One point, one shot, one second left: Patrick Kelly's buzzer-beater against Cavan Lakers was the swing that sent the Limerick Lions U16A boys into the A Division and on to a top-eight finish in the country.
Every good run at a national championships has a moment, and the Lions found theirs in game two. Against Cavan Lakers it was level and tight to the end, until Kelly stood it up and let it go. The shot dropped, the Lions had won by a single point, and the weekend at Gormanston College in Co. Meath swung their way.
It mattered because the opener had been hard. A strong Éanna side set the tone early and made nothing easy. Kelly's shot gave the group the cushion it needed, and by the final group game against Galway Titans, A-Division qualification was already in the bag. That proved its worth when Jack Walsh and Yaya Eltigani both went off injured.
Sunday's quarter-final brought a strong Belfast Star and the same pattern, the Lions in front for long stretches and refusing to give it up. Star found their first lead at 33–31 with 1:49 on the clock, then closed it out 38–31. The run ended there, in the top eight clubs in the country at this age group. For a Limerick side, that is a result worth saying out loud.
Head Coach Alex Carlisle and Assistant Coach Brendan Kelly guided the group through all of it. A loss to end the weekend, yes. But without one shot on the final possession against Cavan, the rest of it looks very different.
It was level and tight to the end, until Kelly stood it up and let it go.
Limerick Lions