CLUB NOTES 27/03/22

The season continues to wind down with many teams enjoying end of season parties.

JUVENILES

U12 BOYS T2

Tralee Imperials 16-21 St. Joseph's 25/03/22

Q1 Tralee Imperials 6-6 St. Joseph's

Q2 Tralee Imperials 8-15 St. Joseph's

Q3 Tralee Imperials 16-19 St. Joseph's

Q4 Tralee Imperials 16-21 St. Joseph's

This was the boys final game of the season. Going in to the last quarter there was only three points in it but St. Joseph's came back strong. Imperials never lost determination and tried their level best to score.

The boys have shown great improvement with every game. They have really enjoyed their season and are looking forward to meeting up again next season.

U14 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 37- 56 St. Brendan’s 23/03/22

Q1: Imperials 8 St Brendan’s 10

Q2: Imperials 21 St Brendan’s 35

Q3: Imperials 30 St Brendan’s 39

Q4: Imperials 37 St Brendan’s 56

This was Imperials final game of the season and they started well some nice scores from Conor McGibney and Ruairi Kennedy. A strong second half from Imperials again with Jamie O'Keeffe firing home some lovely jump shots and Eoghan Crowley playing good defence but they were having difficulty with St Brendan’s height advantage under the basket and were trailing 21 to 35 at half time. A good spread of scores throughout the team in the second half saw everyone contributing in either offence or defence but it wasn't to be their night.

Scorers: Conor McGibney 12, Jamie O'Keeffe 7, Ruairi Kennedy & Jack Noonan 4, Luke Gannon 3, Eoghan Murphy, Nathan Hill O'Shea & Oran O' Donoghue 2 and Eoghan Crowley 1.

It closed what has been a tough season for the boys but they are a spirited group who love the sport and I have no doubt they will return bigger and stronger next year. They can be very proud of themselves for constantly putting in a huge effort even when they were chasing the game they never gave up and improved with every game and were a pleasure to work with. A huge thanks to coaches Jerome, Henrique and Mike for their commitment to the boys throughout the year and to Sinead Egan for helping out with the table. And a final thank you to the club and all the parents for the support and bringing the boys to training and games around the county throughout the year. Take a well-earned rest and see ye all next year.

U16 BOYS T1

St. Mary's 56-46 Tralee Imperials 24/03/22

We travelled to Castleisland to play our final game of the season against St Mary’s.

We started the game with great tempo and thanks to some great team defense and transition we jumped into an early lead and led at the end of the first quarter 10-15.

We kept up the same effort and intensity in the second period and managed to extend our lead to 20-30 by halftime.

Castleisland’s size and experience was obvious in the third quarter and with our lads tiring we struggled to keep our lead. We got a few crucial scores near the end of the third to head in to the final quarter trailing by one point 39-38.

The final quarter saw an exciting see saw battle where both teams traded leads on numerous occasions and with 2 minutes left we were just 2 points behind. A couple of bounces didn’t go our way and we had to send our opponents to the foul line to try to salvage the win. Unfortunately for us they were flawless from the foul line and we ended up on the losing side 56-46.

We put up a fantastic fight and with three players unavailable we travelled with just 6 u16 players and Ruairi from the U14 team.

It has been a tough season with injuries and sickness but the boys have improved immensely and we look forward to continuing our progress next season.

Scorers

Jamie Burke 14

Ryne Ybanez 11

Sean Og Brosnan 11

Tomas Kennedy 10

U18 BOYS

Tralee Imperials 57-48 St. Brendan’s 21/03/22

On Monday night we took on local rivals St Brendan's in our penultimate game in Division 1 of the County League.

In a fast paced first quarter we struggled to get into our flow but stayed within touching distance thanks to some great shooting from Aivaras Uosis. We trailed 14-20 at the end of the first.

Our defensive intensity really picked up in the second quarter and this really set the tone for the rest of the game. Cian Dillane, Daniel and Oisin grabbed numerous rebounds in the period and with Aivaras patrolling the paint we limited our opponents to just 3 points in the second period. Roan and Oisin hit a few baskets to help us into a halftime lead 39-23.

The third quarter was a low scoring affair but with Cian Moran hitting a few scores we managed to maintain our 7 point lead heading into the fourth quarter ahead 38-31.

Brendan's pressed hard in the final quarter but we managed to keep our noses in front to complete a 57-48 win to go top of the league.

We now look forward to a tough away trip to St Bridget’s next week in our final county league game.

Scorers:

Aivaras Uosis 22

Oisin McGibney 11

Roan Grattan 10

Daniel Osayanrhion 5

Cian Moran 4

Cian Dillane 3

Jack Dakissia 2

MONTHLY TRAINING FEES

Any outstanding monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

WARRIORS

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors defeated DBS Eanna 75-57 in a thrilling semifinal on Sunday afternoon with some big performances including our very own Keelan Crowe. This sets up a Superleague final against C&S Neptune, a repeat of this year’s National Cup final. Warriors remain on course for the double and we wish the team the best of luck. The final will take place on Saturday 2nd April @7pm in the National Basketball Arena Tallaght with tickets on sale via Basketball Ireland’s website. #ComeOnTralee!!!

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CLUB NOTES 20/03/22

The season is beginning to wind down but there is still plenty of action to keep up-to-date with.

PARADE

Despite the morning showers, the it was a bright and sunny day for the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Tralee Imperials were delighted to partake alongside Garvey’s Tralee Warriors and St. Brendan’s BC.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to march in the parade and to those who cheered us on along the way.

JUVENILES

U12 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 29-33 Kenmare Kestrels (16/03/22)

Q1 Tralee Imperials 6-5 Kenmare Kestrels

HT Tralee Imperials 8-19 Kenmare Kestrels

Q3 Tralee Imperials 23-21 Kenmare Kestrels

FT Tralee Imperials 29-33 Kenmare Kestrels

Top scorers: Rían Tuohy (8), Callum Lacey (8), Tom Dawson (7)

U12 BOYS T2

Tralee Imperials 16-18 St. Paul's (18/03/22)

Under 12’s team 2 put on another incredible display today.

They certainly had the game in their grips leading by four at one stage.

St. Paul’s nailed a few very quick scores at the end of quarter 3 to take the lead and they didn’t lose it again.

Very close game overall with a nail biting finish. Commiserations to the lads they were incredible today.

Q1 Tralee Imperials 2 -4 St. Paul's
Q2 Tralee Imperials 6 -4 St. Paul's
Q3 Tralee Imperials 12 -12 St. Paul's
Q4 Tralee Imperials 16 -18 St. Paul's

U12 GIRLS T1

Tralee Imperials 41-30 Glenbeigh Falcons (15/03/22)

The U12 team 1 finished a brilliant season with an exciting game against a strong Glenbeigh team. We were missing three girls due to illness but the nine girls stepped up to the task.

A strong first quarter saw all girls getting on the scoresheet scoring 15 - 5.

The second and third quarters were a closer affair with Glenbeigh coming back strong but Imperials never lost their grip on the game. Excellent scoring combined with superb defense led to an 8pt gap going into the final quarter.

Glenbeigh pushed hard in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter closing the margin to one point. Imperials dug deep and scores from Sofia, Abby, Lauren, Taylor and Sarah led to a win 41 - 30.

Top scorer Sofia 10 pts.

The girls have had a brilliant season with some memorable games played, they were unlucky to lose to a very strong Castleisland side on two occasions by the smallest of margins. Their work rate is always immense and they are a fabulous bunch of girls who are all real team players. Each player has shown great progression in all aspects of their game and have been a joy to watch and coach. The future of basketball is bright with these ladies.

U14 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 34-59 St. Joseph’s (16/03/22)

Q1 Imperials 4 St Joseph's 16

Q2 Imperials 14 St Joseph's 29

Q3 Imperials 29 St Joseph's 45

Q4 Imperials 34 St Joseph's 59

Scorers: Ruairi Kennedy 18, Conor McGibney 13, Filip Rybanski 2 and Eoghan Crowley 1.

Imperials were playing well in the first half and were unfortunate to be trailing by 15 points at half time they were unlucky not to have converted more scores and were working hard in defence and offence.

They worked hard again in the second half but the very fast pace tired them as they had only 2 players as subs. Special mention to Ruairi Kennedy who had a fantastic third quarter scoring 13 of Imperials 15 points and bagging 3 lovely 3 pointers. Final outing will be next Wednesday 23rd against St. Brendan’s.

U16 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 61-47 Rathmore Ravens (14/03/22)

On Monday evening our u16 Team 1 played Rathmore in Division 1 of the county league. We started the game with great pace and intensity and our press created a lot of easy transition baskets. With Tomas and Sean Og contributing hugely to the scoreboard we led at the end of the first quarter 31-7.

We were able to get all our players a lot of game time in the second period and with Sean Heaslip and William working hard on the defensive end we went in to the halftime break ahead 44-25.

This lead gave us an opportunity to work on different aspects of our game and we managed to extend our lead to 55-33 to finish the third.

Jamie and Tadgh worked well together in the final quarter and it was great to see Ryne get some court time after his injury. Ruairi from our U14 team got some valuable minutes and acquitted himself well. The game finished 61-47 and we now go in to our final league game with some momentum after back to back wins.

Scorers were:

Tomas Kennedy 22

Sean Og Brosnan 19

Jamie Burke 6

Sean Heaslip 4

Tadgh Moran 4

Ryne Ybanez 3

William O Donoghue 3

U16 GIRLS T1

Tralee Imperials 38-31 St. Mary’s Castleisland (15/03/22)

The team came to this fixture hoping to make up for a heavy loss to St Mary's at the start of the season, and they certainly did themselves justice.

The first quarter went our way with Grace Lucid and Sorcha Casey getting scores on the board to get us off to a great start. The score in this quarter was 13-10 to Imperials.

A change of defensive tactics by St Mary’s caught us off guard. Sorcha and Holly O'Brien kept us in the quarter with a basket each but we lost the second quarter 4-10. The score at half-time saw St. Mary's ahead 17-20

Very determined defensive hustle and fast paced runs by Aoibhinn McCarthy, making a welcome return from injury and some solid defense from Saoirse Moriarty along with scores from Holly, Lucy O' Donnell and Kelly Fitzgerald saw us win the third 7-4. The score was 24-24 at the end of the quarter and set us up for an exciting finish

All to play for in the fourth quarter and the team certainly showed their strength of character.

Grainne Breen came on and scored a shot at a crucial point in the game. Holly, who was top scorer and had a great game throughout, hit three baskets in a row. Kelly was outstanding under the boards, in both offense and defense, aided by Lucy O' D who was very strong in offense all evening. The defense in particular by all players was top class.

We won the fourth quarter 14-7 with a massive team effort showing great maturity and held out in the last few minutes for the win at 38-31.

It was a great game of basketball played in a very sporting fashion by both teams and Imperials were delighted to get the win.
We hope the injured Castleisland player recovers well.

Top scorers: Holly O'Brien 16, Lucy O'Donnell 6, Sorcha Casey 5

MONTHLY TRAINING FEES

Monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

WARRIORS

Tralee Warriors defeated UCD Marian (88-71) on Saturday evening in the Superleague quarterfinal playoffs. This was the last home game of the season and once again it was fantastic to see the Complex full. Also, in a wonderful display of community spirit, the Warriors hosted guests from Ukraine and welcomed them in to the Tralee basketball family.

The win over UCD Marian sets up a tough semifinal vs Eanna BC, a replay of the cup semifinal. The National Cup champions will travel to Rathfarnam on Saturday 26th March to continue their pursuit of the double. Best of luck to the Warriors.

The Warriors U20 Men also faced a UCD Marian side in their National league semifinal last Sunday. They faced some strong opposition and this time it was the Dublin side the victors on a score line of 79-54.

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CLUB NOTES 13/03/22

PARADE

Tralee Imperials will be marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade behind Garvey’s Tralee Warriors and alongside St. Brendan’s BC. Children are encouraged to wear Imperials/Warriors gear where possible. More information to follow on ClubZap.

ACADEMY

Our Academy and u10s have finished up for the 2021/2022 season.

