Revenge victory so sweet for the Sparks

A BRILLIANT team performance away to Dynamites saw Drogheda Sparks’ Under-16 girls team continue their winning run in the league last Saturday.

That run dates back to October, when these teams last met, and Sparks were keen to make amends for the result that day.

A lay-up scored right from the tip-off by Kate Kelly suggested a possible score fest, but in fact the game became a brilliant tustle between two very mean defences.

The first quarter was the highest-scoring one of the match where, despite starting well,

LIBBY DYNAMITES DROGHEDA SPARKS 28 34

Sparks found themseves trailing 12-6 as Dynamites scored off their turnovers.

Better use of the basketball allowed Sparks to come back and they trailed by just a single basket, 18-16, at half-time.

Gar MacCriosta and Karen Lynch had Sparks varying their defence set-up and that versatility was to be a telling factor in the match outcome. Dynamites’ dominance on the backboards was stopped, with Ome Esajobor and Nikola Busa taking charge for Sparks, and at the close of the third quarter it was Sparks’ turn to lead by a single score - 24-22.

It became a battle of wills in a brilliant fourth quarter. Dynamites’ foul trouble began to tell and the smarter basketball was being played by Sparks. Kelly scored Sparks’ only basket of the quarter, which matched Dynamites’ only score, and it looked like Sparks had won it with great defence before Sian Mothiram scored for Dynamites with one second remaining to force overtime!

Dynamites scored first, but that was to be their only score in the extra period as Kate Kelly made a free throw and then nailed a huge three-pointer to put Sparks up by two. Ava Briscoe coolly sank two free throws and Esajobor sealed the win with a great offensive rebound.

If there was a game MVP then that had to go to Kelly who not only totalled 19 points from play but played great defence and showed her basketball ‘smarts’ at key stages in a deserved victory for the ever-improving Sparks team.

RINGS