The Tralee Magic U18 girls are packing the bags, the speaker, and all the positive vibes as they hit the road this Saturday for their National Cup quarter-final against the unbeaten Kilkenny Stars, and if their Cup form so far is anything to go by, they’re travelling with purpose — and serious scoring power.

This is one of the marquee fixtures of the quarter-final round, and Magic arrive with the numbers AND the momentum to make it a thriller.

Tralee Magic didn’t sneak into the quarter-finals.
 They announced themselves.

Across their opening five games they:

The girls score in bunches, defend with real bite, and have multiple players capable of stepping up at any moment. This is not a one-dimensional team — it’s a squad that grows more dangerous the longer the game goes on.

While Magic pride themselves on depth, teamwork and shared responsibility, they also have players who’ve earned their way onto the National Cup statistical leaderboards:

Those numbers speak for themselves — important contributions in the biggest moments, game after game.

You don’t hit 75 points per game without pace, confidence and cohesion — and this group has all three.

Offensively, Magic are at their best when the ball is zipping through hands. They push the floor, attack gaps, and play an unselfish brand of basketball that gets everyone involved. With five players averaging double digits in the Cup and multiple threats both inside and outside, they’re extremely difficult to scheme against.

Defensively, they’re just as committed.
The team’s physicality on the boards, full-court pressure, strong help defence and ability to contest shots have all been crucial in keeping opponents under the 50-point mark on average.

Every player contributes — whether it’s scoring, rebounding, defending, hustling, creating turnovers, or bringing energy off the bench. This is a team in the truest sense of the word.

The Kilkenny Stars have been flawless so far:

They’re well-drilled, defensively stubborn, and play with a structured, disciplined style.

But they have yet to face a team with Magic’s speed, depth and scoring range.

This is very much a clash of strengths:

Magic’s up-tempo, multi-threat offence
vs.
Kilkenny’s organised, lockdown defence

Something has to give — and that’s exactly what makes Cup basketball so exciting.

Because the numbers are strong. 
Because the performances have been consistent.
Because their teamwork is their superpower.
And because they’ve already shown they can rise to big moments.

This squad reflects everything Tralee Magic stands for — development, determination, community and pride in the blue jersey. They’re ready. And they’ve earned the right to dream big.

To the entire panel, the coaching team, and the brilliant supporters making the trip:

💙 #ThisClubIsMagic #TheseGirlsAreMagic