Black Amber Templeogue were crowned Hula Hoops National Cup Champions after they earned a thrilling 68-62 victory over UCD Marian at the National Basketball Arena.
In a frantic and often error strewn game, Templeogue led from start to finish but had to survive a late scare after UCD pegged their lead back to a single point in the final minutes.
With under 60 seconds remaining, UCD's Daniel James had the ball in hand with his side needing a two-pointer to hit the front.
But a vital an opportunistic steal from veteran Mike Bonaparte stemmed their momentum.
After ripping the ball from James, Bonaparte fed MVP Lorcan Murphy who converted the lay-up to put Templeogue three in front.
There was time for a controversial technical call against Marian in the dying seconds. And, in the final act of the game, Murphy again broke clear but rather trying another dunk, he elected to fire the ball into the rafters of the National Basketball Arena in sheer joy as his side enjoyed their second title in three years.
"This is all I wanted and everything I dreamed of," said Templeogue star, Lawrence (Puff) Summers.
"I lost a final with Kilkenny here four years ago and I have a photo of my daughter crying because Daddy lost. I can’t wait to go home and put this medal around her."
The win for Templeogue over their south Dublin rivals this evening saw them complete a memorable double of Cup wins in one day, with their Under 18s overcoming Neptune in their earlier decider.
DAY 2 of the #HulaHoopsCup: Double delight for @templeogue_bc, @BallincolligB dared to dream and @dcumercy and @Bluedemons_BC defend titles in style https://t.co/blN4G97uaF pic.twitter.com/OS10CBfu2J
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) January 27, 2018
