Portlaoise U19 basketball team to hold Laois church gate collection

St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise’s All-Ireland winning Under 19 basketball team are stepping up their fundraising efforts ahead of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Valencia for the World Schools Championships.

The school’s U-19 team will be holding a church gate collection outside the church in Portlaoise this weekend as they look to raise funds towards the cost of representing their school and Laois on the world stage.

The collection will take place on Saturday evening and Sunday, with members of the successful squad on hand to appeal for support from the local community.

It comes after St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise enjoyed a memorable run to the All-Ireland Under 19 ‘A’ Boys Schools Basketball League title, defeating Coláiste Éanna in a thrilling final at Neptune Stadium.

The Portlaoise school had suffered defeat to the same Dublin opposition in the All-Ireland Schools Cup final, but they produced an outstanding comeback to turn the tables and claim the national league crown.

St Mary’s found themselves 11 points behind during the second quarter of the final but fought back to trail by just three points at half-time. They then produced a dominant third quarter, restricting Coláiste Éanna to just seven points and moving six points clear heading into the final period.

The Dublin side refused to give up and managed to level the game at 48-48 with just over three minutes remaining. However, St Mary’s showed tremendous composure in the closing stages, scoring six unanswered points to secure a dramatic three-point victory.

Justice Iheme led the way for the Portlaoise side with 17 points, while Desmond Ogedegbe contributed 11. Jayden Umeh and Ben Quigley also produced important scores late on, with Iheme delivering the decisive moment when he produced a vital steal before finishing emphatically to help secure the title.

That All-Ireland success has now earned the team the opportunity to travel to Valencia in November for the World Schools Championships.

The trip represents a huge opportunity for the players, who will now get the chance to test themselves against some of the best school basketball teams from around the world.

The squad are appealing to the local community to get behind their fundraising efforts, with every contribution helping towards making the trip possible.

Alongside this weekend’s church gate collection, the team also has a GoFundMe campaign in place for those who would like to support their journey.

The fundraising campaign is now gathering momentum, with the players and school hoping that the strong local support which has followed their All-Ireland success will continue as they prepare for the trip to Spain.

The team have thanked everyone who has already supported their efforts and are asking anyone who sees them at the church this weekend to give whatever they can towards the campaign.

It promises to be an exciting few months for the St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise players, who have already secured their place among the best school basketball teams in Ireland and will now have the opportunity to represent their school on an international stage in Valencia.