It was brilliant to have so many turn up to training each week with every child full of the enthusiasm for the game of basketball. A big thank you to Caitriona Collins, Academy head coach, as well as the Warriors players and TYs who were on hand each week to help out coaching. Our Academy continues to grow in numbers each year and without the volunteers each week it would not be possible.

With some prizes up for grabs at their final session, the children enjoyed playing games and having shooting and ‘king of the ring’ competitions.

Thank you to Mr. McGuire’s Olde Sweetshop for providing the sweet treats for our Academy.

JUVENILES

U12 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 24-36 Glenbeigh Falcons (11/03/21)

U12 BOYS T2

Tralee Imperials 12-20 St. Brendan's (08/03/22)

A great game played by u12 boys T2 this evening against St. Brendan's.

The improvements are as always very evident with the boys scoring some super hoops.

With the lead taken in the game, Imperials looked strong to take it home but St. Brendan's sneaked ahead with some very nice scores to their credit.

Unlucky lads but well done!

U12 GIRLS T1

St. Anne's 30-47 Tralee Imperials (08/03/22)

U12 Girls T1 had a strong panel of 12 against St. Anne's tonight.

Imperials kept a strong hold throughout despite St. Anne's very strong start.

Excellent team work and impressive lay ups led to a great win.

Final score 30-47 to Tralee Imperials

Top scorer: Nessa Kirby (16 points)

St. Joseph’s 20-45 Tralee Imperials (10/03/22)

The U12 T1 headed to Duagh tonight and continued their winning streak.

They were slow to warm up going in 8-6 after the Q1.

Great scoring by Evie in Q2 sent the girls in leading 14-22 at half time.

Great defensive work and steals by Abby, Sadhbh and Taylor Kate with brilliant passing by Sofia, and turnovers by Ciara throughout the game.

Third quarter finished 18-38 with excellent scoring from Sarah and Nessa.

The final quarter they finished well despite St Joseph's constant pressure.

Great scores also from Aoife, Lauren, Taylor and Abby.

Every girl has shown tremendous progression this season, credit to coach Brandon Cotton for his fantastic coaching.

Final score 45 - 20.

Top scorers: Evie O Sullivan 18 pts, Nessa Kirby 8, Sarah Chute 8.

U12 GIRLS T2

Tralee Imperials 19-16 St. Mary’s (09/03/22)

Well done to u12 girls who finished their last game with a cracking win.

Imperials had a great start with baskets coming from Yvie Ross, Holly Costello, Kaela Reidy and 2 baskets from Lily-Mai leaving the Castleisland side scoreless in the first quarter. Imperials 10 St. Mary's 0.

The 2nd quarter was more closely contested with St. Mary's scoring 2 baskets and Sarah Slattery scoring a basket for Imperials. This quarter was very tough with Imperials giving it their all. Tralee Imperials 12 St. Mary's 4 at half time.

St. Mary's came alive in the 3rd quarter leaving Imperials scoreless in this quarter and scoring 7 points themselves. Score at the 3rd quarter Tralee Imperials 12 St. Mary's 11.

The last quarter left everything to play for. Both teams gave their all. Imperials fought bravely for every ball, throwing themselves on the line and showing great defence. Lily Mai scored 3 well needed baskets in this quarter but St. Mary's kept coming back and scoring from the free throw line. With seconds to go and a basket up, Holly Costello drew the foul and scored one of her free throws. Imperials scoring 7 points to 5 in this quarter.

Final score Imperials 19 St. Mary's 16.

Such a fantastic way to finish the season. Thanks to all the parents for their brilliant support throughout and to all that help with the table throughout the season. Such a fabulous team that have come on so much and are a pleasure to coach. Well done girls. We are so proud of you.

U14 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 30-51 TK Cougars (09/03/22)

Q1 Imperials 0-18 TK Cougars

A slow first quarter for Imperials saw the Cougars gain a substantial lead.

Q2 Imperials 18-21 TK Cougars

A better second quarter for Imperials with some nice scores coming from a well worked press left only 3 points in it at half time

Q3 Imperials 25-34 TK Cougars

A few wayward shots from Imperials left the Cougars increase their lead by 9 at the end of the 3rd.

Q4 Imperials 30-51 TK Cougars

Imperials began to tire in the 4th and were chasing Cougars who finished strong in the end.

Top scorers: Conor McGibney 16, Ruairi Kennedy 10, Luke Gannon 4.

U14 GIRLS T1

St. Joseph’s 36-62 Tralee Imperials (10/03/22)

U14 T1 finished up their league with a strong performance against an unbeaten St Joseph's side.

In the first quarter Imperials got out to a nice lead thanks in particular to excellent play from Emily Flynn. Emily was dominant under the board coming up with numerous offensive rebounds and put backs. All 5 starters of Priya O Donovan, Anna Slattery, Sophie Mitchell, Ciara Costello and Emily Flynn got on the score sheet in this quarter to give Imperials a 15 - 7 lead.

The second quarter saw Imperials pick up the tempo combing a strong full court press with a high tempo fast break. This paid dividends on the score board for Imperials with Leipa Kaletkaite and Ashlyn Flavey running the floor for some excellent team scores thanks in no small part to outstanding defence from Soairse McCarthy who had 5 steals in the quarter. Anna Chute also excelled at point guard controlling the tempo throughout and pitching in with a good score. Half time score 27 - 12

Imperials stretched their lead further in the third quarter. Priya and Sophie were on fire from outside and Emily and Anna Chute in control inside. Imperials stretched their lead to 48-22 after the third quarter.

The final quarter saw Duagh rally and put pressure on Imperials. Good team basketball saw Imperials weather the storm with valuable scores coming from Ciara Costello, Saoirse McCarthy, Anna Slattery and Sophie Mitchell. Final Score 62 - 36

Scores:

Emily Flynn 13

Priya O’Donovan 11

Sophie Mitchell 8

Ciara Costello 7

Leipa Kaletkaite 6

Anna Chute 5

Ashlyn Falvey, Anna Slattery 4

Saoirse McCarthy 2

All in all a great year for all the girls who finish the league with 6 wins out of 8, the 2 losses coming in a 24 hour spell where external factors probably didn't allow us to do ourselves justice.

Since the 12 girls were selected for U14 T1 last September- 6 have been selected to the u14 South West Basketball Academy, 7 have been selected to play with Kerry u14 Football team, 3 have been selected to play with Kerry Soccer team and 1 has been selected to play with the Irish u15 soccer team. A very talented bunch of athletes and very busy parents.

The coaches and management would like to thank the girls for all their hard work and dedication. They are a credit to themselves, their families and their club. Looking forward to plenty more basketball in the years ahead.

U16 BOYS T2

Tralee Imperials 48-47 St. Bridget’s (10/03/22)

On Thursday evening we took on St Bridget’s in what turned out to be a nail biting encounter.

Conor Galvin and Johnny were prominent on offense in the first quarter and helped us to lead 11-8 at the first break.

In the second period our fast break improved and with Darragh and Conor Morrissey hitting some outside shots we led 27-23 at half time.

The 3rd quarter was very even finishing 39-35 and we stayed ahead primarily thanks to some great shooting from Will and fantastic pressure defense from Bao.

The last quarter was very tense but thanks to our defensive rebounding we just pipped our opponents by a single point to win 48-47.

The boys are improving with every game and all are still u16 again next year so there is much to look forward to.

Scorers

Conor G 11

Conor M 11

Johnny 10

Will 6

Darragh 5

Jamie 3

Ronan 2

U16 GIRLS T1

Tralee Imperials 36-43 TK Bobcats (08/03/22)

U18 BOYS T1

St. Paul’s 47–75 Tralee Imperials (13/03/22)

On Sunday 13th March we travelled to Killarney to play St Paul’s in our first game in phase 2 of the county league. Our defense was outstanding limiting our opponents to just 8 points. This along with some great scoring from Aivaras ensured we led at the end of the first 8-16.

The second quarter was a closer affair but with Cian Dillane and Jack getting more involved we extended our  lead slightly to 24-33 at halftime.

The third quarter saw Daniel and Oisin hit some great scores and with the defense increasing in intensity we pushed the score out to 34-52 at the end of the quarter.

It was great to get all players on the court which will stand to us in the long term. Aivaras had two dunks to excite the crowd and Gearoid hit a late basket as we ran out 47-75 winners at the end.

Well done to the all the  boys on a great performance.

Scorers were:

Aivaras 32

Oisin 14

Daniel 10

Cian D 10

Jack D 7

Gearoid 2

U18 GIRLS T2

Tralee Imperials 21-44 TK Cougars (09/03/22)

This was the final game of the season for the girls.

The coaches were very happy with the girls’ effort at training and how they have played all season.

MONTHLY TRAINING FEES

Monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

TRALEE WARRIORS

The Warriors had a ten-point loss away to C&S Neptune last weekend in the final game of the regular season. Warriors finished second in the Southern Conference which sets up a Superleague quarterfinal clash versus UCD Marian. This will be the last home game for Warriors taking place on Saturday 19th March with a 7.30pm tip off in Tralee Sports Complex.

U20 Warriors have their U20 National League semifinal where they too face a side from UCD Marian. The game takes place on Sunday 20th March in Oaklands College, Stillorgan, Dublin with a 3pm tip off.

Best of luck to both Warriors teams.

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CLUB NOTES 06/03/22

ACADEMY

Our Academy and u10s finish up this week for the 2021/2022 season.

Our u8s and u9s enjoyed games vs St. Brendan’s in Moyderwell on Sunday morning. This was great experience for all and thanks to Fergal and St. Brendan’s for hosting. Our Academy head coach, Caitriona, was very proud of the skill level displayed as well as the sportsmanship the players showed towards their team mates and the opposition.

JUVENILES

U12 BOYS T1

TK Cougars 35-11 Tralee Imperials (28/02/22)

Tralee Imperials 34-33 St. Mary’s (04/03/22)

Q1 Tralee Imperials 12-12 St. Mary’s

Q2 Tralee Imperials 16-14 St. Mary’s

Q3 Tralee Imperials 22-19 St. Mary’s

Q4 Tralee Imperials 25-25 St. Mary’s

OT Tralee Imperials 34-33 St. Mary’s

The boys had a fantastic game tonight against St. Mary’s. The last time the sides met it was the Castleisland side who pipped the win by a single point. Similarly, it was a single point that separated the sides tonight, this time it took three extra periods to determine the winner. Tralee Imperials winning 34-33 with an outstanding performance led by top scorer Tom Dawson (20pts) who clinched the victory with the final basket.

Scorers: Tom Dawson (20), Calum Lacey (5), Shea Bowler (3), Jack Hanlon (2), Barry O’Sullivan (2), Adam O’Brien (2)

U12 GIRLS T1

Kenmare Kestrels 14-34 Tralee Imperials (28/02/22)

A panel of nine made the journey to Kenmare tonight. Every player had a great game. Imperials took an early lead in Q1 thanks to 6 points each from Abby and Nessa. Strong defending by Taylor and Sadhbh lead to plenty of turnovers. Kenmare battled hard in a sporting game but Imperials kept their hold winning 34 to 14 in the end. Great passing and teamwork has brought the girls on leaps and bounds.

Top scorers Nessa Kirby and birthday girl Abby Crowley.

1/3/22 County League

Tralee Imperials 24-26 St. Mary's (01/03/22)

U12 Girls T1 played a thrilling game against St. Mary's tonight.

Many times throughout the match the score was even. Imperials played an amazing game and kept a strong hold throughout despite St. Mary's very strong team.

In the 3rd quarter Imperials displayed amazing defence skills.

The score was 24-24 with seconds to go. Unfortunately, St. Mary's got the winning basket just on the whistle.

Final score Tralee Imperials 24-26 St. Mary's

Top scorer: Nessa Kirby 9 points

U14 GIRLS T1

St. Mary’s 38-28 Tralee Imperials (05/03/22)

U14 T1 were away to Castleisland for the first of 2 matches this weekend. The first half was a tight affair with both defences well on top and scores at a premium.

Imperials led 13 - 7 at half time with scores coming from Emily Flynn, Sophie Mitchell, Anna Chute and Saoirse McCarthy.

