Laois basketball star claims glory with Ireland in Four Nations tournament

Emer Dunne of SETU Carlow and Mountmellick Community School was apart of the Irish U-18 basketball team which won the Four-Nations tournament which took place in Cardiff on April 12 and 13.

They won Four Nations title following a stunning 60-53 comeback win against England at Archers Arena in Cardiff. Tommy O’Mahony’s team earlier dispatched Scotland 70-43, having beaten hosts Wales 71-62 in their opening fixture on Wednesday afternoon. 

Trailing 39-31 at the start of the final quarter, Ireland managed to almost double their score in the closing ten minutes hitting an incredible five shots from behind the three-point arc to turn the game on its head. Emma Tolan had a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds, while Caitlin Gloeckner dropped 24 points on their opponents in a game littered with excellent performances. 

England found their stride thereafter and closed the quarter with a 24-16 advantage despite some excellent work defensively by Lucy Devoy and Emer Dunne. 

The game settled down from a scoring perspective for the remainder, Ireland responded to their opponents scores when needed, crucially holding their nerve from the three-point stripe in the closing minutes as England desperately tried to claw their way back into the game. 

Ireland U18 Women's Roster:  Anna O'Shaughnessy, Orlagh Gormley, Emer Dunne, Rebecca Sexton, Caitlin Gloeckner, Lucy Devoy, Karolina Gierszal, Grace Prenter, Emma Tolan, Clara Boyce, Aisling Moran, Caoimhe Gilligan, Bree Shelly, Ava Walshe, Issy McSwenney, Katie O'Sullivan, Rachel Lynch.

 U-18 Girls Four Nations Results:

Wednesday April 12

Wales 62-71 Ireland 

Thursday April 13

Ireland 70-43 Scotland 

Ireland 60-53 England