The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
St Marys shoot down on the rise Meteors
WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION ONE Trinity Meteors 53 Team Tom McCarthy’s 62
TEAM McCarthys St Marys enjoyed a brilliant win on the road against Northern conference table toppers, Trinity Meteros, in which new signing Mia Hopkins proved a great asset to the St Marys squad.
St. Mary’s took an early lead through scores from Lorraine Scanlon, Denise Dunlea, Mary Herlihy and new signing Mia Hopkins. Meteors secured two late threes from Rebecca Roberio at the end of the first to see them lead 12 points to 14 on the buzzer.
St Mary’s had a huge second quarter, they secured early scores to push them ahead. They defended well and prevented Meteors from scoring within regulation on several occasion. Some great team work and calculated passing between Dunlea, Hopkins and Herlihy resulted in a tally of 21 for the quarter while Meteors were held to just nine points, seeing Team Tom McCarthy’s lead by 10 at the half time interval.
The sides went basket for basket in the third quarter, St. Mary’s pulled ahead by 14 at one point but the home side fought back to see both sides register 17 for the quarter and 10 points still separating the sides.
Again the sides were equally measured in the final quarter. Meteors brought it back to six points with a minute and a half to go but a series of fouls which sent Mia Hopkins, Mary Herlihy and Denise Dunlea to the line were all converted and Team Tom McCarthy’s took the win by nine.
Coach Liam Culloty feels that there are still some things to be improved on between here and the National Cup quarter-final in two weeks when Team McCarthy’s travel to Dublin to play Swords on December 8 but he was delighted with what he described as a huge win for the side.
SCORERS
TEAM TOM McCARTHYS: Denise Dunlea 17, Mia Hopkins 13, Meabh Barry 10, Lorraine Scanlon 9, Mary Herlihy 9, Labhaoise Wamsley 4.
METEORS: Rebecca Roberio 12, Ciara Flaherty 11, Simone Hobdy 9.
LAST week the club announced the signing of American Mia Hopkins to their national league ladies team. Hopkins, a 5’10” combo guard, is from Pittston, Pennsylvania, USA.
She graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with BS Exercise Science.
She has played professional basketball for Ostrava in the Czech Republic and more recently played in the Basketball Ireland Superleague with Marble City Hawks Kilkenny.