Boys U12 Playoff Blitz - Calasanctius, Oranmore
11th March 2012
The business end of the U12 Boys League arrived with great anticipation on Sunday last. The pools, which had been decided based on the standings at the end of the league, put the Sparks against Claregalway, Corrib and their club mates the Hawks. The team showed up ready for action and got stuck into Claregalway straight away. The Sparks wasted no time in showing the Claregalway lads why they were top of the table. They took their scores well and with tight marking finished the game with a 20 point margin of 34 to 14.
Corrib have improved since their previous encounter with The Sparks and the game was closer than anticipated at the start. However the Sparks opened up a considerable lead in the second half with nearly all of the squad getting on the score sheet and they eventually won well against their near neighbours.
The Sparks versus Hawks game proved to be another tense affair but as expected it was a great game. The end score of 18 to 14 reflects a closely fought battle. Both teams knew that a win here would give them the top slot in the pool and an easier semi-final. The Sparks pulled away in the 3rd quarter and looked good for a win. The Hawks however came back with a late surge in the 4th quarter but the Sparks were wily enough to keep them at bay and came away with a precious 4 point win.
This left them with three wins from three and a semi-final showdown against Titans. Titans seemed to have learned from their previous Sparks league clash and initially matched up well. Again however, the Sparks choked the life out of the Titans attack with tight defence. They also created and finished off their own chances with some great passing to end the game comfortable winners.
The Boys U12 A Final is The Sparks against Maree on Sunday 25th March. These two teams met in the first game of the season when Maree came away with a narrow victory. Sparks have a score to settle in this last game of the season. Maree are a very good side and maybe the Sparks are slight underdogs going into this game. If Sparks are to win this then every team member will need to contribute and play at their absolute sharpest. This season has shown us that The Sparks are made of the right stuff. They have an impressive mix of skill, fitness, motivation and team spirit that gives them the wherewithal win this outright. There is no reason why they cannot go all the way.
Go Sparks!
11th March 2012
The business end of the U12 Boys League arrived with great anticipation on Sunday last. The pools, which had been decided based on the standings at the end of the league, put the Sparks against Claregalway, Corrib and their club mates the Hawks. The team showed up ready for action and got stuck into Claregalway straight away. The Sparks wasted no time in showing the Claregalway lads why they were top of the table. They took their scores well and with tight marking finished the game with a 20 point margin of 34 to 14.
Corrib have improved since their previous encounter with The Sparks and the game was closer than anticipated at the start. However the Sparks opened up a considerable lead in the second half with nearly all of the squad getting on the score sheet and they eventually won well against their near neighbours.
The Sparks versus Hawks game proved to be another tense affair but as expected it was a great game. The end score of 18 to 14 reflects a closely fought battle. Both teams knew that a win here would give them the top slot in the pool and an easier semi-final. The Sparks pulled away in the 3rd quarter and looked good for a win. The Hawks however came back with a late surge in the 4th quarter but the Sparks were wily enough to keep them at bay and came away with a precious 4 point win.
This left them with three wins from three and a semi-final showdown against Titans. Titans seemed to have learned from their previous Sparks league clash and initially matched up well. Again however, the Sparks choked the life out of the Titans attack with tight defence. They also created and finished off their own chances with some great passing to end the game comfortable winners.
The Boys U12 A Final is The Sparks against Maree on Sunday 25th March. These two teams met in the first game of the season when Maree came away with a narrow victory. Sparks have a score to settle in this last game of the season. Maree are a very good side and maybe the Sparks are slight underdogs going into this game. If Sparks are to win this then every team member will need to contribute and play at their absolute sharpest. This season has shown us that The Sparks are made of the right stuff. They have an impressive mix of skill, fitness, motivation and team spirit that gives them the wherewithal win this outright. There is no reason why they cannot go all the way.
Go Sparks!
Sparks fly in local derby to go top of the U12 League!
19th February 2012
U'12 Boys - Galway League
Moycullen Sparks 47 - 37 Moycullen Hawks
The day of reckoning finally arrived last Sunday in Killanin Hall. It had been the most eagerly awaited game of the Boys U12 league. Derby games have an extra spice, a sharper edge and last Sunday proved no exception. In front of a large crowd of supporters Mike Dowd's Sparks took on Martin Burke's Hawks in a game that provided end to end excitement for the spectators. In a tense first quarter, scores were hard to come by as the two teams sized each other up. The Hawks were stronger in this period and led 9 to 5 lead going into the second. Sparks second quarter team came out determined to make their mark on the game and during this period they wiped out the Hawks first quarter lead racking up a total of 23 points leaving the half time score at Sparks 27 to Hawks 23. In the second half the marking was intense by both teams, there was little room for manoeuvre and quite a few fouls. That said, the game was played in a very sporting manner with both teams giving their all. The passing needed to be sharp as interceptions by both teams were frequent. The Sparks seemed to gain in confidence as a result of their half time lead and were able to stretch it further in the third and fourth quarters. The determination of the Sparks dominated and they finished the game with a 47 to 37 victory. This win in their final league game places them at the top of the U12 Boys league with 5 out of 6 wins.
