The North West girls’ team secured an impressive second-place finish at the BIPPS tournament in the Oblate Hall, Inchicore, on Sunday, October 18
Representing schools across Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal, the squad faced the West, East and North, finishing runners-up to a strong East side featuring numerous internationals from last summer’s U14 Four Nations competition.
Head coach Shane O’Meara praised the squad’s attitude and progress: “The girls displayed great grit, determination and remarkable team spirit despite only being together for such a short time,” he said.
Despite their short preparation period, the North West girls produced excellent passages of teamwork, both offensively and defensively.
Their understanding of one another grew noticeably throughout the day, with well-timed runs, intelligent passing and increasingly coordinated defensive efforts.
Some promising attacking sequences went unrewarded on the scoreboard, but the decision-making and intent were encouraging.
Repeated opportunities to play against this standard of opposition will help the girls turn those well-worked moves into more consistent scoring.
One memorable example came against the East’s miserly defence, when a well-worked North West possession created an opening for Niamh Farrell to knock down a fine jump shot.
It was a fitting reward for the patient, connected basketball the team was beginning to produce.
The opening game against the West was a particularly physical encounter, with Grace Boland and Rosie Davey battling opponents who held a size advantage.
Undeterred, both got the better of their match-ups through determination and relentless work. Such was the physical nature of the contest that both could have been forgiven for being exhausted by the final whistle.
Ornaith Guckian contributed eight points in that opening game, a deserved reward for her tireless running. Time and again, she beat everyone up the court, turning her willingness to sprint into valuable scoring opportunities.
Boland also brought leadership and composure, while Davey’s athleticism helped secure valuable rebounds. Faith Hampson’s instinct and tireless running further strengthened the North West’s efforts to compete for possession.
Ciara Cashell and Bronagh McGowan stood out for their defensive tenacity, working tirelessly in individual match-ups while communicating and supporting their teammates.
Edie Glenister deserves particular credit for her determination to shut down the opposition’s transition attacks. Time and again, she sprinted back to make crucial defensive interventions, rescuing situations through sheer effort and a refusal to give up on the play.
Cierra Branley brought valuable energy from the bench, while Zuzanna Szeja grew in confidence as the tournament progressed, making intelligent reads, exploiting gaps in opposing defences and becoming an increasing scoring threat.
Some of the most crowd-pleasing scores against the West came through the connection between Faith Hampson and point guard Blaithin O’Meara.
Hampson’s sharp backdoor cuts were rewarded by incisive passes from O’Meara, revealing an almost telepathic understanding and trust between the two girls.
Captain O’Meara also led the tournament in three-point field goals, with her numerous scores from beyond the arc providing a major attacking threat.
Alongside teammate Femi Osho, she brought experience from last summer’s U14 Four Nations competition.
There was particular disappointment for Osho, whose knee injury restricted her to just a few minutes of action. Her brief appearance nevertheless offered a reminder of the ability that has made her one of the country’s standout underage talents.
Assistant coach Jonathan Hill praised the players’ conduct throughout the programme: “What a pleasure to work with a group like these girls. They are a credit to their schools and their clubs and mostly to their families for the way they conducted themselves at our trials, practices and today.”
Fellow assistant coach Jack Glenister highlighted the team’s persistence against the eventual winners: “Although the East were on a different level to everyone else today, our girls dug in and never gave up.”
The coaching team was supported by Julie Farrell, who served as Family Liaison Officer.
The North West squad represented the following schools:
• Carrick-on-Shannon Comprehensive: Ornaith Guckian.
• Colaiste Mhuire, Ballymote: Grace Boland.
• Magh Ene, Bundoran: Bronagh McGowan.
• Mercy College, Sligo: Blaithin O’Meara (captain), Femi Osho, Ciara Cashell, Edie Glenister, Cierra Branley and Niamh Farrell.
• Ursuline College, Sligo: Rosie Davey and Faith Hampson.
• Grange PPS: Zuzanna Szeja.
The runners-up finish was a deserved reward for a group that improved with each game and represented the North West with determination and pride.