Portlaoise Under 14 girls make it as far as last eight in AICCs top tier

PORTLAOISE Panthers Under-14 Girls team made it a clean sweep in Group Five as they battled their way to the quarter-finals of the A division in last weekend’s All-Ireland Club Championship in Gormanston where they lost out to eventual runners-up, St. Bridget’s.

The team opened their campaign on Saturday morning with a thrilling 30-29 victory over Maree, Edel Ramsbottom emerging joint top scorer on eight points, alongside Katelyn De Paor for the Galway team.

Jeanette Keane’s side led by just five (18-13) at the half-time break, Alex Beale and Saoirse Reddin also weighing in with some important buckets.

And, while Panthers managed to enlarge the gap to nine early in the third quarter, Maree reduced their arrears to just two (25-23) by the close of that period, helped no end by two late baskets by De Paor and Aoibhinn Hanniffy.

They even continued on to overtake into a two-point lead with just over three minutes to go, but Portlaoise dug deep to serve up the next five points, compliments of Ramsbottom, Emma Hyland, and Reddin to clinch an early victory.

It was a much more comfortable affair in their second game against Kilrush, as they held their Clare opponents to single digits in every quarter en route to a 41-16 victory.

Again Ramsbottom emerged top scorer on eight, with team mate, Faye Quinlan just one shy of that total, while Mia Roche and Faye McCormack each weighed in with six to help set Panthers up for a top-of-the-table clash with near neighbours, Kestrels who had also seen off Maree and Kilrush in their previous two games.

That group decider certainly lived up to expectations, as both teams went toe to toe throughout the entire game, Portlaoise edging the win 27-24 despite a big third-quarter display by the Portarlington side that saw them turn a five-point deficit into a three-point lead.

But a six-point run, that included timely buckets from Ramsbottom and Hannah Tuohy, went a long way to seeing Portlaloise clinch victory, and, with it, a date with St. Bridget’s in the Division One quarter-finals the following day.

A tentative start to that contest by the Laois side saw them playing catch-up from the off, as an 11-point run for St. Bridget’s propelled them into a 19-10 advantage by the end of the first quarter.

Panthers were unable to make any in-roads into that lead, despite nine points from Reddin and a further five by Mya Dunne, as their opponents remained in control, thanks in no small measure to the combined 20 points from Laura Reddington and Megan Brosnan.

Delighted with the performance of her players, Portlaoise head coach, Jeanette Keane told the *****Laois Nationalist*****: “We’re super proud of the girls after this weekend.

“They were seeded as Division Two going into the AICC's, and ended up in a Division One quarter-final as group winners.

“We have a panel of 13 and they've fought hard for everything all year. To go to the AICCs as the overall winners of the Midlands was amazing.

“They've also played in the Kilkenny League and North Munster League, looking for tough games to try and bring the best out of themselves, and that's, really and truly, what they did.

“We bowed out to a brilliant St. Bridget's team and, honestly, I think, if we had had a better start, we would have given them a better run. The girls were a little bit nervous about getting that far in the AICCs, but they dug deep, they kept going.

“St. Bridget's are now one of the top two teams in the country, so I really don't think there's any shame in bowing out to a team of that strength and depth.

“They were phenomenal, but the girls really put it up to them, and the scoreline doesn't really reflect the hard work that they put in on the court for that quarter-final.

“While they would have loved to go on to a semi-final in Division One, they are just so proud of themselves, and we’re so proud of them for getting as far as they did.

“Basketball is looking good for the girls in the Midlands and we'll see them again, no doubt, at the AICCs when they're Under 16s” she said.

PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Emma Hyland, Kiara Duff, Faye Quinlan, Edel Ramsbottom, Mya Dunne, Hannah Tuohy, Alex Beale, Lily Gavin, Áine Coffey, Saoirse Reddin, Faye McCormack, Sophie Musekiwa, Mia Roche.