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Reports on Games [2015/2016]
Oct 20, 2015 Recently East Cavan Eagles played Blackwater Steelers in an U12 challange match. Nothing too earth shattering about this event? But lets dig a little bit deeper here. One plays in the NEBL the other in BNI. It may not even be apparent to the clubs involved but both East Cavan Eagles and Blackwater Steelers are currently operating from an almost identical club blueprint and in my humble opinion it is very much a blueprint for success. So here we go! How many clubs can boast the following?
Eagles also have links with Cavan Partnership providing basketball sessions for special needs players. Steelers field B teams in some grades. This my friends is what's called a blueprint for success that all other clubs should be studying. It is built on the national league model of linking in with the local school or university. It's good, sound strategy and a win, win situation for all concerned. Nowadays, every business or department has a corporate strategy setting out goals and aims as to where they want to be, not now, but in 3/5 years time.The Eagles and Steelers blueprint replicates this corporate strategy. The facts don't lie. Both Eagles and Steelers are the two fastest growing clubs in the region and both are obviously students of the Roy Keane mantra; " Fail to prepare, prepare to fail." With the basketball blueprint firmly in place both of these clubs are simply... not prepared to fail..!! See full article at www.http://northeasthoops.weebly.com. 2015 Delma Mulligan - BNI Coach of Year Following their finals day at the Antrim Forum the BNI coaching awards were announced and it was great news for the Blackwater Steelers club from North Monaghan when one of their finest, Delma Mulligan, was awarded the Youth Coach of the Year badge. When she eventually settled down to family life with Richard and the kids in Glaslough the call of boards receded for a few years, but this was not to last and when Donagh Basketball Club got up and running Delma responded to the call. She quickly picked up her coaching badges and she was up and running, she is dedicated to her teams and the more time they can give to the game the more Delma will facilitate them. Her attention to detail is second to none; she is strong on the fundamentals of the game and the sound development of her charges. In 2009 at the same time as she embarked on her coaching career she also joined the local Ladies team Muckno Lakers and has picked up 4 league titles and 4 top four final wins the latest one this March past. In 2009-10 her first team the U 13 Boys competed in the Athlone Finals after winning the Ulster Community Games title. In 2010-11 her U 13 Girls team were beaten finalists in the BNI Cup, and in August 2011 her U 13 Girls got bronze in the Athlone Finals. Again in 2011-12 she came close to glory before eventually taking both U 13 and U 14 girls to BNI league success in 2012-13. She narrowly missed out on Cup success that year too, beaten only after extra time. This year 2013-14 she achieved the double with the U 13 girls and also won the U 14 league without dropping a point. This success she has achieved over the last 2 seasons has marked her out as one of BNI’s best female coaches and this has now been duly recognised. However Delma is quick to point out that she has worked with a number of very good assistant coaches over the years and they are very much part of this success, she also wanted to pay tribute to all the kids over the years that she has coached and states that at the end of the day its all really about them. We at Blackwater Steelers would like to congratulate Delma on her wonderful achievement; it’s a great honour for her and a great honour for the club.
Dec 12th & 13thU16 Steeler Girls Stay UnbeatenUlster Elks 40 Blackwater Steelers 49The Steelers travelled up on Friday evening for this game and came away with a significant win which keeps them top of the table and unbeaten going into their holiday tournament on Jan 2/3. After a strong first quarter display, the Monaghan side were in command; they stretched the lead out to 12 to lead 28pts-16pts by half time. Then a combination of lack-lustre play and strange calls from the referees let Elks back into the game, the Elks team smelt blood and they went for the game. Thankfully the Steelers just had enough experience and guile to hold out in a tough last quarter. Team & Scorers: Alex Mulligan 13pts, M. McKenna 11pts, C. Ward 9pts, K.McCormil 8pts, Amy Mulligan 3pts, L.O Mairtin 2pts, L. Nally 2pts, A. McBride 1pt, A. Gallagher, M.Molloy and M. Maguire. U14B BOYS: Blackwater Steelers 18pts Andersonstown Tigers 20ptsThe Steelers fought the closest battle so far this season and put in their best performance. The Tigers had two giants of lads but excellent defence by Liam and Kasper and Paul reduced their scoring ability. Their big No.64 scored all 8pts in the 1st quarter for the Tigers, but with baskets from Liam and Adam the Steelers were well up for the game. With both teams making changes in the 2nd quarter, the scoring was kept to a minimum, with only 2pts going to both sides. Half time score had the Tigers slightly ahead 10pts to 6pts. The 3rd quarter saw