Portlaoise Panthers topple Titans again to reach first President’s National Cup final

Titans Bc 55 

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers 67 

ND Audit Portlaoise Panthers fought back from 12 points down late in the first quarter to beat Titans BC by the very same margin in Gurranabraher Credit Union Arena on Saturday night, subsequently securing their place in the President’s National Cup Final for the very first time.

While it may not have been Portlaoise at their best, the result was all that mattered for Jack Scully’s side who still had four players in double figures by the close of proceedings, including James Phelan on a game-high 17.

While the Titans defence managed to restrict Portlaoise to their lowest game total of the season so far, they were unable to capitalise down the other end of the court, Panthers working hard to shut them down on the three-point line where they made just 2 from 18.

Yet the Galway side will be even more disappointed with their return of 9 for 26 from the free-throw line that allowed Panthers remain out in front from early in the second half right through to the final buzzer, subsequently setting up a much-anticipated decider against fellow-unbeaten side Limerick Celtics.

“We’re absolutely delighted” smiled Portlaoise boss, Jack Scully. “We’re just delighted to get the win. The performance wasn’t probably what we wanted it to be, but defensively, keeping them to 55 points was really pleasing.

“Offensively, 67 isn’t the kind of numbers that we want, but Titans had a very clear defensive plan in place. They double-teamed Eric Anderson on the catch and they face-guarded Xabi [Arriaga], so it took us a while to figure that out.

“But I think we’ve proven time and again that we have the players who can make the right decisions in the fourth quarter to get the win” he told The Laois Nationalist.

Saturday night’s contest was a far cry from the 31-point demolition of Titans that Portlaoise enjoyed back in November, their opponents making a far better start on this occasion as Michael Hayes, Joseph Coughlan, and Fortune Igbokwe all got their names on the scoresheet early on before Matthew Sweeney struck from downtown to help see them race 12 points clear.

Panthers were not knocking down trees themselves from the three-point zone, seeing all eight of their attempts in the opening quarter drift off target, while they managed to improve that record to just 21 percent by the close of proceedings.

Gary Morrissey, however, did get in for a couple of buckets that kept Portlaoise in touch as they closed out the opening quarter ten points adrift of their opponents (20-10).

That all changed in the second period, during which they completely shackled Titans, affording them just a further six points before the halftime recess, while they served up 18 to overtake by two (28-26) heading into the third quarter.

Aleksandar Kovacevic led the way during that decisive period, serving up eight of the 10 points he would card on the night, while Davin McEvoy weighed in with a further two free throws and a three-pointer.

Titans did edge back in front early in the third, but their spell in the driving seat did not last long as Portlaoise served up a nine-point run, two Phelan baskets book-ending scores from Anderson and Kevin Donohoe.

American power forward, Anderson was struggling to put up his normal numbers as a result of Titans opting to double-team him, but he still got in for three quick buckets that helped Portlaoise opened up a 13-point gap.

Thanks to Titans Joseph Coughlan and Declan Gbinigie, the Galway side did manage to recoup five before the close of the third, but they will still have been disappointed at facing a 50-43 deficit heading into the final quarter having converted just four from 12 free throws in that penultimate period.

That statistic did not improve too much for the Galway side in the fourth, and Portlaoise were only too happy to capitalise, as a deuce and three from Phelan helped keep them ahead.

What’s more, Jack Scully’s side, themselves, proved a lot more clinical from the line down the stretch, going 10 for 10 in that department throughout the fourth, Xabi Arriaga delivering half of that to help see them over the line.

“We’re playing Limerick Celtics in the final and they will absolutely go into that game as favourites” insisted Scully.

“They’re unbeaten and they’ve been very impressive in most of their wins, but we’ll still be going in feeling that we can beat them.

“It’s just going to be about knuckling down and getting a really good week’s work behind us and then giving it everything we have in that final” he added.

TITANS: Joseph Coughlan, Viktor Tashev, Michael Hayes, Luke Herrick, Ben Powell, Eoin Coughlan, Eoin Potito, Declan Gbinigie, Matthew Sweeney, Malik Thiam, Fortune Igbokwe, Caner Dogan.

Top Scorers: Joseph Coughlan (14), Declan Gbinigie (11), Matthew Sweeney (10), Michael Hayes (9).

ND AUDIT PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Cillian O’Connell, Dylan Dunne, James Phelan, Eric Anderson, Davin McEvoy, Kevin Donohoe, Gary Morrissey, Xabi Arriaga, Kyle Burke, Cormac Howson, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Liam Kinsella.

Top Scorers: James Phelan (17), Xabier Arriaga (11), Eric Anderson (10), Aleksandar Kovacevic (10).