This was the first outing for our u18 girls this year who were wearing their brand new kit

sponsored by Robert Quinn Ltd. We were notably missing a few of our girls who

couldn’t travel to Dublin for various reasons. The squad that did travel, which actually included five

of our u16 players, set out to play a very experienced Oblates squad, led by Sophie Staunton, who

was a teammate of Faye and Kaitlyn last summer at the European championships. Our girls took the

game by storm, gaining a nine point lead going into halftime. Oblates changed to a zone defense in

the second half, where we struggled in the third quarter, allowing Oblates to creep back into the

game and left us only one point ahead going into the fourth quarter. The final quarter was back and

forth, with Aoibhin Dunphy and Clodagh O’Neill leading the way for us and scoring crucial baskets to

keep us in contention. With 13 seconds left and Stars down by 3 points, Aoibhin got a great look at a

three pointer that just rimmed out, and when Oblates attempted a full court pass, Caoimhe

Timmons stole the pass and quickly advanced it to Kaitlyn, who then got a long three point attempt

to try and tie the game. It flirted with going in only to fall out and Stars lost the game by three

points, which the girls were upset with, but Puff felt it was exactly what the girls needed going into

the season—a competitive game filled with highs and lows, and it will hopefully stand to them going

forward, especially when we enter the National Cup with our full squad.