Crescent Comprehensive lift U19 ‘A’ Girls All-Ireland Schools Cup with 50-33 win over Presentation Kilkenny

Crescent Comprehensive won the U19 ‘A’ Girls All-Ireland Schools Cup after defeating Presentation Kilkenny 50-33 at the National Basketball Arena on Tuesday. Emma Somers earned MVP for Crescent Comprehensive with 16 points, flanked by the supporting cast of Megan Hehir and Madelyn Hartigan, who combined for 25 points just a few days after both won with Limerick Celtics in the U18 Women’s National Cup final last weekend.

Crescent Comprehensive started the faster of the two sides, with Hehir hitting a corner three to cap off a 9-0 run, to give Crescent a 13-2 lead with three minutes to go in the opening quarter.

Sally Power hit a three of her own to reduce the deficit to five points, at 11-6, with a minute to go, but Hartigan and Somers would hit tough shots inside ,to give Crescent a 15-6 lead after one quarter of action.

In the early moments of the second quarter, Crescent’s Hartigan would finish through contact to extend the lead, then hit a free-throw to push the gap to 12 points inside the opening 90 seconds of the quarter. Robyn Walsh would follow up with two free-throws of her own, to put Crescent in to a commanding 21-8 lead midway through the quarter.

Presentation would rally well with a Kaitlyn Summers three and a late score from Power again, to keep the Crescent within single digits, as Presentation went in at half-time behind 23-14.

 Kaitlyn Summers battles through contact for Presentation Kilkenny in the U19 'A' Girls All-Ireland Schools Cup in the National Basketball Arena

Power and Summers started the third period strongly, responding to two early Crescent score’s by going on a 16-4 run, with every score coming from Power and Summers, bar one from Niamh Mulhall. The crucial score coming from Power after winning the offensive rebound from a missed free-throw to bring Presentation within one point, 31-30, late in the third.

Crescent took a 32-30 lead into the fourth, and responded to Presentation’s third quarter run in emphatic fashion, winning the fourth quarter 18-3, kicking off the quarter on an 8-0 run, with two big three’s from Hehir and Walsh pushing Crescent to a 40-30 lead three minutes into the final quarter.

Eabha Hayes would finish well to get Crescent to 50 points, which was enough to secure the U19 ‘A’ Girls All-Ireland Schools Cup by a score of 50-33.

Quarter Scores:

Q1: 6-15, Q2: 8-8, Q3: 16-9, Q4: 3-18

Game Scores:

Q1: 6-15, Q2: 14-23, Q3: 30-32, Q4: 33-50

Presentation Kilkenny: Tara Kovarova, Aoibheann Walsh, Niamh Mulhall, Noa Bambrick, Kaitlyn Summers, Katie Holden, Kayla Wall, Katie O’Keeffe, Lucy Coomey, Ruby Egan, Sally Power

Top Scorers: Kaitlyn Summers (17), Sally Power (12), Niamh Mulhall (2)

Crescent Comprehensive: Sara Mariya Paul, Eabha Hayes, Megan Hehir, Emma Somers, Robyn Walsh, Noella Ryan, Alisha Russell, Madelyn Hartigan

Top Scorers: Emma Somers (16), Madelyn Hartigan (14), Megan Hehir (11)