HEARTBREAK: Mayo school denied first ever National 'A' title

It was not the Mayo boys who were dancing in the National Basketball Arena Dublin. St Muredach's were beaten by their opponents St Mary's Portlaoise, in a pulsating All-Ireland U-19 'A' Boys Cup final.

The dream of winning the first ever competition on 'A' level for Muredach's was over. Barry Murphy's boys found their master in a brilliantly organised, resilient and hugely skilled opponent from Portlaoise.

The final score line of 58-67 to Portlaoise does not fully reflect the nature of the full 36 minutes: The game was an absolute nail biter up until half a minute to go, and ebbed and flowed, with the biggest lead being St Mary's up by 8 in the third quarter.

Muredach's never gave up even though for most of the time they were down by a few points and every time it seemed that the Moysiders would turn the tables, St Mary's found an answer.

Too many misses from short range, especially on the drive, eventually made the difference. The Portloaise defence blocked Muredach's efforts on multiple occasions.

Mark Cunningham only fully came to life in the fourth quarter, when he bravely led the charge, scoring 10 points by himself  in short succession, and cutting the deficit to just two points.

But St Mary's held their nerve and when Nathan Roddy had the chance to tie the game, his shot was blocked. Muredach's couldn't score again after that. 

Only last season the Ballina boys won a first ever double on 'B' level. And thanks to most players still being young enough, the team stayed together and simply kept winning in the 'A' level competition.

Disappointment is often a source of motivation. The 'Mighty' Muredach's will get their second chance to have a go at a National 'A' title as Barry Murphy's team qualified for All-Ireland League quarter-final.