Presentation Kilkenny reach the summit of national basketball

An impressive 21-point haul from game MVP and Presentation Kilkenny captain Gemma Lawlor helped Presentation Kilkenny secure their first ever All-Ireland U19A Girls Schools Cup crown after they overcame OLSS Castleblaney, with a 49-46 win at the National Basketball Arena.

OLSS Castleblaney took an early two-point lead but a back-to-back two and three pointer from Aoibhin Dunphy had Presentation Kilkenny going into the first timeout of the game with a 5-2 lead, Gemma Lawlor added two points at the end of the quarter to give Presentation Kilkenny a 7-2 advantage entering the 2nd quarter. 

Presentation Kilkenny began to pull away in the 2nd quarter, with Aobhin Dunphy and Gemma Lawlor at the forefront of the scoring – allowing their side to enter the halfway mark with a 13-point lead, 21-8. 

OLSS Castleblaney mounted a comeback in the early stages of the 3rd quarter, with captain Niamh Flanagan scoring 13 points, including two 3-pointers. This proved not to be enough as Gemma Lawlor matched the intensity with nine points of her own.

OLSS Castleblaney attacked strongly in the last quarter, led by Niamh Flanagan’s 14 points, although it was not enough to put them back in front. Gemma Lawlor hit a three-pointer towards the end of the game which secured the win for the Kilkenny side.

Presentation Kilkenny Head Coach Puff Summers was delighted with the win, telling Basketball Ireland: "It means everything, I'm a little emotional here at the end. Obviously to win on the final day and everybody is happy about this but they don't understand what goes into this, especially the 6th Year girls who’ve been there from Day 1. To be a part of it with my own daughter being part of it [too], it’s unreal."