BANTRY Basketball Club’s brilliant U14A girls’ team has completed the dream season – they have won the treble of league, championship and Top 4 titles.
On Saturday, they took part in the end-of-season Top 4 tournament, looking to finish a season in style having been crowned league champions with a flawless league campaign of 12 wins from 12 games.
The semi-final was between first and fourth place, as Bantry took on a very strong Fr Mathews team. After an excellent season the weekend threw Bantry a few curve balls between illness and injury, however the depth of the squad showed the quality in this team.
The semi-final was a close encounter with only two points separating the sides at half time. Callie O’Donoughue made her presence known with some well-executed shots. Caragh McCarthy did a fantastic job defending a talented point guard. Emily O’Neill set the tone from the get-go and had some beautiful finishes. Kate O’Sullivan worked tirelessly on both ends of the floor, causing Fr Mathews all sorts of problems, as Bantry won 45-37.
It was a quick break and 20 minutes later the girls had their eyes on the silverware as they took on a Glanmire team that beat Limerick Celtics in their semi-final.
This was a top-class performance from Bantry who started the final strong with a five-point lead in the first period. The Bantry girls were in control from the beginning and took advantage of every opportunity. Glanmire didn’t go away without a fight, but the Bantry girls remained composed and stayed calm.
Rebecca O’Connor was very steady and reliable and won some great rebounds against a much bigger team. Katie Cronin, Anna Russell and Anna Harrington did very well in what can only be described as a battle of the boards. Emily O’Neill again had a stellar performance, ending the game on 22 points. Bantry emerged victorious, winning 41-33. Bantry co-captains for the tournament were Katie Cronin and Emily O’Neill, and this was a fantastic end to the season for this incredible team who won the treble.
