Laois secondary school crowned All-Ireland Basketball champions

Heywood Community School’s second-year girls basketball team are All-Ireland champions after they captured the trophy in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Tuesday afternoon.

Their semi-final was also on Tuesday as they faced St Nathy’s Ballaghadreen, Roscommon where they won on a scoreline of 38-23. The final saw them play Dingle where they led 13-7 at half-time before the Kerry school came firing back and had actually led by six points in the final quarter. With less than a minute to go, Heywood’s top scorer Grainne Dowling threw a basket before the team captain Aideen Gee converted three free-throws to secure a three-point victory for the Laois school.

The school has been in a rich vein of form with this team having also won the All-Ireland’s in 2023 when they were in 1st year while the Senior girls team have done likewise with Heywood having won four All-Ireland titles in the last two years which is a great achievement for the Ballinakill-based school.

HEYWOOD COMMUNITY SCHOOL: Aideen Gee (Captain) 12pt, Grainne Dowling 13pt, Kiera Gorman 3pt, Laura Mc Donald 3pt, Niamh Keogh 2pt, Sienna Shore 1pt, Emma Walsh, Aoibhinn Kelly, Aishling Gonzalez Mc Grath, Kate Kenna, Alison Kenna, Allanagh Fenlon, Riona Kennedy, Freya Jones, Kate Wheatley, Caitlin Burke, Clodagh Cahill, Aoife Galwey. Coaches: Emily Mulhall and Breda Mc Carthy