Templeogue turned the tables on Ballygall opponents in perfect start
GRIFFITH College Templeogue got their MissQuote.ie Women’s Division One campaign off to a perfect start with a 51-48 triumph against Moy Tolka Rovers at the National Basketball Arena on Saturday.
Trailing by three points heading into the final-quarter, Templeogue turned the table on their Ballygall opponents to eventually win by the same margin. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the southsiders’ victory was the fact there wasn’t a reliance on a single individual to do the heavy lifting.
Over the course of the contest, Hannah Murphy, Ava Coogan, Australian star Zoe Hurley and Camila Casanueva contributed eight points apiece to the Templeogue cause. Aoife Whelan and Amie Tunnah (who is joined in the squad by her sister Lynn) registered five points each, while Berta Rodriguez Carrera chipped in with four points.
Hurley, Whelan and Rodriguez Carrera hit the ground running in the opening stages, but a dogged Moy Tolka refused to yield and were on level terms (25-25) when the half-time whistle was sounded in Tallaght. Katrina Roenfeldt’s growing influence ensured the visitors were in the driving seat as the action progressed and this threw down the gauntlet to Templeogue.
However, they were not to be denied and can now look forward to Saturday’s 5pm tussle with Phoenix Rockets at Nord Anglia International School in a confident frame of mind.
There was a big occasion at Oblate Hall in Inchicore on Saturday as Oblate Dynamos made their return to the National Basketball League following a six-year hiatus. While Terry Staunton’s charges succumbed to a 53-50 loss against Swords Thunder, there was plenty of encouragement to take from the Oblate display overall.
An even spread of 20 points was accumulated between Megan Aho and Katie Moloney, with Jennifer Sheehan (9) and Emily O’Callaghan (7) also proving prominent for the home team. Next on the horizon for Oblate is a 7pm showdown at home to Limerick Sport Huskies on Saturday and there will also be a seasonal bow for Abbey Seals Dublin Lions (who received a bye on the opening weekend) in the shape of a visit to Moy Tolka Rovers at 5pm on the same day.