Date: Wed, Dec 16, 2009

A Grade Report: Celtic Tigers Dominate Junior Girls A Grade Grand Finals

The under 16 Girls A grade Grand Final saw a match-up between Celtic Tigers Red and Exies Maroon who had been the form sides of the competition all year. After a hard fought first half in which neither side could gain any ascendancy, the game changed dramatically in the second half as Emma White, Molly Mathews and Melita Reid put on a scoring clinic. Seemingly scoring at will the trio put Celtic in the box seat and they were never headed, coming away with a fantastic 43-38 victory and the Gerard Coffey memorial trophy. For the runners up Ella Burton, Emma Hills and Jane Douglass were all great contributors.

The under 18 Girls A grade Grand Final was also a Celtic / Exies match-up and like the under 16’s game turned out to be a fitting finale to a great competition. Tonight’s game turned out to be a high scoring affair with quality outside shooting and strong work inside a feature by both teams. Having raced out of the blocks to hold at 5 point lead at the break, Celtic was able to hold their nerve and record a 6 point victory. A key to the Celtic victory was their superior free throw shooting as they shot 8/8 compared to Exies 9/16. Main contributors for the victors were Sophie Alexander, Amy White and Jordyn Bibby while for the runners-up Jane Douglass and Emma Hills backed up their earlier performance but were unable to change the result.
The victory secured the under 14, under 16 and under 18 girls A grade competitions for the Celtic club, capping off one of their most successful seasons to date.

The game of the night saw the Lucksmiths square off against the Cool Bears in the B grade mens Blue competition. After a tight first half where the Lucksmiths held a slender 3 point lead, the Cool Bears took advantage of their height as they dominated the rebounds and took control of the game under the basket. Some great outside shooting by the Lucksmiths kept them in the game and with 4 minutes to go the game was in the balance. Going on a 13-3 run the Cool Bears looked like they had the game in their keeping but some good defensive work and some clutch fast break baskets saw the Lucksmiths stay in touch trailing by 2 with seconds to go. A Michael Duncan shot on full time marginally missed the mark as the Cool Bears recorded a well deserved 2 point win.

In other games, Saints White defeated Wildcats in the B Women’s Blue competition, Saints White were too good for Phoenix Blue in B Women Red winning 33-25, Phoenix secured the Youth League competition as they beat Celtic Tigers 60-45 while the Shamrocks fell short against the Xerox Vipers as the Vipers won 60-45.

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