The third quarter was a purple patch for Castleisland with Imperials struggling with Castleisland's full court press. Imperials ended the quarter 28 - 17 behind with Imperials scores coming from Ciara Costello and Emily Flynn.

Imperials rallied in the last quarter and played some good team basketball finally overcoming Castleisland's pressure. Scores coming from Anna O'Sullivan, Priya O'Donovan and Sophie Mitchell. The girls were never able to bridge the gap however and tired in the last few minutes. The game ended 38 - 28 to Castleisland.

Top Scorers - Sophie Mitchell 6
Saoirse McCarthy 5
Emily Flynn, Anna O Sullivan 4
Anna Chute 3
Priya O Donovan, Ciara Costello 2

Tralee Imperials 10-26 St. Paul’s (06/03/22)

The Girls were out again less than 15 hours after their loss to St. Mary's, this time against a very strong St Paul's team. Again this was a game where both defences were well on top. Strong inside defensive work from Emily Flynn and Anna O'Sullivan kept St. Paul's to 6 points in the first quarter. On the other end Imperials struggled to convert with 4 points coming from Saoirse McCarthy and Sophie Mitchell.

The second quarter was again neck and neck with Anna Chute scoring well for imperials. Half time score 10 - 8 to St Pauls.

The third quarter Imperial continued to play high pressure defence which resulted in numerous steals and turnovers. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to concert these chances and ended the quarter 16- 10 behind.

In the final quarter Imperials gave it their all and put pressure on every St Paul's ball resulting in numerous turnovers. Despite some excellent play which produced some good scoring opportunities Imperials were unable to convert. It was unfortunately one of those quarters where someone put a lid on the basket and good shot after good shot rolled around the rim and fell out. Fatigue finally caught up with the girls and St. Paul's were able to get a few late baskets on the fast break to see the match out. Final score 26 - 10.

Top scorers
Saoirse McCarthy, Anna Chute 4
Sophie Mitchell 2

A disappointing weekend of basketball for the girls but an excellent learning experience and a lot of positives for the girls to build on.

U14 GIRLS T2

St. Paul’s 28-27 Tralee Imperials (06/03/22)

Our U14 Girls Team 2 played their final league game of the season on Sunday morning against St Pauls at Kilcummin.

With narrow defeats in their recent games, both teams were looking to get back to winning ways.

Quarter 1 began well for Imperials, a strong defensive effort led by Naomi Osibodu and Katie Enright providing the foundation for some fast breaks.

Imperials got on the scoreboard early in the quarter with excellent scores from Juliette Gleeson and Caoilinn Culloo. Imperials were really limiting the St Pauls offence with some great defensive pressure. Maria Walsh and Naomi Osibodu were really to the fore during the quarter and added to the Imperials account.

Imperials with a slender 2-point lead of 10 - 8 at the end of Quarter 1.

Quarter 2 began with St Pauls taking control of the game. Imperials were really on the back foot, defending well but struggling to keep St Pauls at bay.

Grace Reilly opened the Imperials account early in the quarter after a strong run from defence. This was to be the only Imperials score of the quarter as St Pauls
exerted a massive influence on the game. St Pauls executing a full court press with Imperials struggling to overcome the pressure. St Pauls added some scores on the board to race into a 20 – 12 lead at the end of quarter 2. Imperials with everything to do to stay in the game.

In quarter 3 Imperials began to get to grips with the St Pauls threat, Imperials overcoming the press and beginning to transition at pace. Sarah Slattery opened the Imperials account with a massive score, lifting the Imperials team with a noticeable rise in volume from the strong Imperials support.

Naomi Osibodu added to the Imperials account during the quarter after a great run and fantastic layup, Naomi having the game of her life and contributing massively to the effort. With the Imperials revival gathering momentum, Caoilainn Culloo stormed into the game adding 4 to the Imperials account leaving the score line at 26 – 20 at the end of quarter 3.

When the story of the U14 Team 2 season is told, all will know that the girls are never beaten until the final whistle blows, Sunday morning was no different, the 4th quarter being a classic with both teams giving it everything, Imperials nudging their way back into contention, with both sets of supporters creating a memorable atmosphere for the girls.

Imperials also limited St Pauls to 2 during the quarter with a massive defensive effort, while creating multiple opportunities in offence.
St Pauls were also in foul trouble mid-way through the quarter with Imperials visiting the free throw line.

With 4:54 on the clock, Imperials needed something to get back in the game, the team rallied brilliantly led by Grace Reilly. Grace did what Grace does, brought the game to the opposition and lifted her teammates in the process. Grace drove continuously at the St Paul's defence creating opportunities and drawing fouls. Grace added 3 in succession from the free throw line to move Imperials within 5 of St Paul's.

Aoife O’Connell added to the Imperials account with a superb score after strong defensive work from Naomi Osibodu.

As the clock ticked down to full time, Imperials were back to the free throw line. Naomi Osibodu with the free throws and 55.4 on the clock. With the pressure at its highest, Naomi added both free throws to move Imperials to within 1 of St Pauls. The final seconds were scintillating with both teams giving it 100%. St Paul's taking the deserved win on a score line of 28 – 27.

Congratulations to St Pauls on a fantastic win and for a very enjoyable and competitive game,

Thanks as always to the Table Officials and Referee.

Thanks to the supporters of both teams who created a great atmosphere for the girls.

As the old proverb goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, that step for our U14s began on May 11th 2021, when
summer basketball began for Imperials. It’s been a fantastic journey with all of the twists and turns that we expect from the basketball season.

As the season now draws to a close, Brenda, Leanne and William would like to acknowledge this exceptional group of girls.

The girls playing 10 games in the league, winning 7 and losing the remaining 3 by a cumulative total of 4 points ( 2 + 1 +1).

As we say every week, it’s not the winning or losing that counts, it’s the team work, the effort, the application, the bond, and most of all that team spirit, that was in evidence in abundance. In this regard, the girls have been amazing. The girls have been a credit to themselves and their families and wonderful ambassadors for Tralee Imperials. We’re proud to have been part of the journey. We look forward to seeing all of the girls back on the court soon, in the Blue and White of Tralee Imperials.

A final word of thanks to KABB and our own Tralee Imperials Committee who make all of this possible.

Imperials scorers.

Caoilainn Culloo 8

Naomi Osibodu 6

Grace Reilly 5

Juliette Gleeson 3

Maria Walsh 1

Sarah Slattery 2

Aoife O’Connell 2

U16 BOYS T1

Rathmore 45-66 Tralee Imperials (06/03/22)

On Sunday 6th March we travelled to Rathmore for our fourth county league game. Due to injuries we were again shorthanded and only had five u16 players available. We were delighted to have Ruairi and Conor join us from the U14 team and they proved crucial in giving the boys some rest during the game.

We started the game very well and jumped out to an early lead with Sean Og and Tomas prominent in the first quarter. Rathmore made a comeback towards the end but we went in to the first break ahead 23-28.

William and Sean Heaslip stepped up the defense in the second quarter and with strong rebounding from Tadgh we extended our lead but with tiredness creeping in we allowed Rathmore to end the half level at 33 points apiece.

Ruairi and Conor from the U14s team were very solid in this quarter and this allowed us to rest some of our starters.

We stepped up our defense even more in the second half and only conceded 12 points in the whole half. Our fast break game was outstanding and we created a lead early in the third that we never relinquished. We led 52-41 at the end of the third quarter and saw out the game in the fourth to win 66-45. Conor got a great block near the end and Ruairi hit a jump shot to cap off a great team performance.

The boys gained great experience which will stand to them in the future.

Top scorers were:

Tomas 25

Sean Og 16

William 14

Sean H 5

Tadgh 4

Ruairi 2

U16 BOYS T2

Tralee Imperials 32-63 Tralee Tigers (03/03/22)

U18 GIRLS T2

Tralee Imperials 20-50 TK Vixens (02/03/22)

SENIORS

SENIOR LADIES

St. Brendan’s 67-26 Tralee Imperials (28/02/22)

MONTHLY TRAINING FEE

Monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

TRALEE WARRIORS

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors survived a fourth quarter scare in the local derby vs KCYMS. The Killorglin side came within 4 points of Warriors with just minutes to go but big scores from Daniel Jokubaitis secured the win for Tralee

Congratulations to the U20 Warriors and our very own Zygi Kaletka who are through to the U20 national league semifinal following a 63-67 win away to Fr. Matthew’s at the weekend.

SCHOOL ALL-IRELANDS

Congratulations to Tralee Imperials players Aisling Hanafin (u18s) and Sorcha Casey (u18s & u16s) who won u19B All Ireland final with Gael Cholaiste Chiarrai. Sorcha also just missed out on a second win in the u16B final by one point to ISK Killorglin.

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CLUB NOTES 27/02/22

ACADEMY

In to the final couple of weeks of the season. Sessions remaining for u10s 28th Feb and 7th March, and sessions remaining for Academy 3rd and 10th March.

JUVENILE

U12 GIRLS T1

Tralee Imperials 41-26 St. Anne’s (22/02/22)

U12 Girls T1 had a strong panel of 11 against St Anne's tonight.

The Imperials girls had a great 1st quarter with 4 on the score sheet 13 to 6 end of the first.

Imperials kept a strong hold throughout despite St Anne's very strong team.

Excellent team work and impressive lay ups led to a great win.

Final score 41 to 26.

Top scorer: Sophie Rybanska 11 points, Sadhbh Dowling 8 points

U16 BOYS T1

Tralee Imperials 42-56 St. Brendan’s (21/02/22)

Our u16s took on St Brendan‘s Monday night in Div 1 of the county league.

Our defense was very effective in the first quarter and behind some fine shooting from Jamie and Tadgh we ended the period tied at 10-10. The second quarter was again a cagey affair with both defenses coming out on top. We were missing three of our usual starting five and this along with tiredness started to show in the third. We fell behind by 18 at one point but pulled it back a little to end the period down 13. 29-42.

The boys put every ounce of effort in to the start of the fourth and closed the gap to 8 but Brendan’s settled and the final score was 42-56.

All the boys can be very proud of themselves and the game time experience will stand them in good stead in the long term.

Scorers:

Jamie Burke 14

Tadgh Moran 7

Sean Heaslip 7

Fionnan Ryan 6

Sam Fitzgerald 5

William O’Donoghue 3

U18 GIRLS T1

St. Mary's 52-29 Tralee Imperials (27/02/22)

SENIORS

SENIOR LADIES

Tralee Imperials 28-50 Kenmare (21/02/22)

MONTHLY TRAINING FEE

Monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

GARVEY'S TRALEE WARRIORS

Next game is the local derby in Killorglin vs KCYMS on Saturday 5th March @ 7.15pm.

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CLUB NEWS 20/02/22

ACADEMY

Our u10 Boys and Girls had a great morning in Moyderwell at the weekend. It was an action packed two hours of games against St. Brendan’s. The sides acquitted themselves very well. Well done to the teams and coaches Niamh and Erika. Thank you to Fergal and St. Brendan’s for hosting.

Midterm Break: No Academy or U10s this week (21st Feb and 24th Feb).

JUVENILES

U12 BOYS T1

A busy week of games for our boys.

St. Bridget's 30-20 Tralee Imperials (14/02/22)

St. Anne's 42-19 Tralee Imperials (18/02/22)

Q1. St. Anne's 16-2 Tralee Imperials

Q2 St. Anne's 30-10 Tralee Imperials

Q3 St. Anne's 36-10 Tralee Imperials

Q4 St. Anne's 42-19 Tralee Imperials

This was a tough game for our boys who faced the unbeaten league leaders from Currow.

Scorers: Tom Dawson, Shea Bowler & Rian Tuohy 4pts, Barry O' Sullivan & Adam O'Brien 2pts, Calum Lacey, Robaird Foley & Jayden Tshikota 1pt

St. Mary's 22-21 Tralee Imperials (20/02/22)

Q1 St. Mary's 5-2 Tralee Imperials

Q2 St. Mary's 9-8 Tralee Imperials

Q3 St. Mary's 17-17 Tralee Imperials

Q4 St. Mary's 22-21 Tralee Imperials

The boys are improving in every game and they showed that today. They all played brilliantly but were just unlucky in the end.

