Laois competitors play their part in M50 National Masters Cup win

LAOIS enjoyed no shortage of interest in this season’s M50 Masters National Basketball Cup final, the county boasting four players on the Lions/Portlaoise squad that edged Queens Belfast 52-51 in the National Basketball Arena.

Indeed, Portlaoise Panthers accounted for three players on the squad, namely Greg Dunne, who captained the side, his brother, Tony and Eugene Walsh, while Rody McEvoy represented Ballyroan Bluestars.

The Dublin/Midlands side appeared to be cruising to victory by the half-time recess, but a strong third quarter saw their opponents haul themselves right back into contention.

Lions/Portlaoise managed to push their lead back out to eight with just over a minute remaining, but two late trebles, one of which came from Ireland masters international, Andy Dolliver helped haul Belfast back on to level terms.

Both sides were awarded free throws down the stretch, and the game remained deadlocked up until the closing second of play when Mano Haastrup was fouled and went to the line, converting one of his two free throws to clinch it for Lions/Portlaoise.

“We raced out into an early lead and we were flying it up until the half-time,” recalled team captain Dunne.

“We were playing really good defence definitely in the first half, and they just could not get through to score and get into a rhythm.

“We owned our own boards and were winning all the rebounds because, as big as they were, we were bigger and stronger, and they struggled with that physicality.

“But then, just after half-time, they came out and hit a three followed by a string of two or three baskets together. It was working for them, and it wasn't that we were doing that much different.

“We ended up then taking a time-out and changed up our defence, so that we had two guys go man-to-man on their two best players, Andrew Dolliver and Rob McMorrow.

“And the other thing, I suppose that brought them back into the game was that we ended up having three technicals. That put them on the free-throw line, and McMorrow hit all three of them each time.

“The lack of discipline there in that third quarter cost us and the next thing they were just three of four points behind.

“But we put together a couple of baskets again and we had it back out to eight or 10 and it looked like we were going to see it out comfortably.

“But they came back again with two three-pointers. Both teams went to the line, but Mano Haastrup hit a free three for us and we won it” he said.

Lions Portlaoise guard, Shane Jackson scooped the MVP award following a fine display that saw him apply the finishing touch to a lot of his side’s fast breaks, while Haastrup and John Gobbett also weighed in heavily on the scoreboard.

The victory brought, to a successful end, a campaign that saw the team beat Malahide and Galway in the group stages propelling them through to the semi-finals, where they surmounted Kilkenny.

Dunne, his brother Tony, and Walsh were all a part of the Dublin Lions team that won this title in the inaugural season of the competition several years ago What’s more, a number of players who made up this season’s M50 National Cup-winning squad were coming into this year’s competition on the back of a triumphant campaign in the Galway Masters back in November.

Both Greg Dunne and McEvoy will also soon be setting their sights on international competition, having both been named on the Ireland M50 squad for the FIBA Masters Open taking place in Greece this coming July.

LIONS/PORTLAOISE: Greg Dunne, Anthony Dunne, Rody McEvoy, Shane Jackson, Mano Haastrup, Eugene Walsh, John Gobbett, Albert Corrigan, Pat Morahan.