UG Maree made history in Cork last Saturday when becoming the first-ever Galway side to reach the Men’s Super League Cup final after a dominant display against St Vincent’s of Dublin in the last four.

There will be two Galway sides in action on finals weekend at the National Basketball Arena, after UG Mystics stunned Waterford Wildcats in the semi-finals of the Women’s U20 national cup, recording a 15-point win over the defending champions.

There was not such good news in the Men’s U20 Cup, however, as hopes of a Galway derby – or even representation – in the final were dashed when both Titans and Maree were beaten in their respective semi-finals on Sunday.

PAT DUFFY CUP

UG Maree 86     

St Vincent’s 68

When Rodrigo Gomez landed a 3-pointer just past the half-way mark of the first quarter in the Neptune Stadium on Saturday to give Maree a 15-11 lead, one Dublin journalist turned to another in the press gantry and declared “well, it was a fun five minutes but that’s game over”.

On the one hand, it was nothing more than tongue-in-cheek, as Vincents had gone on an 8-0 run to show they were there to more than make up the numbers, but on the other hand, we all knew he was right, and so it proved, as Maree showed their class to ease into the decider on Saturday week, January 21.

There will be little to choose between themselves and Eanna in the final – the two sides are locked on 9-2 records at the top of the Super League table heading into this weekend’s round of games – but Maree will also know they are an even better side than they showed on Saturday.

Although they combined for 21 rebounds (15 on defence), Zvonimir Cutuk was held scoreless in three of the four quarters, and Gomez didn’t score in the second-half, so there is more to come from both on offence in the final.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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