the game turn around in favour of the Steelers. Scores from Kasper and Aidan, plus Aidan hitting 2 free shots increased the Steelers score line to 12pts while only conceding 2pts to the Tigers leaving the period an even 12pts each. The game now was to be decided in the 4th quarter and trying to keep the balance right on court was the issue. Losing Aidan and Paul on fouls didn’t help the situation, but the game went basket for basket for the 6 minutes until free shots were awarded due to team fouls. Unfortunately the Steelers were not as successful in converting as the Tigers and were trailing by 1pt with 60 seconds to play when 2 more free shots were awarded against the home side, one was scored and that sealed the game. This was a fantastic performance from all the lads but again some of the basic rules were broken, just too many travelling calls, lack of screening, passing interceptions and rebounding. Team and Scorers: A.McKenna 6pts, K. Ostrowski 6pts, A. McGarry 2pts, L. Conway 2pts, P. Maguire 2pts, M. Curley, C. Treanor, F. Slater and L. Shields. U18 B Boys: Blackwater Steelers 45pts Tigers 44ptsCoach Pat Mohan took the U18 team over the line in a very tight game to leave them top of the table and unbeaten going into the break. We had some notable injuries and some absentees for this game but thanks goes out to all the U 16 boys who stood up to the challenge. This was a rollercoaster ride of a game with the Steelers leading after the first, going behind by 7 at half time, storming the 3rd and just losing the last by 2, and that all added up to a 2pt victory, so well done Pat and the boys. Team and Scorers: Ryan Treanor 13pts, Shane McKenna 9pts, Oisin Murphy 8pts, Robert Haynes 6pts, Ryan McElvaney 3pts, Killian McAdam 3pts and Conor McKenna 3pts. Dec 5th & 6th7 Steeler Teams in ActionThis was another very busy weekend for the Steelers teams with 7 of our 11 teams seeing action. On the Saturday the boys’ teams played hosts to Lisburn Phoenix and won all 3 games. The highlight of the day was Michael O Brien scoring a new record 41pts in the U18 game. Then on Sunday the girls secured two wins from 3 against Lisburn. The U 12 girls travelled down to Newry for a blitz and had a great day winning 3 from 4. U14 Boys (A): Blackwater Steeler 74pts Lisburn Phoenix 8ptsThe Steelers had a comprehensive win against a poor Lisburn side. The home side raced into a 14 – 2 lead in the first and never looked back. The 2nd quarter was similarly one sided with a difference of 16pts between the 2 sides. The 3rd and 4thwent the same way with all the boys doing well and getting on the scoresheet. Team and Scorers: Conor McFarland 11pts, Ryan Murphy 9pts, Tiarnan O Rourke 8pts, Alister Stewart 8pts, Josh Maguire 8pts, Rio Corrigan 8pts, Ben Ryan 8pts, Cameron Liddle 4pts, Conor McEvoy 4pts, , Conor Mulligan 4pts & Liam McKenna 2pts. U16 Boys (A): Blackwater Steelers 48pts Lisburn Phoenix 40ptsThis was very tight affair that went all the way to the last few minutes of the last quarter. Without ever getting into a nice rhythm the home side accomplished what they set out to do which was to gain maximum points from what was always going to be a difficult task. The Steelers led 15pts to 7pts after the first; Lisburn came back strong in the 2nd quarter winning that period 13 to 6. It was 9pts each in the 3rd before the home side got their noses in front in the last winning out by 8pts. Team & Scorers: Andrew O Connor 12pts, Conor McCrystal 11pts, Ryan Treanor 8pts, Cian Fitzgerald 8pts, Killian McAdam 5pts, Dylan Maguire 4pts, Jason Hamill, Michael McDonnell, Lorcan O Rourke and Gavin McPhillips. U18 Boys (B): Blackwater Steelers 76pts Lisburn Phoenix 29ptsThis was again a very easy game and Lisburn never troubled the home side after the jump-ball was won. The game was dominated by Michael O Brien’s 41pts, a new club record for point scoring in a single game. The record was recently set at 35pts by Conor McKenna back in October; the previous one of 33pts had stood for nearly 2 years. This is the 2nd time Michael O Brien has held the record, so congratulations and well done; it may take some time before this one is beaten. Team and Scorers: Michael O Brien 41pts, Ryan Treanor 7pts, Andrew O Connor 7pts, Ryan McElvaney 6pts, Killian McAdam 6pts, Oisin Murphy 5pts and Emmet Campbell 2pts. U14 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 27pts Lisburn Phoenix 53ptsTeam and Scorers: H Mc Crystal 10pts,R Kilpatrick 4 pts, K O Reilly 4 pts, D Ni Ghallchoir 3pts, K. Deery 2pts, E Ross 2 pts, A Deery 1 pts, A Mc Kenna, S Wykes, H Turley, R Lavery and A. Duffy. U16 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 56pts Lisburn Phoenix 30ptsTeam and Scorers: Amy Mulligan 13pts, Kelly McCormill 10pts, Alex Mulligan 8pts, Morgan McKenna 4pts, Caoimhe Ward 4pts, Alison McBride 4pts, Molly Molloy 4pts, M. Maguire 4pts. Aisling Ni Ghallchoir 3pts, Andre Aldaz 2pts, Laura Nally and Lara O Mairtin U18 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 63pts Lisburn Phoenix 56ptsTeam and Scorers: Alex Mulligan 19pts, E Mulligan 16pts, Amy Mulligan 10pts, L Mc Meel 6pts, M Mc Kenna 5 pts N. Hughes 4pts, E. Molloy 2, L Mc Donnell 1, B Fitzpatrick and R Gallagher. U12 Girls: On Sunday 6th December last we