Young Monks ensure a Merry Christmas with big win
Members of the Team Merry Monk Ballina under-20 side, from left: Brian Donohoe, forward, Theo Daly, guard, Barry Walsh, forward, Conor Burke, guard and Mark Cunningham, guard.
Team Merry Monk have now picked up their third win in as many matches, remaining undefeated in their return to the U20 National League. Their Kerry opponents came to Ballina on Saturday, December 21 in search of their first victory but were outplayed in the efficiency department as the hosts claimed a routine win by a comfortable margin.
Guard play was everything for Merry Monk, where Theo Daly, Mark Cunningham and Conor Burke combined for 69 points on 52% shooting, including 13 of 24 attempts sinking from three-point range.
An 8-0 start to the game signalled what was to come from Ballina, as threes from Conor Burke and Theo Daly were complemented by a David Marrey layup, which was nicely assisted by the aforementioned Burke. Owen O’Connor landed his own long-range attempt to kick off Killorglin’s tally, but the brilliant shooting of the home side was on full display.
Burke and Daly continued to carry the scoring load for quarter one, the duo ending the period with 17 of their sides 21 total points. O’Connor would hit another three and the away club’s three-point specialist Conor Buckley also connected from long range, but that was all Killorglin could muster in response to the opening onslaught.
The defensive scheme of Killorglin was leaving space in the corners for Ballina to exploit, which they continued to do in quarter two. Leading 21-9, Burke would strike first from deep three-point range early in the quarter. He followed it up a few moments later, after five straight Killorglin misses, but the run was halted following a banked-in layup from Cian Downey.
Some nice team passing allowed Mark Cunningham to sink his first of two threes in the right corner, with Brian Donohoe picking up the assist after swinging the rock from the top of the key. With both teams chucking plenty of shots at the rim, the home side were making more of their opportunities than their Kerry counterparts and went into half-time up 22 points, 43-21.
Burke led the way in scoring for his side at that stage with 15 points off his five three-pointers. Buckley had nine for Killorglin, while O’Connor remained on six points from the first quarter.
Donohoe opened the scoring in the third quarter with a nice post move, shortly after which Cunningham scored a floater on the move. Cunningham then connected on his second three-pointer of the game, landing the shot from the right-wing. He set up Burke for his sixth three in the left corner moments later, the shooting masterclass far from over it seemed.
Defensively, Merry Monk were also on another level. They allowed nine, twelve, nine again and sixteen points throughout the quarters. Twice holding any opponent to a single digit quarter is a defensive effort that has to be commended.
Rampant, efficient and in control, the hosts took a 37-point lead into the final quarter of the game, 67-30. Cunningham picked up eight points in the closing 10 minutes, with Theo Daly also dropping in his third three and collecting nine points. For the visitors, late efforts from Fionn O’Sullivan, O’Connor and Buckley were in vain as it was far too late to climb the mountain their opponents had left between them.
Merry Monk’s U20s will now return in the new year still undefeated in Group 1 of the National League.
