The Loreto School in Kilkenny has made history by reaching the finals of the U19 All Ireland Schools final for the first time in their history.
They bested Castle Island and Letterkenny on the way to the final in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. The quarter-final match-up with Castle Island proved to be a particularly tense affair, with the Kilkenny team only scoring 4 points in the whole third quarter allowing their opponents back into the game. The game went down to the final buzzer as a Lucy Coogan steal resulted in a score, which brought the game to overtime.
Loreto managed to win the game in overtime on a scoreline of 46 – 44. The semi-final, which was played on the same day was a bit of a comprehensive victory as it finished Loreto Kilkenny 66 Loreto Letterkenny 43.
Irish international Lucy Coogan ended up scoring a staggering 64 points over the course of the day, with 32 points in each game.
The work is not over yet though as Waterford opposition awaits in the form of Pinergy Schools U19 A Girls Cup champions, Our Lady of Mercy Secondary School. Mercy has already defeated a Loreto side in a final this year, coming away with the Cup after running out 61-26 victors in the final against Loretto Abbey Dalkey.
In this competition, The All-Ireland Schools League Quarters and Semis, Mercy bested Mercy Mounthawk & Virginia Cavan on route to the final.
Best of luck to the Kilkenny school in the finals, no doubt it will be a belter!
