International

Jul 05 2023

Ireland defeated 63-41 by Bosnia in final FIBA U18 Women's European Championship group game

Ireland will play Croatia in the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship quarter-finals after a 63-41 defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina in their final Group B game in Sofia.

Tommy O’Mahony’s team went into the game unbeaten following wins against Norway and Great Britain and out in another solid performance in patches against a very strong opponent that will be one of the favoured teams to win it all. The result sets up a knockout tie against Croatia, who have powered through Group A winning all four of their games in convincing fashion.

A strong opening salvo from Bosnia saw them end the first quarter 19-7 in front. Emma Tolan continued her fine FIBA European Championship, scoring all of Ireland’s points and showcasing her versatility in doing so. Four came from the free-throw line, where she is now shooting 70% for the tournament. The other a well taken shot from beyond the arc.

A clinic by Grace Prenter against Great Britain at the @FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 👩‍🏫#Greenmeansgo ☘️ | @OhmgWater pic.twitter.com/6VVRSRXezM
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) July 5, 2023

Ireland tried to be more aggressive either side of the half-time break, but their opponents were doing their best to keep them at arm’s length. Lucy Devoy, Grace Prenter, Clara Boyce and Emer Dunne all got to the line at various points, playing hard inside the paint, but Ireland’s prowess from range, evident in their two previous games wasn’t coming through under severe Bosnian pressure and they continued to trail 47-32 heading to the final quarter.

Ireland rotated their bench in the final ten minutes, with all 12 players garnering valuable game time. Isabelle McSweeney ensured the scoreboard kept ticking with a powerful driving layup, while Katie O’Sullivan hit Ireland’s 4^th three-point shot of the contest following some nice ball movement. Ultimately it wasn’t enough to engineer a sustained comeback and the game finished on a pair of successful free-throws by Jana Guska.