Bantry school's teams pass latest tests

COLÁISTE Pobail Bheanntraí’s reputation as a basketball hotspot is growing stronger and stronger.

Both the school’s minor (first year) boys’ and girls’ teams have qualified for the Basketball Ireland All-Ireland schools’ semi-finals after both teams won their respective All-Ireland playoff tournaments last week. 

On Monday the boys played Galway champions Coláiste na Coiribe, Dublin champions Adamstown Community College and Carlow champions DLS Bagnelstown. The top team in the tournament would qualify for the All-Ireland semi. The Bantry school won all three games and will now play Mercy Ballymahon on Friday, May 3rd, at 12pm with the winner playing the All-Ireland final that same afternoon at 3pm in the National Basketball Arena, Tallaght.

On Tuesday the girls played the same format against Holy Cross of Killiney, Tarbert Comprehensive and Balingarry of Tipperary. The Tarbert game was a nail-biting one-point win for the Bantry girls and was the crunch match of the three victories that got them through to the All-Ireland semi-final against Kells of Meath on Thursday, May 2nd at 11am. They will also play the All-Ireland final on the same afternoon if they are successful.

There is huge excitement in the school about the games and the interest in basketball has really grown in the school due to the success of the U19 boys’ team these past two years.