Scorers: Shea Bowler 9pts, Rian Tuohy & Alex O'Flaherty 4pts, Robaird Foley & Callum Lacey 2pts

U12 GIRLS T1

Tralee Imperials 31-11 St. Joseph’s (15/02/22)

U12 Girls T1 had a strong panel of 11 against St. Joseph’s.

The Imperials girls had a great 1st quarter with 3 on the score sheet 6 to 0 end of the first.

Imperials kept a strong hold throughout despite St Joseph’s best efforts.

Excellent shooting and superb team work led to a great win.

Final score 31 to 11.

Top scorers: Abby Crowley 8 points

U12 GIRLS T2

Tralee Imperials 20-12 KCYMS (19/02/22)

Well done to Tralee Imperials u12 girls who came out the victors in a tough game vs. KCYMS.

It was neck in neck in the first quarter with both teams scoring 6 points each. Imperials baskets coming from Yvie Ross, Lily Mai Bowler and Kaela Reidy.

Imperials had a strong 2nd quarter scoring 4 points to KCYMS no score. Baskets coming from Olivia Crean and Ava Flaherty.

Imperials took off in the 3rd quarter with 3 baskets from Lily Mai, and a basket each for Roisin Reidy and Sarah Slattery, keeping KCYMS scoreless in this quarter.

Imperials worked incredibly hard but a lot of their baskets didn't drop and KCYMS showed great defence. KCYMS came back in the last quarter keeping Imperials scoreless and scoring 6 points themselves.

Final score Tralee Imperials 20 KCYMS 12.

This was a great team effort and this game will definitely stand to the girls. All players worked extremely hard on the court.

Well done girls.

U14 BOYS T1

Rathmore Ravens 36-23 Tralee Imperials (20/02/22)

Q1 Rathmore 13-2 Tralee Imperials

Q2 Rathmore 29-4 Tralee Imperials

Q3 Rathmore 34-16 Tralee Imperials

Q4 Rathmore 36-23 Tralee Imperials

Tralee found it hard to settle into the game with Rathmore having a significant height advantage and were trailing 29 points to 4 at halftime. The boys worked hard in the second half with some very good defence from Eoghan Crowley and Rodhan Culloo causing a few turnovers and helping Tralee get some badly needed scores on the board. Unfortunately, the 25 point margin at half-time was too much to make up and they were chasing the game throughout.

They played really well in both quarters of the second half and will have learned a lot from this game on how to play to their strengths that will benefit them in their next fixture.

Scorers: Ruairi Kennedy 7, Conor McGibney 6, Eoghan Crowley & Justin O Halloran 4, Eoghan Murphy 2.

U14 GIRLS T1

TK Cougars 16-56 Tralee Imperials (15/02/22)

U14 Girls T1 made it 5 from 5 tonight with a good win against TK Cougars played in Killarney. It was a great team performance with all 9 players getting on the score sheet.

Quarter 1: Imperials started the game strong with Leipa Kaletkaite and Priya O’Donovan standing out for Imperials combining for 14 of Imperials 18 in the quarter. Score 18 - 2

The second quarter saw Imperials go with a smaller lineup which paid dividends on the fast break thanks to excellent defensive play from Saoirse McCarthy who had 5 steals in the quarter. Top scorers in this quarter were Anna Slattery and Sophie Mitchell. Half time score 32- 10

Third Quarter: Imperials continued to control the game through strong rebounding from Anna’O Sullivan and Ciara Costello who set Anna Chute and Ashlyn Falvey up for numerous fast break scores. Score: 46 - 10

The final quarter saw Priya O'Donovan take over on the offensive end hitting shots from inside and outside. Continued defensive allowed Imperials to see out the match with all the girls getting good playing minutes. Final Score: 56 - 16

Scorers:
Priya O’Donovan 12
Sophie Mitchell 10
Leipa Kaletkaite, Anna O’Sullivan 8
Anna Slattery, Ashlyn Falvey 6
Anna Chute, Ciara Costello, Saoirse McCarthy 2

U14 Girls T1 delighted to have J.F. Flynn Construction Ltd. as team sponsors.

The U14 Girls were delighted to receive their team shooting and training tops kindly sponsored by J.F. Flynn Construction. John and Michelle have been great supporters of ladies teams in Tralee for a number of years and their generous support is greatly appreciated.

U14 GIRLS T2

Tralee Imperials 23-24 TK Bobcats (16/02/22)

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on Wednesday evening at CBS The Green against TK Bobcats. Imperials were looking to maintain their good form with 7 wins from 8 on the board.

The game was a close encounter with scores at a premium, and both defences on top. Imperials began the game under pressure from a TK Bobcats side that were breaking fast. Katie Enright was having a great quarter for Imperials with multiple defensive rebounds and strong carries.

Katie and Abbey Stephenson combined well, and found Maria Walsh in space to open the Imperials account. Juliette Gleeson added to the Imperials score line with a great finish, after collecting an offensive rebound. 

TK Bobcats with a narrow 6 – 4 lead at the end of quarter 1.

The 2nd quarter began well for TK Bobcats who were defending well and transitioning at pace. They added some early scores on the board to give them a slender advantage. Imperials responded as they always do with good team work and 100% effort. Strong running from Grace Reilly found Aoife O’Connell with Aoife duly obliging. Grace followed up with a brilliant effort after a great run from deep. Caoilinn Culloo was working hard and added a brilliant score, giving Imperials the advantage as the quarter progressed. The final score of the quarter fell to Grace Reilly, who finished well, after great work by Keelin Reidy.

The sides all square at 12 – 12 at the end of quarter 2.

Quarter 3 again began well for TK Bobcats with Imperials struggling to cope with the sustained pressure. Bobcats added to the scoreboard to move into the lead, and put some distance between the teams. Imperials were working hard and creating opportunities, but the final shots just not sticking.

Grace Reilly opened the Imperials account with a great layup after strong defensive work. Grace again added to the Imperials account moments later, after great work by Maria O’Connell. The final score of the quarter fell to Amber Ryan who carried magnificently and finished in style.

TK Bobcats continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over and extended the lead to 4. TK Bobcats with a 22 – 18 lead at the end of quarter 3.

The 4th quarter was end to end basketball with strong defensive work from both teams. Scores were again at a premium with both sides finding it difficult to finish. Sarah Slattery opened the Imperials account in quarter 4 with a brilliant long range effort, moving Imperials to within 2 of the opposition. TK Bobcats again capitalised on a fast break and extended the advantage to 4, late in the quarter. With a score line of 24 – 20 entering the final minutes, Imperials rallied. Sarah Slattery carried well and drew the foul. Sarah added 1 from the free throw line to reduce the deficit to 3. Aoife O’Connell added a great basket for the home side with a brilliant effort, after sustained Imperials pressure.

A score line of 24 – 23 with 1:22 on the clock. Imperials mounted attack after attack but great defensive work from Bobcats kept them at bay. Imperials got the final shot off with 2.2 seconds on the clock but it was not to be, TK Bobcats took the win on a final score line of 24-23.

Congratulations to TK Bobcats on a great win and for a very enjoyable and competitive game.

Thanks as always to our wonderful Table Officials and Referee.

Thanks to the supporters of both teams who were fantastic on the night.

The management team of Brenda, Leanne and William were proud of the girls performance, the girls giving it everything, and always supporting each other on the court and from the bench.

Imperials scorers.

Grace Reilly            8

Aoife O’Connell       4

Sarah Slattery         3

Maria Walsh            2

Caoilainn Culloo        2

Amber Ryan            2

Juliette Gleeson      2

SENIORS

Senior Men Div 1

St. Brendan’s 62 – 55 Tralee Imperials (20/02/22)

MONTHLY TRAINING FEE

Monthly training fees for juvenile (u12-u18) and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS

It was a full house for Warriors final game of the regular season before playoffs. They had a 93-79 win over NUIG Maree. There is an international break next weekend and Tralee Imperials would like to wish the Irish team, especially Warrior Eoin Quigley, the best of luck in their Eurobasket Pre-Qualifiers. Next game for Warriors is away to local rivals KCYMS on 5th March.

IRISH TEAM

Congratulations to Aivaras Uosis on his selection on the panel of 16 for the Irish U18 Men’s team.

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CLUB NEWS 13/02/22

ACADEMY

Our u10s had a fantastic evening playing St. Brendan’s boys and girls. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the Complex as the children got their first taste of playing games against opposition. Future Warriors in the making.

Academy and u10s will be taking a break in line with the school midterms (21st and 24th Feb).

JUVENILE

U12 Boys T2

Tralee Imperials 11-23 St. Mary’s

Q1 6-6

Q2 0-10

Q3 10-13

Q4 11-23

The team welcomed back head coach Henrique to training on Tuesday. Despite the loss, the coaches can see huge improvements in the boys and are looking forward to more games.

U12 Girls T1

Tralee Imperials 47-16 Kenmare Kestrels

U12 Girls T1 had a strong panel of 11 against Kenmare Kestrels.

The Imperials girls had a great 1st quarter with all 5 on the score sheet 18 to 4 end of the first.

Imperials kept a strong hold throughout despite Kenmare coming into the game in each quarter.

Excellent layups and rebounding stood to the girls and a low fouling game showed great improvements particularly when they have not played a game since December.

Final score 47-16.

Top scorers: Sofia Rybanska 10 pts, Sarah Chute 8 pts

U12 Girls T2

There was great excitement this week in training when Eleanor from Sandy Feet Farm presented the team with their new hoodies. Thank you to Sandy Feet Farm for their generous sponsorship. The girls are absolutely delighted with the new gear.

U14 Girls T1

St. Mary's 20-71 Tralee Imperials

U14 Girls T1 continued their winning form with a good win against St. Mary’s in Castleisland Community Centre.

Imperials were quick out of the traps with Priya O Donovan and Saoirse McCarthy scoring well. 1st quarter score 6 - 16 to Imperials.

The second quarter saw Imperials stretch their lead with Emily Flynn and Ciara Costello in control under the boards and Anna Chute hitting shot after shot from distance. Half time 9 - 35

The third quarter saw Imperials pick up the pace taking advantage of their dominance under the boards to set up good team fast break scores. It was great to see selfless play from all the girls making the right passes at the right time to result in easy finishes. Scores coming this quarter from Anna O'Sullivan, Sophie Mitchell and Ciara Costello. Score after 3rd Quarter 15 - 51

The final quarter saw Imperials continue to score well through Priya O Donovan, Anna O Sullivan and Sophie Mitchell. Unfortunately, Emily Flynn who was having a huge game with 10 rebounds and 7 points suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the match. We wish Emily a speedy recovery.

It was a great team performance by all the girls. Final score St. Mary's Castleisland 20 - 71 Tralee Imperials

Scorers:
Priya O'Donovan 24
Anna Chute, Anna O Sullivan 12
Emily Flynn 7
Ciara Costello, Sophie Mitchell 6
Saoirse McCarthy 4

U18 Girls T1

TK Bobcats 49-42 Tralee Imperials

The u18 div 1 girls played Team Kerry Bobcats in the fifth round league game in Cumann Iosaef on Tuesday February 8th in the Div 1&2 league.

Imperials after a tough weekend of National Cup games were slow to start this game and were 21-8 to TK Bobcats at the end of the first quarter.

TK Bobcats Ella Quirke made a number of shots with the Imperials looking sluggish in defence and failing to capitalise in transition.

Lauren Smullen and Niamh Collins kept Imperials in touch with some fine outside shots leaving the score at half time 33-18 to TK Bobcats.

Tralee Imperials changed up the defence man to man and Holly O'Brien worked superbly on the floor throughout this quarter to get herself two nice floaters and bringing herself to the free throw line where she gained some additional scores.

The score at the end of the quarter was 35-29 to TK Bobcats.

The Imperials girls hustled well throughout the last quarter with Clodagh Murray rebounding well under the boards and Grace Lucid and Aisling Ni Ainifein making their outside shots.

The final score was 49-42 to TK Bobcats.