travelled down to Newry to play in an U 12 Girls BlitzIn our first game we played the hosts, Newry Fliers. The girls played a great game winning comfortably against a weaker Newry side. Next up was Belfast Star, who we have never met before in a girls contest, but in fairness the Steelers girls were bigger and stronger and dealt with them without much bother. Our third game was against Towers from Dungannon, who we knew were a very strong side. Although the Steelers girls played some great ball in this game, making the Towers girl work very hard for their scores, we were defeated by just 2pts. Our last game was against Queens, where we dominated and again won with ease. Compliments to Newry on a very well organised blitz and a great day was had by all. Thanks to Bronagh Hamill who made the journey to Newry with us! Team: Katie Treanor, Erica Mc Donald, Keelin Wykes, Deirbhille Keenan, Ellie Curran, Cathy Mc Kenny, Hannah Maguire, Holly Mc Quaid, Ally Mc Carron and Rachel Callery. Nov 28th: Steeler Boys Take Down StarThis was a very busy weekend for the Steelers teams with 8 of our 11 teams seeing action. On the Saturday three girl’s teams played hosts to Queens BC and won 2 from 3, then on Sunday the U 14 & 16 B boys secured one win from two in Derry, the U 12 girls won a challenge in Virginia and whilst the 14A boys went down to Star the big news was that the U 16A boys beat Star by 3 pts; they become the first team in Ulster to inflict defeat on this Star team in over 4 years. U16 Boys (A): Belfast Star 57pts Blackwater Steelers 60ptsThe Monaghan lads came of age on Sunday when they travelled to St Malachys and beat Belfast Star in the 4th game of the BNI U 16 league. Star have always been the mark in boys and men’s basketball stretching down through the years especially in Ulster, this particular team have never been beaten by a team from the province. This was no fluke, these Steeler boys have been getting closer and closer each time they have played them, and it’s a credit to the boys and their coach for all the hard work that has been done, this was a real team effort. The Monaghan 5, Andrew, Ryan, Jason, Cian & Killian started off in blistering fashion and got two early scores from our “bigs” Cian & Killian. The defence, all 5 put in a significant shift, they were fast, they were fearless and their work was rewarded as they broke out with speed. Cian notched up 2 more baskets in a faultless quarter. Andrew was in good scoring form, picking off Star for 5. The high conversion rate of chances to baskets helped break the home side’s resilience but the high-tempo defensive work rate was all important. Ryan hit 2, Killian a 2 & 1 and Andrew another 2, this stretched out the Steelers lead and then just on the buzzer Andrew hit a three to leave the score at 23pts to 14pts. Dylan, Conor, Lorcan, Michael & Gavin took to the court for the 2nd, but Star upped their work rate and came fighting back, with Fulton on this quarter they had a potent 3pt shooter and he quickly got to work. The Steelers defence was still super and all 5 made Star earn anything they got but we were slower getting the ball out of our own half and succumbed to their traps. With Star nearly back on par, it took a time-out to sort out some of the problems; we hit a 3, then a steal and 2 from Conor on the restart. This lifted everyone and kept Steelers in the game, we competed equally from there to the end of period. Half- time score was 32pts – 31pts in Stars favour. The 3rd was a very even affair, often the period when one team takes command but not today, neither side give an inch. The work rate from Andrew, Dylan, Ryan, Killian and Cian was tremendous, the battle under the boards, the fighting and grappling to make runs, fight off screens etc was intense, scores from Killian 4, Cian 2, Ryan 2 and Dylan 1 matched all Star offered. With 2 minutes left Gavin and Conor came in for Cian and Killian, Conor added another 2 to leave the score at 43pts to 42pts. Who had the mentality to go on and win? Star showed first, came out strong and extended their lead, but Steelers would not “go away”, they hit back with 4 from Conor to go 1 ahead. Star came again but Ryan responded, then Andrew hit 2 but Star replied. Then CJ hit a big 3 for Star, but guess what Ryan hit a big 3. After a time out Star scored an easy one from a well worked side-bound play, but Andrew hit back for the Steelers. Conor Ryan shot a 3 for Star but Killian equalised after a supreme rebounding effort. Ryan Treanor pushed Steelers in front with 2, they kept Star scoreless in their next offence and then Andrew was sent to the line, he hit 1 from 2 to put Steelers 3 in front with 19 seconds left. Stop Star from scoring was all they needed to do and they did it brilliantly. History was made!! Team & Scorers: Andrew O Connor 15pts, Conor McCrystal 13pts, Killian McAdam 11pts, Ryan Treanor 11pts, Cian Fitzgerald 8pts, Dylan Maguire 2pts, Jason Hamill, Michael McDonnell, Lorcan O Rourke and Gavin McPhillips. U14 Boys (B): North Star 32pts Blackwater Steelers 30ptsThe Steelers were up against it again and had to face another stronger and taller opposition. But lessons were learnt in previous games and proved useful to the Steelers as they took the game to the