Green Giant's School Competition 1987

St Paul ’s Senior Girl’s team under coach Mary Kyne reached the final of this competition. Mary kept the team cool and focused through out the competition. ‘Don’t panic’, ‘Play the ball around’ were frequent words of wisdom from ‘Young Mary’ Melanie Cotter captained the team.

In the first round they defeated Mercy Convent, Castlerea at Oughterard 98-77. The game was dominated by St. Paul’s with good rebounding by Melanie Cotter and Jacinta O Holloran while Sinéad O Halloran, Shirley Angland and Jacinta O Halloran tormented Castlerea on the break.

Scorers: Ann Marie Kyne 37, Melanie Cotter 4, Ciara Joyce 4, Ursula Kyne 20, Sinéad O Halloran 11, Jacinta O Halloran 8, Shirley Angland 10, Imelda Walsh 4, Kathleen O Reilly, Maria O Holleran, Aileen O Toole and Colette Gill also contributed to the team’s performance.

St Paul ’s qualified for the second round of the competition by beating Mercy Convent Tuam on the score line of 74-56. The winners led at half time by 45-38 with a great shooting display in the second half from Ann Marie Kyne – she finished with a massive personal tally of 50 points – they ran out easy winners.

In the semi-final St Paul’s had a magnificent win against Moyderwell, Tralee 70-71in what proved to be a thrilling game in Inchicore, Dublin. In the game a total of 10 three pointers were scored – this was no mean achievement for this level of competition. With one minute left St. Paul’s found themselves trailing by 5 points.

They played a full court press which resulted in two baskets being scored by Ursula Kyne with her sister Ann Marie converting two free throws from the foul line to win in a thrilling finish by one point.

Scorers: Ann Marie Kyne 25, Jacinta O Halloran 20, Sinéad O Halloran 15, Ursula Kyne 8, Ciara Joyce 1, Imelda Walsh 2.

The Final:

St Paul ’s came up against All Ireland Senior A School’s finalists for the second time within the month.  Coached by former schools player and international Mary Kyne they lost out in a high scoring final by 101- 85. St Paul’s started out with plenty of determination and kept within 4 points of St John’s right through the first half. With five minutes to go at half time St Paul’s lost their momentum and concentration and found themselves 13 points behind on the buzzer.

In the second half the excellent rebounding of Ann Marie and Ursula Kyne and the fast breaking ability of Jacinta O Holloran and sister Sinéad kept Oughterard in touch but unfortunately St. John’s three international players proved a handful for the St Paul’s defence.

Scorers: Ann Marie Kyne 31, Ursula Kyne 17, Jacinta O Halloran 13, Sinéad O Halloran10, Imelda Walsh 7, Ciara Joyce 4, Kathleen O’Reilly 1, Maria O Holleran, Melanie Cotter, Rayleen O Malley and  Collette Gill.

School’s Senior ‘A’ Girl’s Competition

Quarter -Final

In this game the St. Paul’s just edged out Coláiste lde Dingle, Kerry in their quarter final after trailing by 16 points at half time. Spectacular rebounding by Ciara Joyce and Ann Marie Kyne marked St Paul’s revival. A tremendous defensive display led by Imelda Walsh, saw them fight back within a point before Ursula Kyne scored the winning two points from the free throw line to give them a 53-52 triumph.

Scorers: Ann Marie Kyne 22, Ciara Joyce 7, Sinéad O Halloran 9, Imelda Walsh 9, Ursula Kyne. Coach Mary Kyne

Semi-Final

St. Paul ’s qualified for their first senior ‘A’ semi-final when they comprehensively defeated Manor House of Dublin by 66- 50 thanks to a tremendous third quarter. Having led 26-25 at the interval they began to stamp their authority and galloped into a 49-34 lead. This was due to a fine offensive display by Sinéad O Halloran, Ann Marie Kyne and Imelda Walsh. Elsewhere Ciara Joyce, Ursula Kyne and Jacinta O Halloran were solid in defence while Melanie Cotter, Kathleen O’Reilly and Maria O Holleran, Shirley Angland also contributed to the win.

Scorers: Ann Marie Kyne 26, Sinéad O Halloran 13, Ursula Kyne 8, Melanie Cotter.

All Ireland Final

Mary Dolan Clancy coached the team. It was her experience in coaching that brought the team to the all Ireland final which was held in the Neptune Stadium in Cork.

