Loreto Clonmel basketball team captures Regional title

Above - The Loreto Clonmel First Year Basketball team that won the Regional Final in the All-Ireland Schools Post-Primary competition. Back, from left, Saoirse Tracey, Aoibh Brown, Thea O'Leary, Alana Power, Ailis O'Meara, Kate Moore, Claire Walsh and coach Trudy Kennedy.
Front, Eimear Quirke, Nora Martin, Gretta Nugent, Meadhbh Russell and Katie Delicato. Two players missing when the photo was taken were Grace Carey and Meave Mulcahy. 

The First Year Basketball team from Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel won the Regional title in the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Basketball competition. 

This is the first Regional title in this age group for Loreto Clonmel. 

To reach the final the team were unbeaten in their five matches. 

In the Final Loreto beat Cashel Community School. 

Cashel took the lead in the first quarter but Loreto fought back and levelled the score in the second quarter before pulling away in the third and fourth quarters. 

Both teams fought hard and played with great spirit and sportsmanship throughout.  

This is a great achievement for the Clonmel girls, as none had played basketball before enrolling in Loreto last September. 

The shield and medals were presented to the captain and the team by Theresa Walsh, president of Basketball Ireland. 

The team now goes forward to the All-Ireland play off Series on Monday April 23.