Derry side. Good defensive work and controlled offense secured the 1st quarter 11pts to 3 pts. The 2nd quarter was unfortunately a reversal as North Star fielded their No. 7, a big strong lad for his age scoring all their 12pts to the Steelers 4pts. Half time score had the two teams even on 15pts even. The second half was fought equally as neither team gave anything away. The final whistle ended again with both sides even on 29pts. A 3 minute extra period was going to decide this game. Alas it was not the Steelers day for their first win of the season, they conceded 3pts and they only managed to add 1pt to their score. The Next game for these lads is a return in the SEM against North Star on the 19th December, a game to watch out for and hopefully the Steelers first win of the season. Team and Scorers: K. Ostrowski 9pts, P. Maguire 6pts, L. Conway 6pts, A. McGarry 4pts, L. Shields 4pts, , T. Murray 1pt, D. Sherry, C. Treanor and M. Curley. This was the Steelers 4th win of the season so far and keeps them on course for top four position. It wasn’t pretty to watch and the boys made hard work of a game they should have won easily. Still they managed the win. Teams and scorers: R. Hayes 13pts, C. McKenna 12pts, S. Uglis 10pts, S. Conway 2pts, O. O’Dhufaigh 2pts, D. McKenna 2pts, D. Leonard 2pts, D. Treanor, D. McCaffrey, I. Williams, L. Coyle and K. McCaffrey. U14 Boys (A): Belfast Star 44pts Blackwater Steeler 20ptsThe Steelers got off to very poor start against Star and were never really able to recover. The first quarter approach was tentative and shy and they could have made a better impression on Star with a more aggressive and daring approach. As it was the defence was decent but in offence we were poor and were 7pts to nil down. The 2nd quarter brought CJ Fulton to the floor and he ran the show, they scored 20 and we scored 4. They used him sparingly in the 3rd and the Steeler lads improved but the home side still won the quarter by 9pts to 5pts. The Steelers won the 4th by 11pts to 8pts which was some consolation but there is a lot of work to be done to get close to the Belfast team. There is a chance for a quick recovery next Saturday when we host Lisburn in the Sem. Team and Scorers: Tiarnan O Rourke 7pts, Ryan Murphy 5pts, Alister Stewart 4pts, Josh Maguire 2pts, Rio Corrigan 2pts, Ben Ryan, Cameron Liddle, Cian Maguire, Conor McEvoy, Conor McFarland, Conor Mulligan & Liam McKenna. U12 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 40 East Cavan Eagles 16The East Cavan Eagles Club invited our U 12 Girls squad for a challenge game in Virginia. As these girls have no league this year with BNI, we very much welcome the opportunity of full competitive games. Eleven of our squad were available to play and we are very grateful to those parents who helped out with transport to Virginia. The Steelers girls had a distinct height advantage and it was obvious from the off that we had a strong team. We pulled ahead in the first half and when Cavan regrouped in the third quarter they started to narrow the gap. Steelers took control again by the end of this quarter and won the game out comfortably. Team: Niamh Wright, Ally Mc Carron, Holly McQuaid, Amelia Deery, Aoife Maguire, Keelin Wykes, Ellie Curran, Hannah Maguire, Dearbhla Keenan, Cathy McKinny and Rachel Callery. U14 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 47pts Queens 43ptsTeam and Scorers: R Kilpatrick 18 pts, K O Reilly 12 pts, K. Deery 12pts, E Ross 4 pts, A Deery 1 pts, A Mc Kenna, S Wykes, H Turley, D Ni Ghallchoir, , R Lavery, H Mc Crystal. U16 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 75pts Queens 15ptsTeam and Scorers: Alex Mulligan 14pts, Aisling Ni Ghallchoir 13pts, Kelly McCormill 12pts, Amy Mulligan 12pts, Morgan McKenna 6pts, Caoimhe Ward 6pts, Alison McBride 4pts, Molly Molloy 4pts, Laura Nally 4pts, Lara O Mairtin, Andre Aldaz and Hannah O Reilly. U18 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 72pts Queens 74ptsTeam and Scorers: L Mc Meel 19pts, Alex Mulligan 19pts, E Mulligan 18pts, R Gallagher 6pts, M Mc Kenna 4 pts, Amy Mulligan 4pts, N. Hughes 2pts, L Mc Donnell, B Fitzpatrick, . 3 Wins from trip to DungannonBlackwater Steelers travelled the short journey to Dungannon to take on Tyrone Towers with 3 boy’s teams on Saturday past and they came home victorious with the maximum points in their bags. U14 Boys (A): Towers 19pts Blackwater Steelers 52ptsThe lads started off a little tentatively, they squandered a few good chances before they found their form but this was only the 2nd game of the season. Their defence was excellent, they hunted and harried Towers into mistakes and this gave them the opportunity to fast break and although the lay-up was not always converted, Conor McFarland was there to convert the rebounds, he got 8 of our 9pts in the 1st period as we led by 9 to 4. The 2nd quarter was pretty similar although a little more free scoring. The Steelers defence again worked hard and restricted the home side’s chances. In offence Tiarnan O’ Rourke asked all sorts of questions of the Towers defence with his speed on the drive and Ryan Murphy was in top scoring form. The Steelers led by 23pts to 12pts. The Towers lads dropped their heads in the 3rd and 4th as the Monaghan