-17, Q2: 30-28, Q3: 57-39, Q4: 76-49

Neptune Masters:

Thomas O’Sullivan, William O’Regan, David O’Brien, Michael McGinn, Kevin Reddy, Eamon O’Neill, David Brosnan, Ger Noonan, Irmantas Skeirys, Cormac Fouhy.

Top Scorers: Michael McGinn (26), Thomas O’Sullivan (14), David Brosnan (11).

North Munster:

Rory Callaghan, Aleksey Bodrov, Neil Campbell, Brian Flynn, Matt Hall, Greg Duffy, Jakub Czuba, Michael McCarthy, Willie Tuohy, Deividas Venckunas, Janis Zarins, John Galvin.

Top Scorers: Jakub Czuba (11), Willie Tuohy (10), John Galvin (7).

MVP:  Thomas O’Sullivan (Neptune)