St Fintan's, Sutton, made it three-in-a-row yesterday by capturing the Boys A final at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. Their 66-52 win over North Monastery meant they became the first school team to achieve a hat-trick of titles, but it was only after the Cork side had pushed them all the way.

St Fintan's were able to relax only in the final quarter, when they managed to open up a substantial lead. The turning point had come at the end of the third quarter when North Monastery's Ger Noonan missed a chance to close the gap to three points by missing two free-throws.

Michael Westbrook countered with a basket at the other end, enabling his side to take a seven-point lead to the final quarter.

Earlier there was greater success for Cork when Christ King captured the Girls C title, with Amanda O'Regan contributing a massive 44 points in their 5649 win over Sacred Heart, Drogheda.