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| 19 Jan 2008 |
Neptune get vital win over Killarney |
Neptune 93 - 80 Mustang Sally's St. Pauls
Game date: 1/19/2008 |
Neptune moved into third place in the Southern Conference with a hard-fought win over St. Paul's Killarney on Saturday night. The teams were tight going in, with Neptune at 6-6 and Mustangs slightly better off at 6-5. The win was Neptune's second over the Kerry side though, which secures the tie breaker if the teams finish level. That edge could be vital in what will surely be a close run-in for the second and third places in the conference.
Neptune got off to a decent start, dominating in the paint on both ends. The Kerrymen couldn't handle the height of Matt Gorman and Keiran O'Brien as a series of offensive boards lead to scores that pushed Neptune into an early 11 - 4 lead. In what would turn out to be the pattern of the game though, Mustang's clawed themselves back into the game, mostly through short jumpers from Justin Winguard. There was little pattern to most of the first half action, with Neptune pulling out to 6 point leads and Killarney pegging them back. Keiran O'Brien was Neptune's best player on the day, impacting the game on both ends. He had 11 points in the first half to lead the home side, but his best contribution was on defense. He at least bothered almost every shot Killarney attempted in the key and he got a hand on several passes to force turnovers. Eoin O'Brien and Matthey Hilleary were more active on offense in the second quarter, but 5 points late in the half from Gary Walsh nudged Neptune into a two point half time lead, 40 - 38.
Justin Winguard did not start the second half, and after scoring just 4 in the first half, Matt Gorman took full advantage. Time and again this season it's been shown that you need at least two big bodies on defense, or Gorman will punish you inside, and he had 6 of Neptune's first 10 as they raced into a 12 point lead. A combination of turnovers and the return of Winguard helped Mustang's back into it. Winguard had 12 in the first half and continued to be a handful, eventually finishing with 21 before fouling out inside the last two minutes. The runs each way continued, as a 60 - 58 lead for Neptune became a 60 - 65 avantage for Killarney. Neptune turned it around again, reeling off 11 straight for a 6 point lead. With just under 5 minutes remaining Neptune began to build the decisive lead. Baskets came from all around the team, as Gorman, Mike De Corso and Keiran O'Brien contributed to the run. Eoin O'Brien and Nick Covington tried to respond with big threes, but with Winguard looking a little slowed with injury they could not protect the paint enough to make a run. Keiran O'Brien finished with a season high 8 assists to go with his 18 points, and he picked apart the defense down the stretch. A three from the corner from Walsh was the final nail in the coffin, and Neptune ran out 93 - 80 winners. |
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