side pressed home their advantage. The Steelers played well, did the simple things right and etched out some nice court moves. It was heartening to see some of the inbound drills that were worked on during the week result in scores. That is 2 out of 2 wins and so far so good in the league, our third outing is against Belfast Star on Sunday next at 11am in St Malachys. U16 Boys (A): Towers 15pts Blackwater Steelers 70ptsBefore the trip down to Dungannon the Steelers knew they would win this one as this set of Towers lads had never given our lads any trouble over the years, so the message was to keep the focus, do the simple things right and get the job done. The lads did exactly that without ever hitting top gear, they had a first quarter lead of 22 – 2, they built on that in the 2nd with another 12pts to 2, strolled through the 3rd 22 – 2 again and eased through the last 14 – 4. Ryan Treanor had a tremendous game both in defence and offence, Andrew O Connor was super throughout and everyone chipped in on the scoreboard. We had 2 players missing so once again thanks to U 14 Ben Ryan for stepping up to the 16s. Belfast Star will provide better opposition next Sunday for these lads. Team and Scorers: Ryan Treanor 16pts, Andrew O Connor 13pts, Michael McDonnell 12pts, Cian Fitzgerald 10pts, Killian McAdam 5pts, Lorcan O Rourke 4pts, Jason Hamill 4pts, Gavin McPhillips 4pts and Ben Ryan 2pts. U18 Boys: Towers 36pts Blackwater Steelers 56ptsWith 3 of our small U 18 B boy’s squad missing we drafted up 4 U 16 boys to fill out the team for the last game of the day. The Steelers got off to a good start and raced into a 16pts to 5pts lead, Michael O Brien was at the centre of most of the play as he dominated the boards in offence and defence. He was ably supported by Emmet Campbell, Ryan McElvaney, Ryan Treanor and Andrew O Connor. Towers put it up to the Steelers in the 2nd but with Oisin Murphy, Killian McAdam and Cian Fitzgerald on the floor, they did not wilt. Andrew handled the full court press with relative comfort and although Towers played 100% better in this period the quarter ended 14pts each and the Steelers still had an 11pt lead. The Steelers pressed home their advantage in the 3rd with Michael notching up some great scores to push the lead out further. It was just one point that separated them in the last but all in the hall knew the game was won. Team and Scorers: Michael O Brien 23pts, Andrew O Connor 19pts, Killian McAdam 8pts, Ryan Treanor 6pts, Emmet Campbell, Ryan McElvaney, Oisin Murphy and Cian Fitzgerald. Newry Fliers were the hosts for an U 14 girl’s development blitz on Sunday. Blackwater Steelers, Queens BC, Andersonstown Tigers, Tyrone Towers and of course our gracious hosts Newry made up the teams for a great day’s competition. The Steelers are coached by the clubs youngest coach Alison McBride and she has only had these girls together for in or around a month but you can certainly see the work she has done with them. The first game against Tigers would have been most of the girl’s first competitive outing and they were up against a team who really are more like an A team. The Steelers suffered a defeat. Alison rallied the girls together for their next outing and they showed tremendous spirit as they came from behind to beat Towers by 10pts to 8pts. With the win secured their confidence was high. The 3rd game was against Queens but again they had a little too much experience for the Steelers, the girls battled hard but Queens won out. The last game was against Fliers and there was very little between the sides and with a little more luck we could have secured our 2nd win. So the day finished with Tigers winning 4, Queens winning 3 and Steelers, Towers and Fliers winning 1 game each. So well done girls and well done Alison, they competed brilliantly and there is nothing like games to bring kids on, this experience will help them enormously. U14 Girls Picture Backrow from left: Tom O Connor (helper) Hazel McMorrow, Kayla McCarron, Eimear McColgan, Lucy Duffy, Brid McNally, Alison McBride (coach): Front row, Rachel Hughes, Louise McGinnity, Holly Boyce, Leah Smith and Sinead Duffy. Nov 15/16U14 Boys (B): Omagh Thunder 47pts Blackwater Steelers 23ptsOnce again the Steelers were up against a stronger opposition with height advantage. One wonders if these teams should be playing in the ‘A’ league and not in development. Some of the Steelers have a lot to learn in the game and with these losses it can be disheartening. The game was all but over at half time as Omagh had a convincing lead 28pts to 8pts. The two key players for Omagh were forced to sit out the 3rd quarter due to development rules which gave the Steelers some relief and managed to secure the period 7pts to 5pts. The 4the quarter went to the Omagh side 14pts to 8pts but the Steelers more or less gave them the quarter, far more opportunities were developed in offence but the boys failed to convert the points and with tall lads ready to rebound you only get the one chance. We play North Star away in Derry on Sunday 29th November, so hopefully the boys will work hard at training over the next two weeks and get the win. Team and Scorers: L. Conway 10pts, A. McGarry 4pts, L. Shields 4pts, D. Sherry 3pts, T. Murray 