ST MARYS BASKETBALL
Liz Galwey
WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE
Team Tom McCarthy’s 61 Tipperary Knights 27
IT was a big day for St. Mary’s basketball club in Castleisland on Saturday. Team Tom McCarthy’s national league ladies had their first home game of the season and the club u 20 ladies played their cup game. These games, which were sponsored by Garvey’s supervalu closed the clubs Hoops 4 Hospice fundraiser which was a huge success.
Team Tom McCarthy’s took on visitors Tipperary Knights. They home team started well, although Knights won the tip a strong defence prevented them from getting a shot off before the allocated 24 seconds. Superb team work and brilliant assists which were converted resulted in powerful opening quarter for Team Tom McCarthy’s.
Emma Sherwood registered the first two scores for Tom McCarthy’s and there was no turning back after this. They led by 12 points to zero just a few minutes in, Sherwood, Loretta Maher and Lorraine Scanlon dominating the scoreboard.
Denise Dunlea sunk the first three for St. Mary’s to further increase the home sides tally, and Labhaoise Walmsley and Miriam Leane put their names on the score sheet. Team Tom McCarthy’s also kept the pressure on defensively and allowed the visitors to score just a single basket from play and two from the line to see them register just five points in this first quarter while Team Tom McCarthy’s were comfortable with 24.
The second quarter was poor. It was the visitors who took the quarter three points to eight leaving the half time score at 27-13.
Team Tom McCarthy’s were back on target for the remaining two quarters. Jessica Quirke and Courtney Michelle Straits were best for Knights and when given the chance they were accurate in their shooting but the home side allowed them very few shot opportunities. SCORERS FOR TEAM TOM MCCARTHY’S: Lorraine Scanlon 17, Emma Sherwood 8, Loretta Maher 8, Cassandra Buckley 7, Miriam Leane 5, Denise Dunlea 5, Orla White 5, Meabh Barry 4, Labhaoise Walmsley 2. THE St. Mary’s U-20 side, captained by Labhaoise Walmsley, came up against a very strong Waterford side in their U-20 cup game. The Waterford side boasted International player of the year Abby Flynn and she proved herself worthy of the title hitting a massive 27 points while team mate Kate Hickey hit 17.
Waterford took an early lead but both Rachel Ryan and Shauna Ahern drew fouls in the dying part of the quarter which they duly converted and a late basket from Millie Luck saw the home side trail by a single basket at the end of the first.
The Waterford side were tall and strong and knew their opposition having met in last year u18 cup. Despite the best efforts of a good St. Mary’s side the girls from the south west deprived them the opportunity to get to the board, this was reflected on the score board which read 23 points to 48 at the half time interval. The home team played a better third and fourth quarter but the gap was too wide and the final score was St. Mary’s 55 Waterford Wildcats 83 ST. MARY’S: Emma O’Regan 12, Rachel Ryan 12, Labhaoise Walmsley7, Shauna Ahern 6, Ciara Ryan 4, Siofra O’Shea and Paris McCarthy 3 each, Millie Luck, Sarah O’Sullivan, Gemma Kearney and Aoife Dunlea 2 each, Abbie Brosnan.