Unbeaten second years lead way for Greenhills

IT’S been a week of mixed fortunes for Our Lady’s College teams in the SSA Leagues after a busy programme of important matches across the various age groups.

The action began on Monday when St Raphaela’s from Stillorgan travelled to the College with two 1st Year teams.

The Minor B match was first and Our Lady’s needed a win to be sure of qualification for the quarter-finals, but after a poor first quarter the Boynesiders trailed 8-0.

Their defence picked up in the second, but the hosts only managed to score a single basket themselves, courtesy of Cliona McKernan, and they trailed 12-2 at the half-way point. McKernan went on to score a further four points, but her side lost out 24-9 and will now have to wait and see if they have done enough to qualify for the knockout stages.

The Our Lady’s Minor A team went into their game unbeaten and one more win would guarantee them qualification, but Raphaela’s had a Spanish player and she dominated the first quarter, scoring six of their 8 points, while the home side only succeeded in scoring three through Niamh Byrne and Rebecca Tully.

The home team’s second-quarter players stepped up to the plate and the deficit at half-time was only three, but with the re-introduction of the Spaniard the visitors scored at will in the third quarter on their way to a 20-12 win despite Our Lady’s holding them scoreless in the final period.

On Friday three teams travelled to Cabra to take on St Dominic’s. The unbeaten 2nd Year Junior B Division 1 side were first to play Cabra’s A team and were already assured of a place in the top four, so this match would decide whether they remained on top or not.

After the first quarter they found themselves 8-1 down, with Erin Lane managing to get one from the free-throw line. Benita Assoua getting into foul trouble early did not help their cause, but the next five players on court coped better with the smaller court and turned things around. They kept Cabra scoreless and hit nine points themselves, six of which went to point guard Katie McCabe.

The teams traded baskets in the final two quarters and some excellent defense, particularly in the final 15 seconds, forced Dominic’s to turn over the ball under their own basket and Our Lady’s held onto the pocession to secure a 16-15 win. They will now go into the semi-finals in top position, along with the Junior A Premier Division team.

The 1st Year Minor A team had one last chance to secure a place in the quarter-finals following their loss earlier in the week and they stormed 9-0 ahead after quarter one against their Cabra counterparts, with Sara Jane Hughes scoring six. Rebecca Tully and Niamh Byrne shared the 12 points scored in the second quarter and the Boynesiders led 21-0 at half-time.

It didn’t get any better for Cabra in the latter stages as Our Lady’s completed a 39-4 success that guarantees them qualification for the quarter-finals.

Last out was the 2nd Year Junior C team against St Dominic’s B side. A win here would also secure a quarter-final place for them and they did that before a ball was even bounced. With only eight Cabra players showing up and a minimum of 10 required for second year basketball, they had to concede the game to Drogheda. The two sides played a challenge match instead, with St Dominic’s playing some of their A team players to make up the numbers. MINOR B v Raphaela’s: Grace Awe; Sarah Duff; Keelin Foley; Laura Healy 1pt; Niamh Higgins; Ava Hoey; Teigan Kavanagh; Amy Matthews; Ellen McCarthy; Clodagh McHugh; Cliona McKernan 6; Katie Murphy; Stephanie Obisan; Rosie Savage 2. MINOR A: Uyi Aghavbere 2pts; Sarah Blake; Niamh Byrne 2; Jenna Carolan; Caitlin Duffy; Molly Durnin 2; Ella Flanagan; Lily Mae Harmon; Sarah Jane Hughes 3; Aoife O’Rourke; Katie Ryan; Neda Tatilaite; Nicole Tully 2; Rebecca Tully 1; Grace Woods.

JUNIOR B: Keelin O’Reilly; Benita Assoua; Alice Bermingham; Carla Grennan 2pts; Caoimhe Kearney; Erin Lane 3; Zoe Lennon 1; Katie McCabe 9; Kate McGuigan; Joy Njekwe 1; Lois O’Hare.

MINOR B v St Dominic’s: Uyi Aghavbere; Sarah Blake; Niamh Byrne 10pts; Jenna Carolan; Caitlin Duffy; Molly Durnin; Ella Flanagan; Lily Mae Harmon 4; Sarah Jane Hughes 9; Aoife O’Rourke; Katie Ryan; Neda Tatilaite 6; Nicole Tully; Rebecca Tully 8; Grace Woods 2.

JUNIOR C: Emily Farrell; Olamide Adegoke 2pts; Ciara Coombes; Ellen Donnelly; Niamh Gumba; Dijanan Markovic; Rebecca McGrane 2; Aoibheann NiFhearaigh 2; Gemma O’Toole; Sharon Popoola.