2pts, C. Treanor, M. Curley, P. Maguire and F. Slater. U16 Boys (B): Omagh Thunder 50pts Blackwater Steelers 25ptsAfter winning 3 on the trot the Steelers were confident but right from the tip off Omagh took the game to the Steelers. Through the whole of the first half the Omagh offence consisted of two main lads, driving to the board and rebounding well and the Monahan lads found them hard to handle. The Steelers again found it hard to penetrate the zone defence of Omagh and were relying on some outside shooting, which didn’t drop, resulting in lost possession. The boys need to realize that if a shot goes up somebody needs to go in for the rebound and to contest everything. Omagh had taken the 1st half well 23pts to 11pts. Omagh sat out their big guns in the 3rd quarter but so did the Steelers. More ground and possession was lost by the Steelers as the slightly inexperienced lads were overcome which resulted in poor passing and forced shots. The quarter ended well for Omagh adding 10pts to the Steelers 4pts. Going into the 4th quarter 18pts down the Steelers needed to dig deep but unfortunately the No. 10 from Omagh had other ideas and hit point after point. 17pts to Omagh and 10pts to the Steelers ended the quarter and the game. Each of the Steelers should play to their strong points and strengths and work on their weakness. To focus on their best offence with the height advantage that they have and be more aggressive in defence. Team and scorers: S. Uglis 10pts, K. McCaffrey 4pts, C. McKenna 3pts, S. Treanor 2pts, D. McCaffrey 2pts, D. McKenna 2pts, S. Conway 2pts, L. Coyle, S. Ostrowski and D. Leonard. U16 Boys (A)The U16A boys travelled up to Drogheda on Sunday morning to play a challenge match against the local team Bullets as they had an idle weekend in the league. This was a good test for the Monaghan lads but they came out of it smiling with a twenty point win. The league is back next week with a trip to Dungannon’s Tyrone Towers for the 14, 16 & 18 boys while the 14B Girls travel to Newry for a Blitz. Nov 8thThe Blackwater Steelers had a busy weekend starting on Saturday when Newry provided the opposition for our boy’s development teams. It was the turn of the girls on Sunday when they overcame Tyrone Towers with relative ease over the 3 age groups. Meanwhile both under 12 teams were very successful at the Lisburn U 12s blitz held in Methody, Belfast. Our U12 girls and boys were in Methody on Sunday last for a blitz hosted by Phoenix and boy did they do well, the boys won and the girls were just beaten in the final, so well done to everyone. The boys met Star in the first game but were narrowly beaten by a strong team. They took on Tigers next and secured their first win. This was enough to secure second place in their pool and allow them to progress to the semi-final against Phoenix. This proved to be a close game but Steelers eventually won by 2 after extra time. Star joined us in the final and the lads were determined not to repeat their earlier defeat. A tough battle followed from the first whistle and the teams were even at the final buzzer. Steelers did it again though, snatching victory in sudden death after extra time. Peace Players International (PPI) was the opposition for the girls’ first game of the day, and while they had a couple of good shooters, they were no match for the Steelers girls. Next up was Queens, who we had been watching earlier. This proved to be a much tighter game but the Steelers girls dug deep and with steely determination and secured the win by one basket. Phoenix, the hosts, were next, and again our girls put on a great display and secured a win. Towers were the last team the girls faced, and we knew that a win here would see them into the final. This was a very close game with no more than a basket separating the sides at any time. Again some fine displays from the girls gave them the win they needed and they were into the final on top points. Towers were again the opposition, but this time they had the measure of the Steeler girls and were comfortable winners in the end. U14 Boys (B): Blackwater Steelers 21pts Newry Fliers 39pts With Liam controlling play out front, the Steelers created a few good passing moves for Paul and Daragh to finish, keeping the boys in the game as the 1st quarter ended 7pts to 10pts to Newry. With a good mix of boys out on the floor the 3rd quarter proved very effective. Ground was gained over the 7minutes, and at one stage midway through, only 3pts divided the two teams. The Steelers took the quarter 11pts to 4pts, ending the period 22pts to 27pts in favour of Newry. A good talk from the coach before the 4th quarter had the boys well geared up to fight to the whistle but the strength of the tall lads from Newry working together proved too difficult to overcome, they scored 12pts to our 5pts. The Steelers do have a lot to give and just need to work a little harder against the taller lads in defence, more blocking out and more aggression. Team and scorers: L. Conway 13pts, D. Sherry 4pts, A. McGarry 4pts, P. Maguire 4pts, A. McKenna 2pts, F. Slater, M. Curley, C. Treanor and L. Shields. U16 Boys (B): Blackwater Steelers 31pts Newry Fliers 19pts The Steelers did have a more powerful starting five than Newry