Titans BC host Tipp Talons at Ballinfoyle Community Centre this Saturday night with their play-off ambitions on the line.
The Galway side's hopes remain alive after yet another victory against Templeogue last weekend. But they did not have it all their own way.
Templeogue deservedly led 21-17 at the end of the first quarter and started the second with the same intensity. Titans were winning their own boards with second and third tip attempts and Umar Rashid was consistent from mid-range and with a couple of deep threes. Fortune Iboque and Declan Gbinigie battled away inside and began to make enough inroads to keep Titans chipping away.
The Templeogue threat remained but Templeogue began to amass some fouls which would catch up with them in the end. Titans went in 42-39 to the good at the half-time. By the third quarter Templeogue and the Titans had matched each other's defensive intensity, there were steals, lay ups in transition, fouls, frustration and free throws.
Titans led 60-58 heading into the last quarter but there was no room for complacency, with D Gbinigie on foul trouble and Iboque having taken a knock.
The referees were kept busy throughout with fouls being called on Templeogue for reaching and holding, and on Titans for pushing back out of frustration. Rashid was making the most of the free throws, converting with aplomb. Iboque, D Gbinigie and Rashid made serious blocks, resulting in some fast breaking by Joseph Coughlan and Matthew Sweeney to draw in the Templeogue defence to make inventive assists to the athletic Iboque and D Gbinigie for dunks and alley-oops.
Rashid led the game in scores with 28 points, and 10 rebounds. Iboque was imperious with 20 points and 10 rebounds, D Gbinigie had 19 points, and there were six other Titans on the scoreboard including Sweeney who had four points and six rebounds and Coughlan finished with three points but eight timely and spectacular assists.
It was a comprehensive Titan team performance, which they need to replicate in their final regular season game against Tipp Talons this weekend.
Tipp-off is 7pm at Ballinfoyle.
