Ireland U16 WNT go unbeaten at Basketball Ireland Academy Invitational

The Ireland U16 WNT went 3-0 at the Basketball Ireland Academy Invitational tournament, with superb wins against England and Slovakia. Four teams represented Ireland across the three days at the National Basketball Arena, showcasing the talent that is coming through the academy system.

Preparations are in full flow for Ireland’s U16 WNT as they travel to Greece at the beginning of August to compete in the FIBA U16 Youth EuroBasket. They began the weekend off by taking on the Ireland U15 Academy, where Aoife Courtney showed her intent for the weekend, scoring 19 points and securing 7 rebounds. That win put them in high spirits to compete against England in the last game of the Saturday, with Ireland boasting a 24-point win. Sarah Horgan and Tade Ademokun took centre stage for this match, combining for 20 points.

Slovakia were the final team to grace the court against Ireland’s U16 WNT, having previously won their other two games. After building a nine-point lead at half-time, Ireland closed out the game in style, winning 70-59. Sorcha Kelly and Naiya Turner topped the steals chart by getting four each, and collectively put 26 points up for Ireland

The Ireland U15 Women’s Academy had tough defeats to England and Slovakia across the weekend, but showed spells of excellence especially through players like Bella Brosnan who racked up 28 points across the three games.

The Ireland U15 Men’s Academy faced off against the Ireland U16 Men’s Development squad to kick off the men’s fixtures, with the elders coming away victorious. Jamie Charles of Éanna Basketball dominated from for the U15 Academy, boasting an average 17 points-per-game, while his teammate Michael Hayden controlled the paint, averaging almost 9 rebounds-per-game. 

Ogre O’Leary Griffin, Conor Murray and Ollie O’Callaghan were dialled in over the weekend, all averaging over 10 points-per-game. The Ireland U16 Development squad had close contests with England and Slovakia, but sharp shooting and strong defence from the visiting nations gave them the edge over Ireland.

Congratulations to Slovakia who picked up gold medals in both codes, with England earning silver medals for their 2-1 record. 

Jessica Bree in action against England at the Basketball Ireland Academy Invitational

Basketball Ireland Academy Invitational results

Women’s:

Ireland U15 Academy 28 - 61 Ireland U16 WNT

England 82 - 52 Ireland U15 Academy 

Ireland U16 WNT 70 - 46 England 

England 44 - 54 Slovakia

Ireland U15 Academy 62 - 93 Slovakia

Ireland U16 WNT 70 - 59 Slovakia

Men’s:

Ireland U15 Academy 53 - 78 Ireland U16 Development

Ireland U16 Development 56 - 96 England

England 95 - 50 Ireland U15 Academy

England 85 - 99 Slovakia 

Ireland U15 Academy 77 - 94 Slovakia

Ireland U16 Development 67 - 75 Slovakia