Top Scorers:
Niamh Collins 13, Holly O'Brien 11, Aisling Ni Ainiféin 6

SENIORS

Senior Ladies

St. Joseph’s 74-22 Tralee Imperials

MONTHLY TRAINING FEE

Monthly training fees for juvenile and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS

It was a busy weekend for the Warriors. On Saturday the Warriors continued their impressive form at home defeating Ballincollig 94-90 in the Complex. This stopped the Cork side's unbeaten run. Less than 24 hours later the Warriors took on the same side in Ballincollig. This time it was Ballincollig the winners 79-74.

Up next for Garvey’s Tralee Warriors is Maree BC on Saturday 19th February @ 7.30pm. This will be Warriors final home game of the regular season so be sure to get your ticket and support the team.

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CLUB NOTES 06/02/22

ACADEMY

Our U10s will get their first taste of matches against opposition when they welcome St. Brendan’s to the Complex this Monday (6th Feb). This will be the boys and girls first opportunity to represent the club and put all the work they have done in training in to action.

JUVENILE

U12 Boys T1 01/02/22

Tralee Imperials 21-38 Rathmore Ravens

Q1 Tralee Imperials 4-12 Rathmore Ravens

Q2 Tralee Imperials 11-24 Rathmore Ravens

Q3 Tralee Imperials 15-29 Rathmore Ravens

Q4 Tralee Imperials 21-38 Rathmore Ravens

Top scorers: Tom Dawson (10pts), Barry O’Sullivan (4pts), Calum Lacey (4pts)

Thank you to Warriors player, Brandon Cotton, who made a guest appearance at one of the team’s training sessions this week. He also brought the Pat Duffy Cup with him which the boys were delighted to get to see up close.

U12 Boys T2 06/02/22

TK Bobcats 40-9 Tralee Imperials

The boys played their second game of the season today.

Tralee Imperials started strong demonstrating great composure and rebounding dominance. As the game progressed however the Ballymac home side took control of the game and unfortunately it was too much for our boys.

There was massive heart shown by the whole team with everyone getting valuable game time and experience. There were some nice scores with the odd swish or two from 'downtown'.

The team look forward to welcoming back coach Henrique this week who returns just in time for a busy run of games.

U14 Boys T1 04/02/22

Kenmare Kestrels 39-37 Tralee Imperials

Q1 Kenmare 14-4 Tralee Imperials

Tralee were slow to settle into the flow of the game despite some excellent defence by Eoghan Crowley.

Q2 Kenmare 20-14 Tralee Imperials

Imperials got going in the 2nd quarter with some lovely scores from Conor McGibney and Jamie O'Keeffe they outscored the home side 11 pts to 6 to leave 6 between them at the half.

Q3 Kenmare 27-22 Tralee Imperials

Again imperials outscored the home side with good performances from Rodhan Culloo and Jack Conway Tralee were fighting hard for the comeback in a game they just couldn't seem to pull ahead in.

Q4 Kenmare 39-37 Tralee Imperials

A very fast 4th quarter with both sides trading basket for basket after a fantastic 2 then a 3 from Ruairi Kennedy the game was level with about 1 minute left on the clock. A final quick thinking score from Kenmare saw the home side come away with the win with just 2 pts the winning margin. Each of the boys can be very proud of their performance and they gave it their all.

Scorers: Conor McGibney 18, Ruairi Kennedy 7, Jamie O'Keeffe, Luke Gannon, Rodhan Culloo 3, Jack Conway 2 and Oran O' Donoghue 1.

U14 Girls T2 04/02/22

St. Colman’s Rockets 21-23 Tralee Imperials

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on Friday evening at Milltown Basketball Hall against St Colman's Rockets. It was a fantastic evening for all involved, as for the first time in weeks we welcomed supporters back to the game. The girls have missed them, we’ve missed them and it’s great to have them back. For everyone present, they witnessed a thriller, with both teams producing the most exciting game of the season, end to end basketball that had everything, and most importantly 2 teams giving it everything.

Imperials began the game strongly, bucking the trend of recent games. Niamh Fitzgibbon was to the fore as usual, with her strong running and defensive work. Imperials opened the scoring in the game, an inbound from Maria Walsh finding Naomi Osibodu with Naomi finishing in style. Another great run from Niamh Fitzgibbon found Katie Enright under the basket, with Katie completing the finish. At this time St Colman's Rockets began to get momentum and followed with some scores on the board. The final score of the quarter for Imperials fell to Maria Walsh, a brilliant effort finished superbly, after great work by Aobh Cronin. Imperials with a 6-5 lead at the end of quarter 1.

The 2nd quarter began with St Colman's Rockets to the fore. Imperials were creating chances but not applying the finish, with St Colman's defence on top.
St Colman's Rockets secured the opening baskets of the quarter to race into an early lead. Evelyn Moriarty opened the Imperials account with a great score, Evelyn collecting an offensive rebound and finishing superbly. Grace Reilly was leading the charge for Imperials, and after a great run, offloaded to Aoife O’Connell with Aoife finishing from distance. Clodagh Burke and Juliette Gleeson were combining well, with Imperials beginning to create opportunities. Evelyn Moriarty added 1 from the free throw line, Evelyn having a big impact on the quarter for Imperials. The final score of the quarter fell to Aoife O’Connell, a great run and finish from Aoife, ensuring the sides went to the half time break all square.

Quarter 3 opened with both defences on top. Amber Ryan and Maria O’Connell were strong on defence for Imperials. The opening score of the quarter came from Keelin Reidy. A great steal from Abbey Stephenson and an offload to Keelin deep inside her own half. Keelin carried magnificently and finished under pressure. A brilliant score from Keelin, keeping Imperials in touch. Scores were again at a premium for both teams during the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, Imperials rallied with an exceptional collective team effort led by Grace Reilly. Grace secured the last 2 baskets of the quarter to nudge Imperials in front. Both scores from under the basket after offensive rebounds. Imperials with a slender 19-17 lead at the end of quarter 3.

With a slender 19-17 Imperials lead, the scene was set for an epic final quarter and both teams did not disappoint. St Colman's Rockets were quick off the mark in quarter 4 with strong running and fast breaks. Imperials were defending well, but finding it difficult to get scores on the board. Lauren Foley was working hard for Imperials and defending brilliantly. Maria Walsh and Juliette Gleeson were combining well and creating opportunities. St Colman's Rockets added to the scoreboard midway through the quarter, to move into a 21-19 lead. The introduction of Naomi Osibodu steadied the Imperials defence. A strong defensive rebound from Naomi, and a fast break and offload to Aoife O’Connell, with Aoife finishing under pressure. The teams locked on the scoreboard at 21-21 with 3:12 on the clock. Both teams were in foul trouble late in the quarter, with both sides visiting the free throw line. With 1:33 on the clock, Abbey Stephenson carried and drew the foul from the Rockets defence. Abbey to the free throw line with the sides all square at 21-21. Abbey slotted shot number 1 to the delight of the Imperials supporters and bench. Could she finish the 2nd to make it a 2 point game. The answer was a definitive yes, Abbey scoring the 2nd shot to give Imperials the lead at 23-21. The final moments of the match were scintillating. St Colman's Rockets in the ascendency putting massive pressure on the Imperials defence. Imperials hold out on a final score line of 23-21.

Thanks to St Colman's Rockets for a very enjoyable, sporting and competitive game. Thanks as always to the Table Officials and Referee.
The girls and Management team would like to wish Penny Costello a speedy recovery from injury and look forward to having her back on the court.

All were delighted when Penny joined the team on the bench for the game, Penny bringing the enthusiasm she always brings to the team!
The management team of Brenda, Leanne and William were delighted with the win, but more importantly the never give up attitude of the girls.

We look forward to the coming weeks and the undoubted twists and turns that the season will bring.

Imperials scorers.

Aoife O’Connell 6

Grace Reilly 4

Evelyn Moriarty 3

Naomi Osibodu 2

Katie Enright 2

Maria Walsh 2

Abbey Stephenson 2

Keelin Reidy 2

U16 Boys T2 03/02/22

Tralee Imperials 37-30 St. Colman’s

Tralee Imperials trailed by 2pts at half time but a strong third quarter saw the home side outscore their opposition 16-7 which ultimately secured victory for Imperials.

Q1 Tralee Imperials 5-8 St. Colman’s

Q2 Tralee Imperials 14-16 St. Colman’s

Q3 Tralee Imperials 30-23 St. Colman’s

Q4 Tralee Imperials 37-30 St. Colman’s

Top scorers: Conor Morrissey (8pts), Conor Galvin (6pts), Johnny Dawson (5pts)

06/02/22

St. Joseph's 43-40 Tralee Imperials

It was a close game in Duagh with Tralee Imperials losing out by just 3pts.

U18 Boys 01/02/22

St. Brendan’s 51-53 Tralee Imperials

In what was by all accounts a nail biter of a game, with the score close throughout, it was Tralee Imperials who clinched the win against local rivals, St. Brendan’s.

U18 Girls T2 02/02/22

Tralee Imperials 30-41 Rathmore Ravens

NATIONAL CUP

Tralee Imperials faced some tough competition in the U18 Girls National Cup Qualifiers in Parochial Hall, Cork against Brunell and Waterford Wildcats. Our girls put up a great battle on the court but ultimately the opposition was too strong. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the trip with the day full of laughter with the friends they have made and played with all the way through the underage ranks. The coaching and management team of Tomas, Caitriona and Niamh are very proud of the girls attitudes and the effort they put in every week. Thank you to Lee Strand for their sponsorship.

MONTHLY TRAINING FEE

Monthly training fees for juvenile and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the Club Shop on the website https://www.traleeimperials.ie/products

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS

The Complex was buzzing on Saturday evening to see National Cup Champions Warriors in action at home for the first time in 2022. The Fanzone cheered on the Warriors, while the Pat Duffy Cup was in demand for photo opportunities. Well done to Tralee Imperials Academy member Oisin who was successful with his free throw at halftime.

Congratulations to our Chairperson and Warriors head coach, John Dowling, on his Superleague Coach of the Month award for January.

Daniel Jokubaitis had a very successful January as he added a Superleague Player of the Month to his MVP award in the cup final.

Up next is a double header of a weekend for Warriors vs Ballincollig – at home on Saturday 12th Feb @5pm and away on Sunday 13th Feb @3pm.

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CLUB NOTES 31/01/22

ACADEMY

Academy is back up and running after the Christmas break. It returned just in time for our young players to cheer on their Warrior coaches before the National Cup final and everybody was delighted to welcome the Pat Duffy cup to training last Thursday. The cup was admired and passed around with plenty of opportunities to get photos with it.

JUVENILES

U12 Boys T1

Tralee Imperials 61-4 KCYMS

28/01/22

Our u12 boys had a comprehensive victory over KCYMS.

There were some impressive scores with four Tralee Imperials hitting double figures - Tom Dawson (17pts), Jack Hanlon (14pts), Callum Lacey (12pts) and Rían Tuohy (10pts).

While the game wasn’t as competitive as either team would have wanted, the game was played in good spirits and all players got invaluable court time after the long Christmas break.

Tralee Imperials would like to thank Roy Bowler and Sandy Feet Farm for their sponsorship of the team shooting tops which were also presented to the players on the night.

U12 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 38-17 St. Colman’s

18/01/22

Tralee started off with a very good first quarter with baskets from Yvie Ross, Lily Mai Bowler and Holly Costello leading on score line of 10 points to 2.

An excellent second quarter with baskets from Olivia Crean, Sarah Slattery, Roisín Reidy and Ava Flaherty ending the 2nd quarter with a score line 30 points to 2.

Milltown came back in the third quarter scoring 7 baskets to our 4 baskets-scores coming Sarah and Roisín again.

The final quarter was closely fought with Milltown scoring 8 points to Imperials 4-Holly and Ava.

Final score lines Tralee Imperials 38 and Milltown 17.

Top scorers for Imperials were Sarah Slattery, Olivia Crean, Ava Flaherty and Lily Mai Bowler. Well done girls ye are improving with every game.

Tralee Imperials 31-18 St. Paul’s

29/01/22

Tralee had a very good first quarter with Holly Costello getting one of her free shots in along with Lily Mai Bowler getting two nice baskets. Holly got another basket along with a basket from Blaithin Casey.
End of first quarter Tralee Imperials 9 St. Paul's 2.