so the 1st quarter result of 7pts to 6pts to the home side was a little worrying. The 2nd five needed to work a little harder in offence, using big Seb inside and more movement to the wings. Sean, Ieuan and Seb found a nice little move which hopefully can be developed more in future games. Losing the quarter by 1pt bought the halftime score 17pts to 17pts. With both teams bringing on their best for the 3rd quarter, the Steelers proved the stronger side, good focus and control from Kai found Connor hitting a little better form and Dylan as strong as ever on the wing took the quarter 10pts to nil. The coach still wasn’t convinced that the game was won with still 8mins to play, so the 4th quarter was a battle, but Newry struggled to gain anything as the Steelers defence closed down all attacks. The Steelers ran the bench as they seen out the game intelligently. The Steelers were much the stronger team but offensive tactics need to be addressed as some teams change their defence according to the challenge. We are away in Omagh next Saturday. Team and scorers: C. McKenna 14pts, S. Uglis 6pts, S. Conway 4pts, L. Coyle 2pts, I. Williams 2pts, s. Ostrowski 2pts, D. McKenna 1pt, s. Treanor, V. Khokha, D. Treanor and K. McCaffrey. U14 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 36 pts Tyrone Towers 26 pts M.McKenna 16pts, Amy Mulligan 12pts, Alex Mulligan 10pts, A. Ní Ghallchóir 9pts, L.O Martin 8pts, M.Molloy 8pts, A. McBride 8pts, K.McCormil 7pts, L. Nally 4pts, A. Aldaz 2pts, C. Ward 2pts and M. Maguire. Lynda McMeel 12 pts Ellen Mulligan 8 pts, Amy Mulligan 9pts , Alex Mulligan 8pts, Kate Aughey 6pts Natasha Hughes 4 pts, Rachel Gallagher 4 pts, Megan Mc Kenna 3 pts, Bethany Fitzpatrick 2 pts, Ellen Molloy, Lucy Mc Donald. Oct 24th 2015 While we at the Steelers firmly believe that the player who gives the pass to the scorer is equally as important as the actual scorer, we simply cannot ignore one of the stats from Sunday’s game, but first the history. On Sat Dec 8th 2012 Michael O’Brien set a club record by hitting 31 points in an U14 game against Letterkenny. That record lasted 5 days as Ramunas Ramanauskas hit 32 points the following Friday Dec 14th 2012 in an U18 game. That stood for nearly a year before on Sun Nov 10th 2013 Verity O Connor (an U 16 at the time) went one better by scoring 33 points in Donegal; against Letterkenny in an U 18 game. On Sunday past Conor McKenna broke that record by scoring a brilliant 35pts against Queens 2 for the U 16 dev boys, Conor who recently represented the North East Regional Schools team in Galway has been playing for the Steelers from an early age and was on our All Ireland winning U 14 boy’s team last year in Sligo. Congratulations and well done to Conor. U 14 A Boys The second quarter defence was strong and played a huge part in the Steelers stretching out the lead as they hustled Blaze into ball carrying mistakes and then took advantage on the break. Tiernan O Rourke picked up 7 of the 11pts with Josh Maguire contributing 4 as Steelers led by 21pts to 11pts at half time. The third quarter was a continuation of the 2nd as Steelers stretched ahead, Ryan Murphy was strong in defence, and he was well supported by Rio Corrigan and Alister Stewart. Cameron Liddle, Conor Mulligan, Conor McEvoy and Cian Maguire were good in defence but it was Ben, Tiernan and Josh that stole the limelight with the scores. Steelers led by 31-15 by the quarter end. Team & Scorers: Ben Ryan 12pts, Tiernan O Rourke 11pts, Josh Maguire 9pts, Conor McFarland 4pts, Alister Stewart, Cameron Liddle, Cian Maguire, Conor Mulligan, Conor McEvoy, Rio Corrigan and Ryan Murphy. U16 Boys (A): Blackwater Steelers 71pts Blaze 6pts The first quarter scoreline read 31pts to 3 with Cian Fitzgerald, Killian McAdam, Ryan Treanor, Jason Hamill and Andrew O Connor just tearing the opposition apart from the first seconds, in truth the game was over. Team & Scorers: Killian McAdam 16pts, Cian Fitzgerald 15pts, Andrew O Connor 12pts, Dylan Maguire 11pts, Ryan Treanor 6pts, Michael McDonnell 6pts, Ben Ryan 5pts and Jason Hamill. U18 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 59 Blaze 50 Team & Scorers: Ellen Mulligan 32pts, Lynda McMeel 11pts, Rachel Gallagher 4pts, Natasha Hughes 4pts, Megan McKenna 4pts, Ellen Molloy 4pts, Bethany Fitzpatrick, Kate Aughey, Lucy McDonnell, Sinead McGuirk and Aoibheann McQuaid. U14 Dev Boys: Blackwater Steelers 16pts Queens 42pts From the coaches perspective there will be more work to be done on defence as some lads found it hard to focus on their positioning and their role, and the offence could be speeded up slightly with a bit more movement from players and better support for the ball handler, but we are only a few weeks into the season and this was the first game. The lads certainly showed no lack of effort and had a lot of their chances been converted the game would have been far closer. The lads certainly enjoyed the game despite the defeat but if they put a bit more work in at training, they will be enjoying wins soon. Team and Scorers: K. Ostrowski 6pts, D. Sherry 4pts, A. McKenna 3pts, A. McGarry 2pts, L. Shields 1pt, T. Murray, C. Treanor and F. Slater. U16 Dev Boys: Blackwater Steelers 58pts Queens 2 36pts The Steelers put the