Queens 26 Newry Fliers 43
After a poor performance against Tigers two weeks ago, Newry Fliers U16 Boys travelled to Belfast to face Queens and to prove they were a much stronger team than previously demonstrated.
Before the game, Fliers Coach Lisa O’Keeffe told the boys that a win was not good enough; she wanted to see the Fliers at their best, knowing that this team has the skill and potential to go all the way and lift the title. And the talk seemed to work as the Fliers didn’t fail to impress.
The game got off to a quick start with both teams struggling to make any impression at the start. The Fliers struggled against Queens’ man defence, as the home team applied full pressure from the off. Despite drives to the basket from Fliers’ Captain Aaron Miller and Eoin McStay, their shot attempts were falling just short, leading to turnovers.
On the other side of the court, Queens were doing well to make the Fliers work hard on defence. The Queens boys clearly knew how to beat the Fliers’ zone defence with quick passing. But the Fliers worked hard and fortunately Queens’ shot attempts were missed, ending the quarter with a very low start, Queens leading 4-2.
The second quarter saw a much needed improvement for both teams as the players settled into the game. Garrett Campbell opened scoring in the quarter with a strong drive to the basket. Campbell’s drives were a powerful weapon to the Fliers for the duration of the game, making him top scorer for the Fliers. This opening score from Campbell gave the Fliers the confidence boost that they needed. Gary Black and Ben Crozier worked well together from the point position, getting the ball inside for post player Aaron O’Reilly and Campbell. Black also managed his first points of the season with a strong drive to the basket himself, drawing fouls from the Queens side.
Despite the Fliers settling well into the game, Queens were certainly not down and out. As the Fliers scored, Queens responded every time basket for basket, making it anyone’s game for the second half, ending the first half neck and neck on 12 points.
The Fliers put on their strongest team for much of the second half in a bid to finish the game once and for all. The Fliers pushed hard at Queens, showing great team work and skilled passing between O’Reilly and Miller. Miller led the way on offence in the second half, despite some questionable calls from the referee. Following the example of their Captain, the other Fliers continued to work equally as hard, with Queens beginning to struggle against this strong side. Game MVP McStay worked solidly under the basket on both sides of the court for the Fliers, going through several players at a time for rebounds, points and fouls.
With this new surge from the Fliers, the home team tried to retaliate and still managed to get the ball inside the zone. However, Queens’ attempts under the basket were unlucky and, with McStay and Paul Cunningham cleaning up on rebounds, the Queens team began to flail behind.
As the Fliers edged into the lead, a change in tactics saw Crozier take charge at point to slow the pace of the game and use the clock to run down time so that there was no comeback for Queens. Strong defending from Ross O’Hanlon added pressure to the Queens players, who began to turn over the ball as a result of O’Hanlon’s efforts. With this smart play between O’Hanlon and Crozier, Queens had no way back as McStay and Campbell closed the game with scores for the Fliers, ending it with a 26-43 win.
Now at the halfway point in the season, and with 5 wins out of 5, the Fliers have finally upped their performance and their win was well deserved. They must now look to maintain this momentum as they face their toughest competitors, Blackstone, in two weeks time.
Newry Fliers: A.Miller (C) 8, E.McStay (MVP) 5, G.Campbell 13, A.O’Reilly 10, K.McCabe 4, G.Black 3, R.O’Hanlon, B.Crozier, C.Lewis, M.Fegan, P.Cunningham
