Having won the tip, the Titans opened scoring quickly with a layup and followed soon after with another before the Fliers could settle into the game. Point Guard Kamil McCabe slowed the pace of the game and, with a strong drive to the basket, managed to pull 2 points back. Despite this, the Fliers struggled on offence as the Titans applied pressure with a tough man defence. The Fliers lacked any movement, making the Titans’ job easy and making it difficult for McCabe to get the ball in to Fliers’ big man, Aaron O’Reilly, resulting in turnovers and easy baskets for the Titans. O’Reilly struggled under the basket as the referee refused to call some fouls, causing the Fliers’ heads to drop. With this, the Fliers’ defence became slack and Titans’ J. Bowman took full advantage, leading 13-4 at the end of the quarter.
For the first time in the season, the Fliers were trailing considerably and their Coach knew this was going to be the toughest challenge to date for her boys, reminding them that strong passing and a tight defensive zone would help bring the boys back in the game. With new players hitting the court, it was now up to them to fight for the win. And this is exactly what they did. Gary Black opened scoring for the Fliers with a 3 point basket, lifting momentum in the Fliers’ camp. With this opening score, the Fliers began a streak of scoring, courtesy of top scorer and game MVP Garrett Campbell. Campbell’s ability to see the floor and find even the tiniest gap to drive through, allowed him to add basket after basket, racking up 22 points and putting the Fliers back in the game.
At the other end of the court the Fliers’ defence looked strong; the zone was tight, leaving no gaps for the Titans to drive into and making it difficult for the home side to score. Fliers’ Ross O’Hanlon dominated on defence for the Fliers, working hard for his team, diving for the ball and taking on even the biggest of men to ensure the Titans did not score. This unbelievable effort from O’Hanlon, alongside the strong rebounding of Eoin McStay and Paul Cunningham allowed for O’Hanlon and Campbell to continue scoring with fast breaks to the basket, taking the Fliers into the lead, 15-19 at the end of the half.
Knowing that Titans’ top scorer Bowman would be returning to the game in the 2nd half, the Fliers still had a tough job on their hands and now that they were back in the game, they would have to keep up the momentum and hard work. With O’Hanlon at the helm, the defence continued to look sharp, leading to more fast break opportunities. Strong passing between O’Reilly, Campbell and O’Hanlon allowed for quick finishes under the basket to add to the Fliers’ tally.
Despite the surge from the Fliers, the Titans were by no means down and out, trailing by just 12 points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Entering the 4th quarter, the Fliers set out to finish the game once and for all, ensuring no return for the Titans. Post players O’Reilly and McStay finally got off the mark to take their team into a 19 point lead. The Fliers dominated on offence with solid attempts under the basket from Michael Clarke and Ben Crozier. In the dying minutes, pressure on the ball from Crozier, Matthew Fegan and Cathal Lewis meant the Titans had no way of returning, ending the game with seven wins out of seven for the Fliers, 31-48.
Newry Fliers: G.Campbell (MVP) 22, A.O’Reilly 8, K.McCabe 6, R.O’Hanlon 4, E.McStay 3, G.Black 3, B.Crozier 2, M.Clarke, P.Cunningham, C.Lewis, M.Fegan
