Calsanctius Oranmore have scooped a third All Ireland basketball title this week.
The west’s famed basketball nursery added the girls u-19A crown to this year tally when they overcame St Joseph’s Abbeyfeale in Tuesday’s final in Dublin. Last week the Oranmore school took both the girls’ u-16 and boys’ u-19 A titles.
Oranmore’s superior experience proved too much for a game St Joseph’s who never gave up and there was never any doubt where this year’s title was heading.
The Galway school were on fire in the first quarter, racking up a massive 31-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Employing a 3-2 zone, Oranmore had stolen in for a series of early lay-ups from Catriona Foley, Ailish O’Reilly and Carol McCarthy.
St Joseph’s proved game opponents in the second with Rachel Collins driving her team on from the base of the court. Although Abbeyfeale made some ground on the inside, they were still left with a lot to do at the break, 40-21 to Oranmore at the break.
Kate Lyons was terrific in defence for Oranmore, and with Ailish O'Reilly leading a blitz on the Abbeyfeale boards, Oranmore looked confortable heading into the final period 53 -37 in front.
As Oranmore relaxed, the Kerry girls came back in the last with Eibhlis Dillon shooting a succession of three-pointers to cut Oranmore’s lead to 10 points. However the Galway school was never going to be denied. Two one-point free throws from Catriona Foley and Ciara Newell ensured Oranmore closed the game down as Newell finished with a three-pointer.
Calasanctius Oranmore 68 (40 ) (A O’Reilly 20, C Foley 19, C Newell 13 ); St Joseph’s Abbeyfeale 57 (21 ) (L Scanlon 21, E Dillon 14, E Scanlon 10 ).
