Last Saturday night in renmore, in front of a capacity crowd of approximately 250 educated sports enthusiasts, Matt O’Flaherty Chemists Titans Basketball Club Galway and Tempelogue Azzuri played out one of the most Fantastic Contests ever realized in this historic Hall. Such was the atmosphere, that nobody left the gym for half an hour after the game, wanting to recount, relive and revisit  every, steal, blocked shot and made three(..and there were many!!) with the same admiration and enthusiasm of the previous two hours. The Game of Basketball itself had been the Winner! One of the refs was heard to say..”this is why I ref..cos every now and again..you get a Fantastic game like this”. Another said..”it reminded me of the 80’s when the Democrats and Annadale had that great shoot out”( I believe that that game had ended 127-146 to Galway Democrats). So, what was it, that was so great about “this” game..? was it the 20 three pointers scored by Templeogue?  Two Irish players including an 18year, old hittin 31points each? Andre Tongo making 38? The noise level and intensity in this Galatassery-like cauldron? The lead changing on over thirty occasions? The courage of the Titans substitutes who replaced -the three starters who fouled out, the hospitalized Derek Mulveen and the American Brendan Barile who wasn’t allowed play following last weeks Maree game? An Overtime full of promise and hope that did not disappoint? It is fair to say that  it was… “all of the above( and something unknown, unidentifiable and somewhat intagiable”! The Defence, the intensity, the skills were all on display, the resilience of each team to hang in there as the lead changed, as both teams raised the quality of their defensive game to match both the quality of the shooting and the expectations of their Supporters. The Titans winning the first quarter 23-22 having been 10 down; winning the next 22-17 but under pressure from some amazing outside shooting from The Dublin side and beginning to clock up some fouls from the their first experience of the three ref format with nowhere to hide. But there was nobody hiding in this contest, and while Paulius Pelzius and Tomz Fabricius kept the Galway boys in it in the first half, there were timely contributions in and around the net from Gintaras and Taofik, with Chris Mc Inarney and Pedro Vasquez struggling to get the hands warm early on. In the second half, Templeogue showed why they have such a pedigree in National Competitions as young Thompson and Phil Taylor continued to rain threes above the flailing arms of the Titan defenders..but Coaches Lint and Consodine did not panic, nor waver in their belief in their squad and introduced some fine impact substitutes. Young Seamus Garrity, danced weaved and buried a three of his own from the coffin spot. Tomz stuck with Isaac the American all night long, keeping him to 21 but fouling out in the process. Enter the  tenacious all American-esqe defence of journeyman Glen Hynes..Vasquez dropping a two from deep; and all the time, Paulius Pelzius and Andre Tong, weaving and winding their way to the hole for the tough two and the hope of a foul for the three point play. The Dubliners had outscored the locals 21-17 in the third quarter but the Titans led 63-60 going into the fourth. This final quarter was the stuff of “heart attacks” and somewhat simultaneously “of Legends”. In all there were 57 points scored in the final 10 minutes three Titans fouled out,11 three pointers made and Nobody leaving the gym! While Andre Tongo hit some amazing three(3’s) from out in the middle of the adjoining soccer pitch the Titans were still down six with two and a half minutes to go and looking like they had nothing left in the tank. But Paulius Pelzius led the charge once more with some fine outside shooting and when nobody paid attention to the lively Mc Micahel he buried one from outside the arc, to  to keep the Titans in touch, followed by a huge shot from Pelzius to keep the Titans in the game.And so it was..OVERTIME.

The capacity crowd were on their feet, nobody could hear the referees whistle nor the electronic sound of the shotclocks,the Titans opened the scoring with two point in close from Paulius; Templeogue answered with a three from James; Taofik added another, after winning the offensive rebound for the putback (one up, Titans);Thomson and Gordon get fouled but only make one each from the line(advantage Templeogue);Tongo responds with a scathing two to the rim but when Thomson makes a three pointer from out in the carpark with time running out, it looked like it was game over. But as so often happens in sport “cometh the hour..cometh the man”..six seconds left on the clock,pelzius,Hynes,Fabriciuss all fouled out and Tongo heavily guarded..mc Michael has the ball with 4 seconds to go ,drives baseline and pulling up for the twelve footer make it on the buzzer for a huge win and in doing so puts Matt o’Flaherty Titans Galway in the National League Final for their fifth successive season!

 

 

Scorers-M.O’F Titans:-Andre Tongo (38), Toms Fabriciuss(18), Paulius Pelzius(18), Toufik Mustaffa (8), Conal Mc Michael (7), Gintaras (5), Seamus Garrity (3) and Pedro Vasquez (2).

Templeogue Azzuri:-8. Thompson (31), 31. Taylor (31), 24. Gordon (21), 23. James (7), 42. Swiatowy (4), 14. Homan (3)

 

In The other semi final UCC Demons defeated Ulster Elks by 5 points.

The Final is in the National Basketball Arena at 3pm on Saturday March 23^rd in Dublin

-Go Titans!”