St Paul’s were defeated by their old rivals St. John’s Tralee in the final. They managed to hold St John’s for the first half but lacked the experience and physical strength of the Tralee girls. Sinéad O Holloran and Ursula Kyne had excellent games and showed their true potential in front of the 3,000 spectators in Neptune Stadium, Cork. Ann Marie Kyne fought well in defence but was only able to make a 12 points contribution to the team’s total.

The highlight of the day for St. Paul’s was when Ursula Kyne received the most valuable player award.

Ladies Division Two Basketball

Ladies’ basketball in County Galway, which had lost its only National League side with the demise of Galway Democrats, regained it 1987/1988 when Corrib joined division two. The nuclease of the squad was drawn from past pupils of St. Paul’s secondary school, but it was significantly strengthened by the signing of American player Cheryl Aaron.

 Cheryl was a former player in Massachusetts and averaged 17.4 points per game. Her shooting ability was of particular benefit to the already speedy squad.

Ita Walsh who had played with Galway Democrats, Oribson and Athlone and who had just returned from Australia came with a wealth of experience to captain the team. Josephine Burke who had played with Democrats and Aileen Sheehan from Killarney joined the local girls – the Kyne sisters Mary, Ann Marie and Ursula, sisters Sinéad and Jacinta O Halloran, Melanie Cotter, Ruth Curran, Shirley Angland and Mary Gallagher from Mountbellew was also a newcomer to the side. Two of Corrib’s men’s players shared coaching duties at first but later the American player Cheryl Aaron too over the reins.

Pre-Season Tournament

Even before the season started, Corrib showed their potential in a pre-season tournament in Athlone going down by just two points to crack Dublin’s first division outfit Naomh Mhuire and beating another premier side, Ballina’s Pacers by 18points. This was indeed an encouraging sign for a successful first season run in the Women’s League.

Impressive start to the League

In the first half of the season Corrib had impressive wins over Marathon 112-64, Moyle Park, Haroldites, Jonathans, Kyer Kelts and St Colms. By week three of the campaign they were in second place with 8points behind Fitzpatrick’s Hotel Shannon on 12 points.

Corrib defeated previously undefeated Shannon side in an exciting thriller before Christmas 63-62. Cheryl Aaron excelled on 29 points, assisted by the Kyne sisters Mary and Ann Marie who scored 17 and 12 respectively. Corrib played ‘a box in one’ on Shannon’s Aileen O Neill, a ploy which worked well for the Oughterard side.

When the second half of the season got underway Corrib were edged out by a determined Dublin Celtic team so when they encountered Kyer Kells on home court the team made no mistake. The dominance of the home-team particularly their rebounding ability, both defence and offence guaranteed maximum possession. Corrib led by 43-28 at the interval. Ita Walsh showed the drive that was so evident when playing with Democrats as did Josephine Burke and Aileen Sheehan while Mary Gallagher displayed her strength on the boards. Sharp shooting Cheryl Aaron was always a determined competitor.

Corrib went on to secure important wins in the second phase beating Dublin Celtic, Moyle Park, Shannon and finally Jonathan’s Limerick. In this game they had 100% free throw taking, scoring 17 points on the line. The win against Jonathan’s assured Corrib of promotion to Division one as the team had 6 points to spare over Jonathans on the table and Corrib had beaten Jonathans twice by 11points and 25 points.

Corrib put seal on Memorable Season 1987/1988 

March 5th Corrib ended their first season in National Basketball League with a glorious home victory over Shannon to claim the Division Two League title.  Shannon had two points advantage entering the game and victory would give them a four point cushion. A win for Corrib, however, would leave the team tied, with Corrib taking the title on the basis of their two victories over Shannon.

 Playing to a record crowd of home supporters, the excitement was electrifying from the first blow of the referees whistle. Shannon who had led the table from the start of the season, were favourites to win the league outright as they had been beaten only once – by Corrib. But the home team had nothing to lose and everything to play for in this game as they were already guaranteed promotion together with Shannon to the First Division.

The sides were evenly matched and the game proved every bit as exciting as anticipated. Shannnon’s captain, Rainny Lesone U.S.A. was the league’s top scorer and she disappointed no one in the game scoring 38 points of Shannon’s 71.

Corrib’s defence was solid with Josephine Burke marking Aileen O Neill out of the game and restricted her to 2 points. This was quite a feat as O Neill averaged 14 points a game. Offensively Josephine contributed greatly also scoring 12points and had her best game of the season.

Battling for everything, there was never more then 6 points between the teams in the first half. Cheryl Aaron scored some fine outside shots and Ita Walsh was at the end of some fast break scores.  Corrib had 30 points to 28 at the interval.

