Mourne Basketball Senior Men’s team kicked off their new league season in style with a comfortable victory over Lurgan Lakers 1 last Wednesday night. 

 

Looking to progress from their superb second place league finish last season, Mourne have introduced some new players and are hoping to go one better in this campaign with the aim of bringing back some silverware to the East Down area. 

 

Despite some new faces, it was their experience that dominated the proceedings early on in this contest. David Wylie feasted on the undersized Lurgan team to establish his presence with three consecutive scores and buit an early Mourne advantage. 

 

Mourne put the contest to bed early in the second quarter with a suffocating full court press that caused issues for the Lurgan guards. Mourne reaped the rewards of their defence by creating some easy turnover scores for Wylie and Conor Tumelty. New addition Oisin Cullen played his part adding four points of his own and showcased his athleticism of the defensive end with a highlight reel block to deny a well worked Lurgan scoring opportunity late in the frame. 

 

Taking a 21 point lead in to the third quarter, the affair became more about game management and coach Michael McCabe took the opportunity to rotate his sizeable squad. Daithi Rogan and Connaire McParlan made their team debuts for the Mourne team and brought some pace to the side. The two created some fantastic scores and combined well for Rogan’s first basket at the end of the third. 

 

The fourth quarter followed the same pattern of play, though Lurgan guard Adam Lavery was not going down without a fight. He hit several mid range shots, leading his side in scoring with 13 points overall. The game ended with Tumelty and Ryan McVeigh creating easy scores for each other and the side made it a return journey taking home the spoils in brilliant fashion. 

 

Mourne have their first home game of the season this Friday 11th October at 8.15pm at their new home court at Ballymote Centre, Downpatrick. Mourne will be hoping for an inaugural victory against league new boys Hazelwood Hawks. All support is welcome.