International

Aug 12 2026

Ireland claim 6th at FIBA U16 Women’s Youth EuroBasket T3

A final day loss to Great Britain gave Ireland a sixth place finish at this years FIBA U16 Women’s Youth EuroBasket in Ioannina, Greece.

Sorcha Kelly led the Irish scoring, averaging nine points per game, including a standout 14 points in the final contest. Aoife Courtney and Ayotade Ademokun reached tournament double-doubles in points and rebounds, while Naiya Turner led the defensive charge with 11 steals and one block.

“We faced some high quality teams in this tournament and the learning curve for our players was steep, but they never stopped competing and I felt we were growing into ourselves as the games went on,” said head coach Paul O’Brien. “I can’t thank the players and staff enough for the work they have put in since last September and I hope everyone at home is proud of how we represented Ireland over the course of the programme.”

“The format of the tournament wasn't ideal as we only played three games instead of the seven we would normally get, and I feel if we had those extra games, we would have continued to improve our performances and maybe picked up a few wins,” added O’Brien.

Due to a delay in confirming a host country for the tournament, FIBA Europe announced earlier this year that the FIBA U16 Women's Youth EuroBasket 2026 would be run as a series of mini-tournaments, with Ireland featuring in a six-team competition alongside Denmark, Greece, Great Britain, Iceland and Norway.

Sorcha Kelly playing for Ireland U16 WNT against Great Britain at the FIBA U16 Women's Youth EuroBasket 2026

Ireland opened the tournament with a tough game against Denmark, which saw the Danish side come away 68-36 winners. Ireland stuck close to their opponents in the first quarter, keeping within five points, but the eventual bronze medallists ran away with the game in the second half.

Next up were the competition winners, Greece, who went four games unbeaten on home soil. Mia Dunne stepped up to score 10 points for Ireland, but it wasn’t enough as Greece topped the group with a 78-36 win.

Great Britain awaited Ireland in the 5-6 classification game after losing both of their games in Group F. Great Britain took an early lead in the first quarter, but Sorcha Kelly, Aoife Courtney, and Ayotade Ademokun kept the scoreline tipping for Ireland. Ireland ultimately won the final quarter; however, Great Britain went home with the fifth place finish, winning 91-63.