Portlaoise girls serve up solid All-Ireland Club Championship display

PORTLAOISE Panthers Basketball Club’s Under 14 Girls gave a very solid account of themselves when they lined out in last weekend’s AIG All-Ireland Club Championship in Gormanston Park, reaching the Division B quarter-finals where they were undone by eventual title winners, Maree.

The Laois side was coming into this competition off the back of a very impressive season so far that has seen them top the Under 14 Midlands League Division One and also bag the Kilkenny South East Cup after beating Kilkenny Stars earlier this month.

And the experience of competing on the All-Ireland stage is sure to benefit them greatly as they continue their bid to make it a treble this season when they face off against Larrie Birds in the semi-finals of the Midlands Top-Fours this coming Friday.

Fulfilling their goal of qualification for the All-Irelands, Portlaoise were pitched against some very strong opposition in Group Two, starting with the eventual champions, Maree to whom they lost 42-24 on Saturday morning.

Panthers did push their opponents most of the way, but a disappointing second quarter that saw them fall ten points adrift, proved costly.

Mila Gillard inflicted the bulk of the damage in that decisive period with 10 points for Maree, as she emerged the game’s top scorer on 18.

Kate Dowling put up five for Portlaoise in that opener, while Bett Donoghue and Zoe Carton weighed in with a further four apiece.

The Laois outfit did look to be on course to open their account in this competition after they went 11 points up early in the fourth quarter of their second outing against Fr. Mathews.

But their Cork opponents fought their way back over the closing five minutes to clinch a dramatic 41-40 win, a Leah Barry free throw all that separated the two sides at the final buzzer.

It was a gut-wrenching defeat for Portlaoise who had found themselves in such a promising position, with Donoghue bagging 12 points and Ceola Hayes, Eve O’Gorman and Doireann Delaney combining for an additional 24.

“There were a lot of nerves going into that opening game against Maree and it kind of showed,” admitted Portlaoise coach, Jeanette Keane.

“But once we had that game under our belt, everyone felt more confident for the rest of the day.

“We went on to play Fr. Mathews in the second game. They're a huge Cork club with a lot of experience, but we only lost by a point.

“The girls cried bitter tears because they knew that they were their equals, and to let it slip was so hard because we were ahead.

“They probably had a little bit more experience in those big games than we did, but it was a fantastic game of basketball and we were so proud of the girls. They gave everything they had in that game, but it just didn't go our way” she sighed.

Portlaoise, nevertheless, managed to put that disappointment behind them when they lined-out against Queens BC, completing their group campaign with a comprehensive 42-23 victory.

Donoghue again hit double figures with 10 points, while Delaney and Hayes weighed in with further six apiece, as Portlaoise set up another meeting with Maree in the Division B quarter-finals.

A solid first-half performance saw Panthers lead by two points (17-15) at the break, but their Galway rivals fought back in the second half for 40-29 victory.

“After winning our final pool game against Queens, everyone felt a little bit more relaxed with that under our belts” remarked Keane.

“It kept us in Division B for the quarter-finals where we had to face Maree again and the girls played a much better game. We were ahead up until the third quarter and then they just got away from us again” she recalled.

Keane is in no doubt that her players will benefit from the experience of competing in the AICCs, telling the Laois Nationalist, “There was just so much learning for both us and the girls. We enjoyed it so much.

“It was fantastic basketball up there and the girls realised that they are there or thereabouts, skill-wise. There was no team they were afraid of. They were just absolutely brillian,t” she said.

PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Leah O’Sullivan, Eve O’Gorman, Cara Dunne, Bett Donoghue, Kate Dowling, Ellen McGree, Orlaith Coffey, Aoibheann Keane, Doireann Delaney, Ceola Hayes, Zoe Carton, Aisling Condon.