Second quarter was neck and neck with Tralee working hard scoring 10 points to St. Pauls 8 points. Ava Flaherty scoring 3 baskets and Roisin Reidy and Sarah Slattery getting a basket each.

Half time score Tralee Imperials 19 St. Paul's 10.

All players gave 100% throughout all the quarter with both offence and defence. The 3rd quarter Tralee continued their good lead, Tralee Imperials 10 St. Paul's 4. Baskets again from Lily Mai and Sarah.

Final quarter was another exciting quarter with each player trying their best. This was really a team performance and each player has really come on so much and always eager to play and contribute to the game. 4th quarter Tralee Imperials 2 St. Paul's 4.

Final score Tralee Imperials 31 St. Paul's 18.

Well done girls.

U14 Boys T1

Tralee Imperials 11-47 St Brendan’s (White)

22/01/22

Q1 Imperials 2 St Brendan’s 15

Q2 Imperials 7 St Brendan’s 25

Q3 lmperials 10 St Brendan’s 33

Q4 Imperials 11 St Brendan’s 47

Luke Gannon opened the scoring for Imperials in the first quarter in a game they found difficult to settle into. They found a bit of form in the second with Ruairi Kennedy hitting a nice 3 followed by basket and a free throw which left the score 25 -7 to St Brendan’s at the half. A few nice cuts by Imperials didn't pay off on the scoresheet for them and they found difficulty dealing with the press from St. Brendan’s in the fourth quarter and only managed 1 point in the quarter. Darragh Field was the stand out player for Imperials with some very good offensive rebounding as well as hard work on defence and the only score from the free throw line in the fourth.

Scorers: Luke Gannon 5, Ruairi Kennedy 5 & Darragh Field 1.

U14 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 32-27 St. Bridget’s

22/01/22

Our U14 Imperials Girls Team 2 continued their season on Saturday morning at CBS The Green against a strong St Bridget’s team.
Imperials coming into the game with a run of 3 straight wins and 6 from 7 overall.
Imperials got off to a slow start in quarter 1 and were finding the St Bridget’s running game difficult to contain. St Bridget’s were well on top and secured a number of baskets to race into an early 8 – 0 lead midway through the quarter. Late in the quarter Imperials began to stem the St Bridget’s tide with some good work from Maria Walsh and Penny Costello. As the quarter drew to a close, Clodagh Burke found Caoilainn Culloo, with Caoilainn attacking the defence. Caoilainn found Katie Enright in space with Katie finishing brilliantly. With support from the Imperials bench getting louder, Imperials were slowly starting to influence the game. Katie Enright with a great steal and run, drew the foul from the St Bridget’s defence. Katie added both shots from the free throw line, bringing her excellent training ground shooting form to the court. St Bridget’s with a 10-4 lead at the end of quarter 1. Imperials with everything to do to get back in the game.

The 2nd quarter began with end to end basketball and Niamh Fitzgibbon involved in everything. Imperials opened the scoring in the quarter with a great effort from Grace Reilly. Niamh Fitzgibbon with a great run offloaded to Grace Reilly with Grace making no mistake. Imperials had really tightened up the defence at this point, with maximum pressure being applied to the St Bridget’s offence. Grace Reilly followed up with a brilliant individual score from deep inside her own half, a great steal, strong run and customary layup from Grace, noticeably raising the volume levels from the Imperials bench. A brilliant score that lifted the team! Evelyn Moriarty was also really to the fore at this time with some great transitional play. With Imperials now exerting strong pressure, Grace, Aoife O’Connell and Juliette Gleeson combined brilliantly with Juliette providing the finish. Juliette followed up moments later with another great score, after great work by Grace Reilly and Evelyn Moriarty. Juliette was again on hand to finish the quarter strongly for Imperials, a great run by Niamh Fitzgibbon found Juliette under the basket with Juliette again obliging. A strong 2nd quarter giving Imperials a 14 – 12 lead at the end of quarter 2. The narrowest of margins separating the sides after a great defensive effort by both teams.

The 3rd quarter was again a huge defensive effort from Imperials with scores at an absolute premium during the quarter, both teams struggling to get through the respective defensive guards. Amber Ryan and Maria O’Connell covered every inch of the CBS court during the quarter with their efforts contributing to limiting the Bridget’s offence. Imperials were in foul trouble early in the quarter with Bridget’s adding 1 from the free throw line. Imperials improved their defensive discipline late in the quarter and limited their opponents to 3 points in total. Sarah Slattery opened the Imperials account in quarter 3 with a fantastic long range effort. Sarah and Naomi Osibodu were both exceptionally strong on defensive rebounds during the quarter. They also combined well for Imperials final score of the quarter, a defensive rebound and fast break providing the platform for a great score from Naomi. Abbey Stephenson also contributed hugely for Imperials during the quarter. Abbey continuing her excellent run of form from recent games. Imperials with a narrow lead of 18 – 15 at the end of quarter 3.

With a score line of 18-15 going into Quarter 4, both teams knew that this was all to play for. Imperials needing a strong start to try and maintain their slender lead. The opening score of the quarter was a brilliant effort from Aoife O’Connell, a defence splitting pass from Grace Reilly, providing the space needed for Aoife to finish superbly. Imperials were again under defensive pressure during the quarter, strong work from Aobh Cronin and Keelin Reidy minimising the impact of the Bridget’s offence. Imperials kept the scoreboard ticking over in the early minutes of the quarter, Keelin Reidy with the steal of the game finding Grace Reilly in space with Grace adding to the Imperials account. Grace was again on target moments later with a great score from under the basket. Juliette Gleeson continued the upward Imperials momentum by finishing from close range. Juliette and Aoife O’Connell were having a huge impact on the quarter at this time and were a handful for the St Bridget’s defence. Grace Reilly was again to the fore late in the quarter, Grace finding Aoife O’Connell with Aoife finishing from close range. As quarter 4 drew to a close, the momentum again shifted to St Bridget’s. With Bridget’s in the ascendency and adding some scores on the board, Imperials defended with everything. The introduction of Abbey Stephenson and Sarah Slattery giving Imperials the impetus to push on and close out the game. Imperials added the last 2 baskets of the game, the first a strong run from Grace Reilly and a great layup. The final score of the quarter again fell to Grace Reilly. Grace unstoppable under the basket collected an offensive rebound and finished with the minimum of fuss. Imperials securing the win on a final score of 32 – 27.

The management team of Brenda, Leanne and William are delighted with the progress of the team, the girls giving 100% all of the time and working hard for each other on the court. All of the girls got valuable game time, with the girls training room efforts clearly visible on the court.

A huge thanks to St Bridget’s for a sporting and enjoyable game. Thanks as always to our table officials and referees.

Imperials Scorers.

Grace Reilly 12
Juliette Gleeson 8
Katie Enright 4
Aoife O’Connell 4
Sarah Slattery 2
Naomi Osibodu 2

U18 Boys

24/01/22

Tralee Imperials 64-46 St. Joseph’s

U18 Girls T2

26/01/22

Tralee Imperials 40-32 St. Brendan’s

NATIONAL CUP

U18 Boys travelled to Cork to compete in the Billy Coffey National Cup Qualifiers. It was a tough day for our boys with losses against Cavan Lakers (22-51), Ballincollig BC (34-61) and Waterford Vikings (28-46). Thank you to Lee Strand and Leahy Construction for team sponsorship.

U18 Girls will travel to Cork this coming weekend (5th February) for their National Cup Qualifiers. Games in Parochial Hall @12.30 vs Supervalu Singleton Brunell and @17.30 vs Waterford Wildcats. Wishing the girls all the best. Once again, thank you to team sponsors, Lee Strand.

SENIORS

Senior Ladies

23/01/22

St. Paul’s 78-35 Tralee Imperials

31/01/22

Tralee Imperials 23-45 Gneeveguilla 2

TRAINING FEES

Monthly training fees for juvenile and senior teams can be paid online via ClubZap app or the club shop on the website www.traleeimperials.ie

Any queries email imperialsbc@gmail.com

WARRIORS

Congratulations to Garvey’s Tralee Warriors on their National Cup win over Neptune BC. It was a fantastic result for basketball in Tralee which continues to go from strength to strength. Attention now turns to the Super league and the first home game of 2022 – 5th February @ 5pm vs Moycullen BC – Let’s Go Warriors!

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CLUB NOTES 16/01/22

Academy

Academy and U10s return to training after the Christmas break (week commencing 17/01/22). U10s take place Monday 5-6pm in Tralee Sports Complex and Academy is on Thursday 6-7pm in Kerry Sports Academy @ MTU.

JUVENILES

U14 Boys T1

St. Bridget’s 64-27 Tralee Imperials

The boys got back after the Christmas break with an away game to St. Bridget's in Castleisland .

Q1: St Bridget's 14-10 Tralee Imperials

They started the first quarter well with nice plays from Conor McGibney and Jack Conway. They traded baskets and it was separated by 4 pts at the break.

Q2: St. Bridget's 32-12 Tralee Imperials

St Bridget’s dominated this quarter with their strong drives to the basket outscoring the visitors 18pts to 2.

Q3: St Bridget's 48-19 Tralee Imperials

The Tralee side continued to struggle under the boards and had a few unfortunate misses from layups that they needed to make a difference to the scoreboard. They never gave up.

Q4: St Bridget's 64-27 Tralee Imperials

Tralee fought hard but it just wasn't there day in the end.

Scorers: Conor McGibney 14, Eoghan Crowley 3, Filip Rybansky, Jamie O'Keeffe, Jack Conway Nathan Hill O'Shea, Saad Abdalla 2.

U14 Girls T1

Ballybunion Wildcats 21-45 Tralee Imperials

The U14 Girls T1 got their 2022 season up and running with an away win in Ballybunion this morning. With it being over 1 month since the girls last game they were understandably rusty at times but a dominating performance under the boards by Emily Flynn, Anna O'Sullivan and Priya O'Donovan ensured the girls continued their form and are now 3 wins from 3 in the league.

Imperials started strong with Anna Chute and Sophie Mitchell combining for 10 points in the first quarter helping imperials to an 11 to 2 lead at the end of the first.

The second quarter was more of the same for Imperials with strong defence from Leipa Kalekaite and Priya O'Donovan resulting in some good fast break scores for Ashlyn Falvey and Anna Slattery. Half time score 27 - 5

The third quarter was a closer affair with the long layoff showing at times with some sloppy play from the girls. Strong play from Emily Flynn and Ciara Costello ensured Imperials kept the scoreboard ticking. End of third Imperials lead 35 - 12.

Imperials remained in control for the final quarter with Priya O'Donovan providing quality assists for Anna Slattery, Anna O‘Sullivan and Sophie Mitchell who all got score on the board. Final Score Tralee Imperials 45 Ballybunion Wildcats 21.

Scorers:
Priya O'Donovan 10
Sophie Mitchell 8
Ashlyn Falvey, Anna Chute, Ciara Costello 6
Anna Slattery 4
Emily Flynn 3
Anna O'Sullivan 2

U14 Girls T2

Ballybunion Wildcats 38-40 Tralee Imperials

Our U14 Imperials Girls Team 2 had their opening game of 2022 against Ballybunion Wildcats at Ballybunion Community Centre on Sunday afternoon. The game was an absolute thriller, with the result in doubt right down to the final seconds. A fantastic sporting game of basketball between 2 committed teams.

Ballybunion Wildcats started the game strongly, executing fast breaks and creating multiple opportunities. Imperials were on the back foot defensively for much of the quarter. Maria Walsh and Naomi Osidobu were working hard offensively for Imperials, however scores were at a premium during the quarter. Niamh Fitzgibbon, Aobh Cronin and Caoilainn Culloo all contributed to a strong Imperials defensive effort limiting Wildcats to 8 during the quarter. Maria Walsh opened the Imperials account late in the quarter with a great score. Ballybunion Wildcats with a convincing 8-2 lead at the end of quarter 1.

