Killester Basketball Club

Team Montenotte Hotel Cork’s ( Glanmire ) hopes of retaining their Under 18 National Cup title looked all but dead as they trailed 73-66 with just over a minute left on the clock but in a remarkable semi final comeback led by their inspirational captain Orla O’Reilly the Champions prevailed.

In was a cruel blow for Dart Killester who came so close to knocking the holders out with some outstanding offensive play from their top scorer Jade Daly while keeping Glanmire at bay with some excellent defence which Glanmire’s manager Mark Scannell reflected on after his team’s narrow win.

“Overall I’m very disappointed because I think we’re better than that but I thought Dart Killester were very good on the day and probably deserved to win if the truth be known. It was a dog fight but Orla O’Reilly is a special player and with the game on the line they tried everything but she found a way. So we’re just delighted to have won and got out of jail.”

With ten seconds left on the clock the Cork team trailed their Dublin opponents by just a single point but in a dramatic finish Reilly broke through the Dart Killester defence before hitting the all important basket to break Dart Killester’s hearts.

In a pulsating game both teams covered every inch of the boards and there was very little to show between them throughout the game. At the end of the first quarter Glanmire held a slender lead of 24-20 thanks to some fine scoring courtesy of their captain O’Reilly and forward Chantelle Twomey. The O’Reilly twin sisters’ superb offence play in the second quarter kept their lead intact leaving them 41-34 to the good at half time. But Dart Killester responded with an outstanding third quarter outscoring their opponents by 25-15 points.

Killester’s Hannah Thornton came to the fore notching up consecutive baskets along with excellent defensive play from Alex Troy to stretch their lead to 73-63 with just under three minutes left on the clock. However the reigning champions had the final twist in the tale to progress to the final in a repeat of last year’s showdown against Maree of Galway.

Congratulations to Hannah Thornton, Jade Daly, Jenny McGrath and Kate Gillen who all made the Dublin team for the Inter area Tournament on 13th October. The venue is still to be confirmed but may be in the National Basketball Arena.

Check back for more information on when and where........

Killester Under 18 Girls qualified for the Quarter Finals of the 2008 Nation Cup when they won their Qualifying Tournament in Waterford last weekend. The girls overcame Sligo Warriors and St, Mary's Castleisland on Saturday and on Sunday they had a close win over Ballincollig and in the deciding game they overpowered Waterford Wildcats in a tough encounter to set up a home quarter final against Team Kerry.
Hannah Thornton had to sit out the weekend as she is still recovering from an ankle injury picked up while starring for Ireland during the Under 16 European Championship last July. Kate Gillen missed the first game also with an ankle injury but made a big contribution in the other three games. Sarah Murphy hurt her thumb in the first game and did not play in the last three games.
Team Captain, Asiling O'Neill, Jade Daly, Jenny McGrath and Alex Troy put in some excellent performances over the weekend. Ruth Carrick, Ciara Kelly and Laura Brennan continue to improve and newcomers Gina Foley and Kelly Hopkins showed great potential on their competitive debuts.
Special thanks to the Dalys, the Kellys, the Hopkins and Ger O'Neill for their fantastic support over the weekend.

The 2007 Seacoast Festival was a huge success with the girls from Killester. All the hard work done during the season with Bag Packing, Bucket Collections and a Pub Quiz paid off as the girls enjoyed the holiday of a lifetime in the USA.

First up was a WNBA game in Connecticut where the Suns beat the Seattle Storm in a very enjoyable game. Earlier that day the girls had the honour of practicing on the Suns court and were also given a personal tour of the players locker rooms. They were also invited to form a guard of honour for both teams as they ran on to the court. This was a most enjoyable start to the tour.

Next morning we drove 5 hours to Maine and our friends at Brunswick High School. The girls did themselves proud by beating Brunswick and Mount Arrarat in two close games. Then it was time to meet the host families at a cook out in Bowdoin College. The hospitality we all received was fantastic and everyone made us feel so welcome.

The next three days were very busy as there was a camp in the morning, beach or shopping in the afternoon and games in the evening. A memorable three days was completed by a tour of the beautiful Bowdoin College Campus.

Next up was a trip back down the coast to Portsmouth to meet more host families and compete in the Seacoast festival. The amazing hospitality continued as the girls were placed with fantastic people for the next seven days. Every day for the next week the girls played games, shopped, went to the Water Park and beach and had some great pool party's.

The games were the focal point of the trip and to travel to the home of Basketball and return with a 7 and 4 record was a great achievement for the team. There were some memorable performances against some very good teams including a very unlucky 4 point loss to last seasons State Finalists, St Thomas Aquinas. Another spirited performance against a powerful Morse team when we were missing the injured Kate Gillen and Ruth Carrick left us feeling very proud of the girls.

Although missing Hannah Thornton, Lauren Grennell and Alex Troy the girls played some great basketball and overcame extreme heat to bring home a winning record. Aisling O'Neill was a fantastic captain, Jade Daly showed her class in every game, Jenny McGrath, Kate Gillen and Sarah Murphy had some very impressive performances and Ruth Carrick, on her return from injury did some great work inside. Iseult Cremin, Ciara Kelly and Laura Brennan continue to improve and Kelly Hopkins showed great potential on her debut.

Our hosts were so impressed with our girls on and off the court that Killester had the honor of receiving two prestigious awards form the Festival. Ciara Kelly received the Jeff Walton Award which is given to players who demonstrate the true spirit of the Festival, Sportsmanship, Citizenship and Friendship. Congratulations Ciara!!

Killester Basketball Club were honoured to receive the Sophie Berounsky Community Service Award for it's commitment to the players in our club and to the Seacoast festival.

The girls received great support from a fantastic group of parents and from Club Chairman, Michael McCormack and his family during the week of the festival.

Special thanks to Jim, Dan, Steph, Rita, Julie, Maria and all the families who looked after us so well.