In the end, Demons scoring fire power was too much for Titans defence to handle and resulted in the title returning to Leeside after an absence of many years.
In the last two meetings between these teams, the Titans came out on top but this wasnt obvious at the start of this game. The Demons hit the lead early and maintained it for the entire first quarter.
Christian Anon (198-F-89) started the ball rolling with a quick basket from the tip off and at the other end, the Titans werent converting their layups.
Mid way through the quarter, Matt O Flaherty Chemist Titans BC forward Taofik Mustapha attempted to claw back the difference with a strong three-point play. At the end of the quarter though, the Demons were still 4 points up 22 to 16.
The Demons started the second period as they ended the first. They worked hard to get the ball in the hands of the open player inside and were successful in converting their shots under the basket.
It wasnt until 3 minutes had passed in the second quarter that the Titans put their foot down. Connall MacMichael scored a three-pointer and Andre Tonge was sent to the foul line. He hit one from two and put the Titans up by one, their first lead for the game.
In the middle of the quarter, the scoring was fairly even. It wasnt until the last few minutes that the Demons pushed ahead. Their long-range jumpshots were impressive and with 12 seconds on the clock, they got the ball in the hands of Kyle Hosford who scored a layup through traffic in the middle of the key. This put the Demons up by 10 points at the halftime break.
Two three-pointers from Brian ONeill within the first 3 minutes of the third quarter and already the Demons had pushed the lead out to 16.
Demons Christian Anon put himself in great position close to the basket giving his team mates an easy target. He didnt miss from close range and at the end of the quarter he had 17 points.
Whilst the Demons maintained the lead, there wasnt much in it for the quarter. They had scored 23 for the period to the Titans 20. Paulius Peldzius contributed 11 of the Titans 20 points for the quarter but they were still down by 13 at the end of the period.
The final quarter saw a few tense moments as both teams were continuing to battle it out.
Mid way though the quarter, the Titans had foul trouble and two of their starters were now on the bench. They pulled out all the stops with a full court press but were then unable to hit their shots from the field that would have reduced the difference.
The Demons displayed some excellent vision in their own half and more often than not, found the open man inside. With a number of players demonstrating the ability to score under pressure, the Titans found it difficult to keep up. In the end, 5 of the Demons had scored in double figures. The game was sealed for the Demons courtesy of a slam-dunk from Thibaut Priou. They ran away with a lead of 25 points and the League Final.
Blue Demons Div 1 Are National Cup Champions - Feb 1, 2013
Blue Demons Cork proved worthy of their favourites tag as they were too good for a valiant Team Garveys Team Garvey's St.Mary's effort in the Senior Mens National Cup final. The first quarter saw some good pass and cut play by the Demons who commenced the scoring and maintained the lead for the quarter.Team Garvey's St.Mary's were in foul trouble towards the end of the period putting the Demons on the foul line and resulting in a seven-point lead.
In the second quarter, Team Garvey's St.Mary's struggled to get the ball inside to their forwards. They were assisted outside by some sharp shooting from Dan Griffin (F-81) in the field Brian Clernon (193-F, college: Augusta St.) from behind the three-point line. Shane O'Connell ensured the Demons maintained their lead by contributing 10 points in the second quarter. Team Garvey's St.Mary's however are an experience outfit and kept chipping away at the lead. Led by some superb baskets from John Tehan (185-G-71), they had the lead down to just four at the half time break.
The winning of the game then probably came with a great run from Demons to close out the third quarter as several fast scores, inside baskets and a Brian O''Neill jump shot in the final minute resulted in the Demons establishing a 15-point lead at the end of the quarter, 62 to 47.
It was a lead that remained for the final quarter as Team Garvey's St.Mary's turned over the ball and couldnt defend the Demons shooters. The Demons ending up ahead by 14 on a final score line of 76 to 62.
