Streete win puts Sparks on right road

DROGHEDA Sparks’ Under-16 girls claimed their most convincing win of the season - 58-39 away to Streete (near Mullingar) at the weekend.

It took the Drogheda girls some time before they warmed to the task in this, their penultimate league match.

Ciara Ni Criosta got the scoreboard ticking early on and she was quickly joined by Abby Rice and Ava Briscoe in the scoring stakes. Briscoe in particular was strong and aggressive.

Even so, the hosts hung in there and with four minutes to play in the half there was just a single basket between the sides.

Sparks then pushed ahead and with quick scores from Kate Kelly, Ava Prendergast and Ni Criosta they closed the half 11 points to the good.

Streete came back into the game in the third quarter and narrowed Sparks’ lead to just three points going into the final quarter.

But it was here, as in Sparks’ previous game, that they pulled away from their hosts, with almost all of the team getting in for scores.

Nicola Busa, Gretta McEvoy and Zoe Gardiner all had strong fourth quarters as the Drogheda girls finished out comfortable winners.

Following on from St Oliver’s CC’s recent victory in the Boys U-16 national finals last week, the girls triumphed in their North East final held in Drogheda Institute of Further Education. In a hard-fought game they got the better of St Vincent’s...