During Quarter 2 Imperials began to get to grips with the Wildcats threat. Imperials were again defending well with Juliette Gleeson and Penny Costello working hard. Grace Reilly opened the Imperials account in quarter 2. Juliette Gleeson followed up with a great score, Juliette being particularly impressive under the basket. Sarah Slattery followed up with a great long range score after good work by Penny Costello. Grace Reilly continued the Imperials comeback with a brilliant effort after a great run. Aoife O’ Connell stormed into the game in the final minutes of quarter 2. 2 great long range baskets from Aoife finished brilliantly. In the final seconds of the quarter, Aoife again got to the basket after a trademark strong drive from defence and finished with a great layup. 3 fantastic baskets from Aoife giving Imperials a narrow 16 – 14 lead at the end of quarter 2.

Quarter 3 began well for Imperials. Maria O’Connell and Abbey Stephenson were immense in defence with Keelin Reidy combining well in transition. The opening minutes of the quarter belonged to Grace Reilly. Grace attacked the basket time after time with runs from deep, causing consternation in the Wildcats defence. Grace scoring 8 points in the opening minutes of the quarter and extending the Imperials lead. Aoife O’Connell was again to the fore in this quarter with 3 great baskets. The score of the quarter came from Keelin Reidy, a brilliant bucket shot from Keelin bringing the loudest cheer of the game from the Imperials bench. A fantastic 18 points from Imperials during this quarter, extending the Imperials lead to 34 – 28 at the end of quarter 3.

With a slender 6 point lead, Imperials knew that this would go right down to the wire in quarter 4. Both teams did not disappoint with a fantastic 4th quarter. Juliette Gleeson with 4 points and Caoilainn Culloo with 2 points kept the scoreboard ticking over for Imperials. Katie Enright, Evelyn Moriarty and Amber Ryan all contributing to a fantastic team effort during the quarter keeping the Wildcats offence at bay. With a scoreline of 40 – 38 and 11 seconds on the clock, Wildcats mounted a final attack but Imperials defended brilliantly and took the win.

A huge thanks to Ballybunion Wildcats for a very sporting and enjoyable game. Thanks as always to the referee and table officials.
Well done to the Imperials Girls on a great win. All of the Imperials Girls got game time with everyone contributing to the result.
The management team of Brenda, Leanne and William are particularly delighted with the team effort and application and are looking forward to the weeks ahead.

Imperials Scorers

Grace Reilly 14
Aoife O’Connell 12
Juliette Gleeson 6
Caoilinn Culloo 2
Sarah Slattery 2
Keelin Reidy 2
Maria Walsh 2

U18 Girls T2

St. Colman’s 30-36 Tralee Imperials

Our U18 Girls Team 2 opened there 2022 season against St Colman’s on Sunday morning in Milltown.
Quarter 1 opened with both defences on top. Imperials were creating opportunities but the final shots just not dropping. Hollie Leane opened the Imperials account with a great basket after a run from deep. With Quarter
1 drawing to a close, Orlaith McKenna attacked the basket and drew the foul. Orlaith finishing 1 from the free throw line.
St Colmans with a narrow 4-3 lead at the end of quarter 1.

The 2nd quarter began well for St Colmans with some early scores on the board. Aine Walsh keeping Imperials in touch with a great
long range effort, St Colmans with a 14-5 lead midway through the quarter. Imperials defence really tightened at this point and began to take a hold on the quarter. A great steal from Keelin Coffey, a fantastic offload to Aisling O’Connell with Aisling duly obliging with a great score. Laura Reilly was having a massive impact on the quarter at this time, a great steal from Laura again finding Aisling O’Connell with Aisling making no mistake. With the 2nd quarter drawing to a close, Keelin Coffey was again to the fore with a great steal, strong run and great finish to leave a half time score of 16 – 11 in favour of St Colmans.

Imperials narrowed the lead significantly during quarter 3. Alva Daughton opened the Imperials account in quarter 3, after collecting an offensive rebound and finishing superbly. Laura Reilly was again defending well during the quarter, a great steal and a fantastic run by Laura, resulting in a great score. Imperials finished the quarter strongly with great baskets from Laura Reilly and Aisling O’Connell. St Colmans with a narrow 19-18 lead at the end of quarter 3, with evidence of a growing Imperials comeback.

Imperials really took the game to St Colmans in quarter 4. Keelin Coffey opening the Imperials account with a brilliant score after 11 seconds. Aine Walsh followed up with a great score after collecting an offensive rebound. With Imperials dominance growing, Orlaith McKenna stormed into the game with 2 great baskets giving Imperials a 27-20 lead, midway through the quarter. The lead was short lived with St Colmans following up with the next 5 points, ensuring a competitive finish to the game. With both teams in foul trouble, Orlaith McKenna was back to the Free Throw Line to add 1 to the Imperials account. At this point, Imperials really reduced the fouls to a minimum, reducing the opportunities for Colmans scores. Aine Walsh was back to the free throw line for another score. Laura Reilly also added 2 more from the free throw line to shift momentum to Imperials. With the clock counting down to the end of the quarter, Keelin Coffey and Orlaith McKenna combined well with Orlaith finishing brilliantly. With 1:26 on the clock in quarter 4, Imperials produced the score of the game, Laura Reilly to Hollie Leane, with Hollie offloading to Keelin Coffey, Keeling finishing brilliantly to extend the Imperials lead to 35-29. Keelin was back to the free throw line for the final score of the game. Imperials take the win on a score line of 36-30.

Thanks to St Colman’s for a very sporting and enjoyable game. Thanks as always to the table officials and referees.
The management team of Danny and Brenda were particularly impressed with the strong defensive effort and the great comeback after a slow start.

Imperials Scorers

Orlaith McKenna 8
Keelin Coffey 7
Laura Reilly 6
Aisling O’Connell 6
Aine Walsh 5
Hollie Leane 2
Alva Daughton 2

MONTHLY TRAINING FEES

The monthly training fee can be paid via the Club Shop on ClubZap App. December and January are treated as one month. Any queries re the training fee you can email imperialsbc@gmail.com

GARVEY’S TRALEE WARRIORS

Following their recent thrilling semi-final against Eanna BC, Garvey’s Tralee Warriors will take on C&S Neptune BC in the final of the Pat Duffy National Cup this Saturday. It is the first time a Warriors team has made it to the final and the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght will no doubt be rocking with all the support. Tralee Imperials BC would like to wish the team and all involved the very best of luck. LET’S GO WARRIORS.

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CLUB NOTES 19/12/21

U12 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 35-23 TK Bobcats

Tralee started off well, securing a very good lead with two lovely baskets from Yvie Ross and Clodagh Kennedy.

The second quarter was evenly matched with both teams scoring 6 points.

HT Tralee Imperials 18-9 TK Bobcats

The 3rd quarter caused a bit of worry with Bobcats scoring 12 points to Imperials 8 (three of these Imperials baskets coming from Holly Costello).

In the final quarter, Imperials came out fighting and scored 9 points to Bobcats 2 points (seven of these points coming from Ava Flaherty).

This was a massive team victory and all 15 players played their part, giving 100%.

We look forward to our next few games in January.

Well done girls.

Top scorers were Ava Flaherty 9 points, Clodagh Kennedy 6 points and Holly Costello 6 points.

U14 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 48-28 TK Cougars

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on Wednesday night at CBS The Green, with TK Cougars as the opposition.

TK Cougars began the game well with a strong running and skilful team. Imperials gradually got to the pace of the game and
competed well in the opening minutes of the quarter. Sarah Slattery opened the Imperials account after collecting an offensive rebound.
Aoife O’Connell began the quarter strongly, and with her trademark strong running, got to the basket for a great layup.
Maria Walsh was controlling the game well for Imperials, she found Aoife O’ Connell in space and Aoife finished with a long range effort. Maria Walsh was again involved in the
next score, strong defensive work and a great layoff to Niamh Fitzgibbon. Niamh carried brilliantly and finished with a wonderful score.
Amber Ryan and Sarah Slattery also combined well, with Amber finishing from distance. TK Cougars staged a comeback late in the quarter with some excellent scores. The last score
of the quarter fell to Imperials, a long range effort from Sarah Slattery finished magnificently. A strong 1st quarter from Imperials with a 12 – 8 lead at the break.

Imperials again started strongly in quarter 2. With Naomi Osibodu and Grace Reilly strong on defensive rebounds, Imperials executed some fast breaks resulting in early scores.
Grace Reilly and Katie Enright combined brilliantly to find Juliette Gleeson, with Juliette opening the Imperials account in quarter 2. Great play from Evelyn Moriarty found
Grace Reilly, with Grace finishing superbly. With 5:39 on the clock in quarter 2, Juliette Gleeson took the game to TK Cougars. She got to the basket after a great run and finished magnificently.
Seconds later Juliette again got to the basket after a great pass from Grace Reilly. Juliette then collected an offensive rebound and finished superbly.
Grace Reilly secured 1 from the Free Throw Line to add to the Imperials lead. With the countdown on to half time, Juliette Gleeson again scored 2 baskets after great work by Naomi Osibodu and
Evelyn Moriarty. 10 Points for Juliette in quarter 2, leading the Imperials charge with a brilliant display and maintaining an excellent run of form in recent games.
Imperials with a 29 – 18 lead at half time.

The 3rd quarter began with a period of dominance from TK Cougars. Scores were at a premium during the quarter for Imperials.
Imperials were creating a lot of opportunities, but the final shots just not falling. Aoife O’Connell, Sarah Slattery and Maria Walsh were all taking the game to TK Cougars with great team
work and effort. Clodagh Burke was also to the fore during the quarter with strong running and great positional play. Clodagh also scored a wonderful long range effort to the delight of the Imperials bench.
It was during the 3rd quarter that Abbey Stephenson really epitomised the never give up attitude of Imperials.
Abbey was brilliant in defense, providing constant pressure on the ball, making it extremely difficult for TK Cougars to maintain pressure.  Abbeys constant pressure and multiple steals, were
a huge part of Imperials limiting TK Cougars to 6 during the quarter. Imperials with a narrowing 31-24 lead at the end of quarter 3.

Quarter 4 began at a blistering pace. TK Cougars finished a great basket to narrow the Imperials lead. Maria O’Connell and Aobh Cronin were defending strongly for Imperials with great support
from Naomi Osibodu. With a 5 point lead and strong TK Cougars pressure, Imperials needed to raise the intensity. And raise it they did, with fantastic team work from all players and Grace Reilly
dominating brilliantly. Grace scored 1 from the Free Throw Line after a strong run. Seconds later Grace supplied Naomi Osibodu, with Naomi driving to the basket and finished brilliantly.
Juliette Gleeson collected an offensive rebound and finished superbly, after strong running by Grace Reilly. Grace followed up with a run from deep and finished with a great layup.
Seconds later Grace was again to the basket for another score, a strong press providing dividends for Imperials at this time. Juliette Gleeson and Maria O’Connell followed up with 2 great baskets to extend the
Imperials lead going into the final minutes. Keelin Reidy and Lauren Foley were strong in defence in the final minutes of the quarter.
With the clock ticking down towards full time, Grace was back to the basket for another great score with Imperials leading on a score line of 46 – 28.
The final score was a great team effort with Juliette Gleeson finding Grace Reilly at the basket. Grace finishing superbly to close out a majestic performance!

A great Imperials win on a final score of 48 – 28. Thanks to TK Cougars for a sporting and enjoyable game.

Thanks as always to our Table Officials and Referees.

This was the final game for the U14 Girls Team 2 for the calendar year of 2021.
The girls are an amazing group and have created a wonderful team environment, where support for each other,
through victory or defeat is always visible. We’re thankful to be part of the journey!
We look forward to seeing everyone back on the court for our first training session of 2022 on January 5th.
Lots more basketball to come in the New Year! The Management team of Brenda, Leanne and William would like to wish
everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tralee Imperials Scorers

Juliette Gleeson     16
Grace Reilly    14
Sarah Slattery     4
Aoife O’Connell    4
Niamh Fitzgibbon    2
Amber Ryan    2
Clodagh Burke    2
Naomi Osibodu    2
Marie O’Connell    2

Monthly Training Fees

The monthly training fee for Juvenile (u12-u18s) and Seniors can be paid via the Club Shop on ClubZap app. FYI December and January are treated as one month.

Christmas Wishes

Wishing all the Tralee Imperials basketball community a very merry Christmas and we look forward to getting back on the court in the new year.