The second half belonged to the magnificent Kyne sisters, Ann Marie Kyne came to life and scored 12 points within seven minutes both from outside shots and from under the basket, she combined with Mary to score 36 points while sister Ursula netted another 4 points. Experienced captain Ita Walsh, hard-working Josephine Burke and of course Cheryl Aaron made substantial contributions to this game and Corrib’s earlier triumphs.

Disaster Struck

Cheryl Aaron collapsed in pain with a twisted ankle after scoring a valuable basket to equalise the score to 55 all.

The Corrib players and spectators held their breaths waiting to see if she would be able to continue playing. The opposition were silently jubilant as Cheryl was forced to retire from the game with badly torn ankle ligaments.

Without their American player Corrib would be expected to go down to Shannon as there was ten minutes of playing time left, but the incident seemed to inspire Corrib. Ursula Kyne entered the game in place of Aaron.

 She played very good defence and scored a valuable 4points in the concluding minutes of the game. Mary Kyne had an outstanding second half, holding her own in defence even though on 4 personal fouls, and contributing seven points in the last two minutes of the game to put Corrib’s win beyond doubt. Corrib played out their 30 second possession and when the final signal had sounded Corrib had won by a safe 8 points.

Oughterard players and supporters erupted in jubilation. Corrib had won the National League Title in their very first season of National League.

Team Corrib: Cheryl Aaron12, Ita Walsh 7, Ann Marie Kyne 27, Mary Kyne 17, Ursula Kyne 4, Sinéad O Halloran, Ruth Curran, Shirley Angland, Aileen Sheehan and Josephine Burke.

Top Scores for 1987/1988 Season

Ann Marie Kyne and Cheryl Aaron featured among the top four scorers in Division Two.

Average scores per game:

1. Rainny Lesanne (Fitzpatrick’s Shannon)   24.4

2. Cheryl Aaron (Corrib) 20.4

3. Mary Jo Curran (Marathon) 20.1

4. Ann Marie Kyne (Corrib) 18.9

5. Ailis O Sullivan ( Premier Milk Killester) 18.3

“Pretty Polly” All-Ireland Win

Corrib ladies later on in the season went on to win the prestigious “Pretty Polly” All- Ireland Intermediate basketball championship at Killarney. This indeed was the culmination of a very successful 1st season in Division Two Basketball. The side was promoted to division 1 for 1988/1989 It was a very adventurous step for such a young team. 

Cheryl Aaron’s Contribution

Our American player Cheryl Aaron made an immense contribution to the success of the team. She was dedicated, committed and highly competitive and had forged a great friendship with all members of the team. She was a great team player who inspired the younger players to achieve their potential.

The club presented Cheryl with a Galway crystal lamp and an inscribed plate at a function in the Corrib Hotel before her departure for Boston.

On her return to Boston Cheryl attended Rhode Island University to study Sport’s Administration. As part of her college course she spent six month in the Azores  – islands of the coast of Portugal.  Cheryl ran her own basketball camp in the local high school. She coached children from 9-17 years of age.

She coached a junior Olympic team (u15 girls). Her team qualified for the finals in Florida where they had a 2-2 record.

Cheryl returned to Ireland and played with Wildcats Waterford in their National League Campaign 190/1991. During her stay in Waterford Cheryl contacted bacteria meningitis and was found in a semi-conscious condition in her bed sit. She was rushed to Waterford Regional Hospital and with grave fears for her life; she was later transferred to Cork Regional Hospital. Her father Harry flew into Shannon from Boston where I met him and brought him to Cork. Harry maintained a vigil at her bedside for a week.  The basketball community in Blarney looked after Harry during his stay in Cork providing him with transport and accommodation. Thankfully Cheryl responded to treatment and made a full recovery. I brought her to Oughterard for six weeks to convalesce before she was capable of flying home to Boston.

Cheryl now holds the post as Head Sport’s Administrator at Boston University. She has remained a true friend of Corrib Basketball Club and we are still in touch. We visit each other on a regular basis.

Galway All Star Award – Ann Marie Kyne 1988

Ann Marie Kyne was awarded the Galway Sports Star for Basketball in 1988. Ann Marie was recognised as one of the country’s outstanding under-age talents in the Basketball world. Her progress through international ranks was as rapid as it was consistent. She was a member of the Irish under 15 squad and voted most valuable player in two internationals. She was a member of the Irish under 17 squad who won “Four Countries” glory in 1986 and was also on the Irish under 19 side who participated in the European Championships in Germany 1988. She was a rising star in a growing sport.