Skibbereen Community School's under 16 basketball team secured a comfortable victory against Newpark Comprehensive School yesterday in Dublin.
The 64 to 26 final scoreline reflects the supremacy of this group of hardworking and talented players and their enormous commitment to training. Now they face Clonmel in the semi final and we will do everything to prepare and win this formidable battle.
The opening quarter was a closely fought contest with both sides throwing themselves into the action and it took the Skib side a while to get into their stride.
Tenacious defence and high tempo pressure smothered the Dublin sides attempts to score but our own early attacks showed evidence of frayed nerves and a lack of patience.
With the wonderful Colm Harrington out injured, Skib looked to Brian O’Driscoll to fill the void and what a stunning display the young boy produced. Indeed, it was Brian who struck first with a beautifully taken 3 pointer from the top of the zone which brought a measure of calm resolve to our play.
Daniel Buckley drove strongly from the left baseline slotting the ball into the basket soon after and Brian popped in 2 more. Newpark finally broke through what had been like an impenetrable wall up to this, created by Tom Kavanagh, Daniel and the wing players, with Tom and Daniel dominating the boards.
From that moment on, we were treated to a masterclass in three point shooting, tireless defence and strong driving from Eividas Andreikius and Stevie Redmond. These two boys work tirelessly to improve their skills and their precision in shooting was breathtaking today. Between them, they produced a magnificent 47 points and had the rapt audience stunned by their skills.
But it's not all about the scorers as every player contributed to the fast break and there was some sensational fast breaking teamwork in our play. Our motion offence was a joy to watch with great teamwork evident. Dylan Hourihane, Ciaran Coombes and Luca Harte stepped up to the role, producing a fine display of energetic defence and threw themselves into the action.
There will be tougher challenges ahead and we look forward to the return of Colm and the other boys on the panel. Next week, we face Midleton in the semi final of the county at home.
Ms. O'Mahony would like to thank the drivers Steve Redmond and Cathering Kavanagh who took time away from work to allow us to go to Dublin. We are indebted to you both.