To the neutral observer, the only one in the hall being the referee, the game must have been a pleasure to watch with an excellent demonstration of basketball skills that have been drilled into the players by Mike and Martin. Also evident in both teams was a great sense of team spirit and a willingness to work for each other on the court. The Sparks won this game and as such possess the bragging rights... for the time being. This was just one battle and there will be others. The Hawks will come back stronger from this and perhaps it will be their turn next although the Sparks will not relinquish their bragging rights without a fight. Ultimately, regardless of who won this time or who wins the next, there is one overall winner in this story. With players of the talent, team-spirit and determination of the Sparks and the Hawks, Moycullen's Superleague future looks "sparkly" bright!
Squad: Conor Walsh, James Wall, Nicholas Sudarsky, Iarlaith O'Sullivan, Eoin O'Reilly, Mairtin O'Conghaile, Rian Oates, Tommie McNeela, Paul Kelly, Mark Heffernan, Troy Devaney, James Cummins, James Connaire.
4th February 2012
U'12 Boys - Galway League
Titans 16 - 51 Moycullen Sparks
The Sparks showed their class again on Saturday in St. Marys against a big Titans team. Straight from the off the Sparks started racking up the points against a Titans team that looked shell-shocked at the way that their younger rivals came at them. By the end of the first half the game was beyond retrieval for Titans with the score standing at 31 - 10 to the visiting Sparks. The hungrier and sharper Moycullen lads did not take their foot off the gas in the second half. They produced an all-round team effort both in defence and offence with most of the players getting on the score sheet. The game featured the Sparks winning some strongly contested rebounds and getting a few cheeky steals. The Moycullen team were better prepared and clearly enjoyed their dominance of their game. The final score was a 51 to 16 win for the Sparks. They showed their enthusiasm for the game and their boundless energy after the final whistle by playing a fifth quarter against their Titan rivals just for the fun of it. Everybody enjoyed the game and it gave the Sparks a chance to practice their skills which they can always improve on.
As it stands, the Galway Boys U12 league has three teams (Maree, Sparks and Hawks) at the top of the table with 4 wins from 5 games. Maree play Bearna in their final game and based on past form it's unlikely that Maree will lose this game. Sparks play their older club mates - the Hawks - in their last league game. The winner of this game will share the top of the league table with Maree. The questions is, will Sparks be flying at this crunch game? Watch this space...
Well done Sparks!
Team: Conor Walsh, James Wall, Nicholas Sudarsky, Iarlaith O'Sullivan, Eoin O'Reilly, Mairtin O'Conghaile, Rian Oates, Tommie McNeela, Paul Kelly, Mark Heffernan, Troy Devaney, James Cummins, James Connaire.
U'12 Boys - Galway League
Titans 16 - 51 Moycullen Sparks
The Sparks showed their class again on Saturday in St. Marys against a big Titans team. Straight from the off the Sparks started racking up the points against a Titans team that looked shell-shocked at the way that their younger rivals came at them. By the end of the first half the game was beyond retrieval for Titans with the score standing at 31 - 10 to the visiting Sparks. The hungrier and sharper Moycullen lads did not take their foot off the gas in the second half. They produced an all-round team effort both in defence and offence with most of the players getting on the score sheet. The game featured the Sparks winning some strongly contested rebounds and getting a few cheeky steals. The Moycullen team were better prepared and clearly enjoyed their dominance of their game. The final score was a 51 to 16 win for the Sparks. They showed their enthusiasm for the game and their boundless energy after the final whistle by playing a fifth quarter against their Titan rivals just for the fun of it. Everybody enjoyed the game and it gave the Sparks a chance to practice their skills which they can always improve on.
As it stands, the Galway Boys U12 league has three teams (Maree, Sparks and Hawks) at the top of the table with 4 wins from 5 games. Maree play Bearna in their final game and based on past form it's unlikely that Maree will lose this game. Sparks play their older club mates - the Hawks - in their last league game. The winner of this game will share the top of the league table with Maree. The questions is, will Sparks be flying at this crunch game? Watch this space...
Well done Sparks!
Team: Conor Walsh, James Wall, Nicholas Sudarsky, Iarlaith O'Sullivan, Eoin O'Reilly, Mairtin O'Conghaile, Rian Oates, Tommie McNeela, Paul Kelly, Mark Heffernan, Troy Devaney, James Cummins, James Connaire.