defeat of the last game against Ballymena behind them and faced a new challenge on home ground with Queens 2 the visitors. The home side started well and raced into a 12pts to 2 lead in the first and Queens were forced to make changes in case the game would get away from them. The changes worked and they clawed their way back into the game, Steelers led 16-13 at the break. The 2nd was fairly even too with a lot less scoring but the home side just maintained their edge at half time leading 24pts to 20pts. The second half was one way traffic for the Steelers as Kai and Conor developed a high post offence which found Queens sleeping, as the Steelers upped their game all the lads rose to the challenge and they pushed the lead out to a victory was in sight. By the end of the 3rd quarter the Steelers were well in front by 40pts to 28pts with Conor McKenna in super shooting form. Going out into the 4the quarter the boys the kept the pressure up to ensure a good table results. There were strong performances from Dylan and Luke in the 4th quarter as the Steelers closed out the game strongly. The lads needed the best result they could achieve to show that they are a threat as the season moves on. There is some work still to be addressed in defence at training which will improve the Steelers strengths as with most teams this can be their weak point. Team and Scorers: C. McKenna 35pts, D. McKenna 8pts, O. O’Dhufaigh 4pts, L. Pascual 4pts, L. Coyle 3pts, S. Ostrowski 2pts, S. Uglis 2pts, K. McCaffrey, D. Treanor and S. Treanor. Blackwater Steelers season up and running On the recent bucket collection in Monaghan town and Emyvale, Blackwater Steelers would like to thank all who donated so generously, we had a brilliant reception from the public at large. The club would also like to thank its committee for all the organisational work that made the collection work; it would also like to thank the parents and committee members who manned the buckets to make it a success. We have 10 teams this year, U 12, 14, 16 & 18 Girls, U 12, 14, 14 dev, 16, 16 dev & 18 boys. The under 12s will be playing monthly blitz’s this season as opposed to a league but they are training weekly none the less. We also hope to have U 14 girl’s development team up and running soon too. Our Junior Academy is again attracting large numbers of girls and boys; it takes place weekly in Coláiste Oiriall. So our small numbers of dedicated coaches are working flat out once again. U16 Dev Boys A lack of experience and team coordination with some of the new lads was quite evident in this the first game of the season. Having had only two training sessions so far, this game will enable the coach to see where most of the work needs to be focused as the season moves forward. Ballymena’s strength came from a good height advantage and good response to a fast break situation which the Steelers were unable to contain. The Antrim side dominated the first quarter securing a 14pt-1pt lead. The 2nd quarter five unfortunately didn’t score but they, to their credit only conceded 2pts to Ballymena. Going into the second half with a strong mix produced some better basketball and opportunities but it became too much to ask and no ground was gained. The 4th quarter had the rest of the bench finish out the game. Had the lads played the first half with the aggression and focus as the second half the score line might well have been different. Team and scorers: S. Uglis 4pts, C. McKenna 4pts, S. Conway 2pts, K. McCaffrey 1pt, D. McKenna 1pt, I. Williams, D. Treanor, V. Khokha, S. Ostrowki, L. Pascual and S. Treanor. 2012 Congratulations to Verity O Connor and Ellen Mulligan who have just been selected for the Girls U 15 Irish squad. This is a superb achievement for these two young Glaslough ladies, their parents and families can certainly be very proud of them. They both recently starred on the North East schools inter-regional team that finished third in the National Basketball Arena where they attracted the attention of the national coaches. Also selected from that North East team was Aoife Maguire from Virginia, Co. Cavan and congratulations to her too. This is also a brilliant achievement for the Blackwater Steelers basketball club to which the two girls proudly belong. They both star in the U 16 girls team (currently unbeaten this season) and have come up through the ranks from when they started as fourth class primary school kids on a Wednesday night. The girls themselves are full of praise for all the coaches connected with the North Monaghan club and all the good work they do. This achievement certainly highlights the opportunities available to all North Monaghan kids who want to play and excel in basketball, in the past you would have had to travel to Dungannon or Dundalk to find such a good club structure with excellent coaching but now it’s on your doorstep in the form of Blackwater Steelers. The club is always open to new members, to find out more, visit our website www.blackwatersteelers.ie. All the coaching staff would like to take this opportunity to wish Verity and Ellen all the very best on the Irish squad and hope they continue to do the Steelers proud in the future. [November 2012] |
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