U-16 Basketball Ireland League, Oct 2023

Game 2 of the pool games saw Blackrock head up the road to Oatlands College. The first quarter got off to a competitive start as Peter Lee (3rd Year) put the first score on the board with a three-point shot. The team worked hard to maintain defensive pressure on a physical Oatlands team. Peter Gilligan (2nd Year) put pressure on Oatlands’ tall player to keep him out of the paint. While on offence they worked together to keep the ball in motion. The first quarter ended in a close score of 17-16.  Rock looked to continue their strong start into the second quarter. Their defensive efforts began to waiver as Oatlands dominated on rebounding and putting up shots from under the basket. The score at halftime was 31-22.

Going into the second half, the squad tried to bring back the intensity from the first quarter, however, Oatlands continued to fight for possession and made many successful interceptions and steals. The score of 41-28 going into the final quarter meant that the squad had to give it their all to close the gap. Clyde Corbantes (3rd Year) and Collie Breslin (3rd Year) did well to crash the boards looking for rebounds on both offence and defence. The challenge was to be too much this time as the final whistle marked the final score of 52-34.

Captain Peter Lee (26 points) and Vice-Captain Clyde Corbantes worked hard to motivate their team. Commitment to their training sessions will help the team develop their skills and organise their offensive and defensive efforts.

Thanks to our coaches: Luke Brophy, Ronin O’Halloran, Eric Brandt, Ms Fitzsimons.