Victory over Luxembourg seals ninth place finish at FIBA U18W European Championship

The Ireland U18 women’s team got the better of a tough Luxembourg side to secure a ninth placed finish at the FIBA European Championship in Bulgaria, edging out a close 70-66 scoreline, 

After narrowly missing out on a spot in the quarter-final, Tommy O’Mahony’s side picked themselves up and won the remainder of their games in the classification phase - ending up with a 5-2 record. 

Today’s game was one of the best performances yet. The team weren’t at their best in the first half and went in down by six. They stepped up their game for the remainder, with credit going to the bench. Ireland ended up with 17 points off the bench, in comparison to the seven of the Luxembourg team.

☘️ The future is bright. 5-2 record at #FIBAU18Europe. #GreenMeansGo | #TeamIreland 🔋 pic.twitter.com/4HSDcbAqmP

— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) August 7, 2022

While Luxembourg led for 28 minutes of the game, Ireland stepped up when needed. Niamh Tolan and Amy Duggan kept the scoreboard ticking over with six and nine points, respectively, as the gap was bridged to two.

 Maria Kealy

A fast start to the last had Ireland in the ascendancy and up by four after a few minutes. Top performer Lucy Coogan once again showed her class with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Sarah Hickey equaled her tally of 15 points - making her the second top scorer in the whole tournament.

Maria Kealy was also to the fore in a great performance once again, finishing on eight of her own to mark off a fruitful tournament, playing more minutes than any other player in Sofia - 256 minutes from seven games, a crucial cog in the team.

Ireland ended up having just enough to get over the line and secure the ninth place finish, much to the delight of head coach Tommy O’Mahony, who had this to say:

🎙 “𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.”

🇮🇪 IRL 70-66 LUX 🇱🇺

Hear from U18W coach Tommy O’Mahony after his team won to secure ninth place at #FIBAU18Europe. #GreenMeansGo 🔋 pic.twitter.com/rJgZLlxP1k

— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) August 7, 2022

Ireland Top-Three Scorers:

Lucy Coogan & Sarah Hickey 15 pts, Amy Duggan 9pts

FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship Result:

Ireland 70-66 Luxembourg

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Ireland U18 Women's Squad:

Rachel Callery (Ulster University Tigers), Lucy Coogan (Kilkenny Stars), Lucy Devoy (Limerick Celtics), Amy Duggan (Cobh BC), Erica Egan (Malahide BC), Micaiah Fubara (DCU Mercy), Caitlin Gloeckner, Sarah Hickey (Waterford Wildcats), Maria Kealy (Letterkenny Blaze/LYIT Donegal), Niamh O'Leary (Liffey Celtics), Rebecca Sexton (Carrigaline), Niamh Tolan (East Cavan Eagles)