CLUB NOTES 12/12/21

Academy

U10s had an enjoyable final session before the Christmas break.

U14 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 35-18 St. Colman’s

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on 8/12/21 at CBS The Green, where our opposition was St. Colman’s Flames.

The opening minutes of quarter 1 started well for Imperials. Naomi Osibodu, Caoilinn Culloo and Juliette Gleeson were winning defensive rebounds and offloading superbly. Maria Walsh at Point Guard was controlling the play brilliantly. The Imperials dominance began to transfer to the scoreboard during the quarter. Juliette Gleeson found Maria Walsh in space, and Maria finished brilliantly for the opening basket of the game.

The same players were again involved in the next score, a great steal by Juliette, a strong run, and a great offload to Maria Walsh, with Maria again obliging.

Imperials followed up with a super team score, Naomi Osibodu found Penny Costello who offloaded to Caoilinn Culloo. Caoilinn found Juliette Gleeson in space and Juliette finished from distance. Penny Costello added 1 from the Free Throw Line to give Imperials a 7-0 lead midway through the quarter. With quarter 1 drawing to a close, Maria Walsh again found Juliette Gleeson who finished superbly. Caoilinn Culloo extended the Imperials lead in the closing minutes of the quarter with 2 brilliant baskets, after great work by Naomi Osibodu and Penny Costello.

Imperials started the 2nd quarter under real pressure from St Colman‘s Flames. The opposition got a number of scores on the board with Imperials made to work hard in defence. With Grace Reilly involved in everything, Imperials began to get a foothold on the quarter. Niamh Fitzgibbon, Evelyn Moriarty and Amber Ryan all raised the intensity levels at this time. Strong running from Grace Reilly resulted in a superb basket. Aoife O’Connell was competing strongly in defence, Aoife collected a defensive rebound, and with strong running finished with a great lay-up. A great score to lift the Imperials team! As the quarter came to a close, Grace Reilly was again to the fore, a brilliant steal, strong run and superb finish. Imperials with a 19-7 lead at half time.

The 3rd quarter began well for Imperials. Caoilinn Culloo found Naomi Osibodu, with Naomi finishing from distance. Juliette Gleeson again broke through the defensive guard to get to the basket. Juliette finished superbly to continue the rich vein of form she has shown in recent games. Imperials ran the bench again in quarter 3. Katie Enright, Maria O’Connell and Abbey Stephenson all contributed to the Imperials ascendency. With the quarter drawing to a close, Grace Reilly and Juliette Gleeson were both on target for Imperials to give a Q3 score line of 27-13 to Imperials.

The Imperials defence was again on top in quarter 4. Great work from Clodagh Burke found Aoife O’Connell with Aoife finishing a long range effort. Grace Reilly and Maria Walsh both finished superbly to give Imperials a 33-18 lead going into the final minutes. The final score of the game fell to Grace Reilly, a brilliant individual effort after a great steal. A great score and a brilliant performance from Grace! Imperials take the win on a scoreline of 35-18.

All Imperial players got game time and contributed to a great win. Brenda, Leanne and William look forward to getting back to training on Saturday, with the next game planned for 15/12/21. Thanks as always to our Table Officials and Referees. A special thanks also to St Colman’s Flames for a sporting an enjoyable game.

Imperials Scorers

Grace Reilly     10

Juliette Gleeson   8

Maria Walsh   6

Caoilinn Culloo   4

Aoife O’Connell   4

Naomi Osibodu   2

Penny Costello   1

U16 Boys T1

Tralee Imperials 44-51 St. Mary’s

On 6/1/21 we hosted a very strong St Mary’s u16 team in our second county league game. In the first quarter our tenacious defense kept us in the game and with four players sharing the scoring we ended the first quarter down 10-14.

The pace increased in the second quarter and both teams hit some great scores. Ryne hit two ‘3s’ along with a few layups to help us go into halftime down just 4 points: 27-31.

Castleisland came out with serious intensity to start the third quarter and it was to the boys credit that we stayed in the game. They showed great character and desire especially on defense with Sam and Sean Heaslip working their socks off, and Sean Óg rebounding strongly, we ended the quarter still only 4 points down 36-40. Tomas started to find his scoring touch at this point and hit a ‘3’ to end a fabulous move. Fionnán was moving the ball very well and with Jamie and Tadgh making vital contributions we entered the fourth quarter with all to play for.

The final period was a tight affair and we had opportunities to take control but couldn’t capitalise on them. With just over a minute to go we were down just 2 points but a turnover led to a layup for the visitors. We had to foul to stop the clock near the end and with Mary’s making their free throws the final scoreline read 44-51. This was a very tight game which could have gone either way. We will learn from this and improve because of it.

Well done to the boys who went toe to toe with the reigning county league champions and just came up short.

Top scorers:

Ryne Ybanez 17

Tomás Kennedy 11

Fionnán Ryan 6

U18 Boys

Tralee Imperials 64-36 St. Bridget’s

U20 Men

Tralee Imperials 83-89 KCYMS

It was a local derby in the quarterfinal of the National Cup.

On Saturday 11th December we took on local rivals KCYMS in the National Cup 1/4 final in Tralee. The visitors started quickly and we struggled to contain their transition offense. Aivaras Uosis at just 16 years old had 8 first quarter points to keep us within touching distance as we trailed 15-23 at the end of the first period. Our lack of match practice was apparent at this stage as our opponents were much sharper.

Our defense was much improved in the second quarter and we managed to get into our flow on offense. Sean Pollman-Daamen was outstanding in this period and we trailed at half time 42-49.

We started the 3rd really well and got the lead down to just 3 but a combination of tiredness and foul trouble came against us and we fell further behind ending the quarter behind 63-75.

Dean Rusk and Tim Pollman-Daamen were getting into the game at this stage but KCYMS kept the scoreboard ticking over to extend their lead to 18 points with just 5 minutes to play. It was at this juncture that the boys showed tremendous character and drive. With Aivaras, Sean and Zygi hitting some key buckets we managed to reduce the lead to 1 point with just over two minutes remaining. Tim was unlucky to be fouled out when playing great defense and this was a huge turning point in the game. We had to put our opponents to the foul line in the dying moments which inflated their lead. The final score was 83-89.

The players couldn’t have given any more and the game could have gone either way. We are certainly very proud of them all. Well done to KCYMS and we wish them the best of luck in their semi final against Marian of Dublin.

Top scorers for Imperials:

Sean Pollman-Daamen 34

Aivaras Uosis 17

Tim Pollman-Daamen 12

Zygi Kaletka 1

HT score Tralee Imperials 42-49 KCYMS

FT score Tralee Imperials 83-89 KCYMS

Monthly Training Fees

The monthly training fee can be paid via the Club Shop on ClubZap app. FYI December and January are treated as one month. Tralee Imperials BC will be taking a Christmas break finishing on Monday 20th December and resuming Monday 3rd January.

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CLUB NOTES 05/12/21

Academy

Our u6-9s had a fantastic Christmas party. There were Santa hats, reindeer antlers and plenty of Christmas jumpers on display while Christmas tunes played over the sound of bouncing basketballs.

The children enjoyed playing games and shooting competitions with a chocolate Santa up for grabs for the winner.

Thank you to Mr. McGuires Olde SweetShop who provided Christmas treats for all our young players.

A special mention to our dedicated TY coaches who turn up to every session full of enthusiasm and are great role models for our Academy youngsters.

Academy will return in January with date tbc.

U10s have their Christmas party 6th December 5-6pm in Tralee Sport Complex. Once again, children are encouraged to wear festive clothing.

Juveniles

U12 Boys T1

Tralee Imperials 23-21 St. Joseph’s

U12 Boys T1 got their season underway with a home game vs St. Joseph’s, Duagh.

The boys have waited a long time for their first competitive game and they played very well in what was a tight contest.

Tom Dawson scored in the final moments to secure a 23-21 win for Imperials.

Q1 Tralee Imperials 9-6 St. Joseph’s

Q2 Tralee Imperials 0-13 St. Joseph’s

Q3 Tralee Imperials 15-15 St. Joseph’s

Q4 Tralee Imperials 23-21 St. Joseph’s

Top scorers:

Tom Dawson 12pts

Jack Hanlon 6pts

Shea Bowler 4pts

Robáird Foley 1pt

U12 Boys T2

Tralee Imperials 4-26 St. Colman’s

The under 12's team 2 put in a super effort this evening as they took on St Colman’s in their first competitive game of the season.

For some players, this was their very first competitive game ever.

Everyone had plenty of minutes, gaining valuable experience in this first encounter that will be valuable in future games.

Unfortunately, the opposing team proved to be strong opponents and after a slow start, gained a considerable lead as the game went on.

Well done to all the team. They kept their heads up the whole game, encouraging each other and applying what they've been learning in training.

U14 Boys T1

Tralee Imperials 32-53 Glenbeigh Falcons

Q1: Tralee Imperials 12 Glenbeigh 15

Very closely contested opening quarter with Nathan Hill O'Shea getting some lovely layups from the press and pinpoint passing from Ruairí Kennedy.

Q 2: Tralee Imperials 19 Glenbeigh 27

Very strong scoring quarter for Ruairí Kennedy getting all Tralees scores.

Q 3: Tralee Imperials 22 Glenbeigh 49

Tralee found it tough in the 3rd quarter against a much physically stronger Glenbeigh side and were unlucky not to get a few more scores here but they were trying hard and didn't give up.

Q 4: Tralee Imperials 32 Glenbeigh 53

Some good rebounding and pressure defence led to a few nice scores from turnovers for Tralee who fought hard until the final whistle.

Special mention to the score of the night for Jack Conway who spun around and crossed hands to score a great basket.

Scorers: Ruairí Kennedy 15, Nathan Hill O'Shea 6, Jack Noonan 4, Rodhan Culloo 3 and Jack Conway, Eoghan Crowley 2.

U14 Girls T1

Tralee Imperials 46-23 St. Colman’s

U14 Girls Team 1 make it 2 wins out of 2 with a solid performance against a well drilled St Colman’s Team. Imperials went in ahead 13 - 5 after the first quarter thanks to good scores from Ciara Costello and Anna Slattery. Ashlyn Falvey and Priya O’Donvan with the assists.

The second quarter was a close affair with Colman’s scoring some nice baskets. Anna Chute and Anna O’Sullivan scored well for imperials with Saoirse McCarthy coming up with important stops in defence. Score at half time 25 - 15

Imperials stepped up their defensive effort in the third quarter particularly Priya O’Donovan and Liepa Kaletkaite who was ever present on defence coming up with some important stops. Imperials further extended their lead outscoring Colman’s 12 - 0 in the quarter thanks to good scoring from Anna O’Sullivan and Ciara Costello. Score after 3rd score 37 - 15.

The final quarter was played at frantic pace by both sides who traded baskets throughout. Imperials managed to keep the score board ticking through Emily Flynn and Sophie Mitchell to secure the hard fought win. Final score 46 - 23.

The girls all played good team basketball with lots to improve on going forward.

Top scorers:

Ciara Costello 12

Anna O Sullivan 10

Sophie Mitchell 7

Anna Chute 6

Anna Slattery 5

Emily Flynn, Priya O’Donovan, Liepa Kaletkaite 2

U16 Boys T1

St. Brendan’s 52-45 Tralee Imperials

In our first outing in almost two years our u16 A Team put up a brave performance away to local rivals St Brendan’s. We started well with Ryne’s 3 point shooting and Sean Óg getting to the basket we opened up a 9 point lead 8-17 by the end of the first quarter.

We struggled to find our rhythm in the second period and allowed Brendan’s to take control. With Tomas and Fionnan hitting some fine scores we held on to a narrow lead at half time 24-26.

William and Sam came into the game and contributed to an improved defensive effort in the third but we were unlucky with a lot of efforts just not falling into the basket for us. The game was then finely poised heading into the final period as we trailed 37-36.

At this point our lack of match practice led to some uncharacteristic mistakes which our opponents capitalised on. The boys fought gamely to the end but we just couldn’t close the gap. The game finished 52-45 to the hosts.

We will learn from the defeat and prepare for a tough second game against St Marys on 6th December at home. Well done to the players who gave 100% and can be very proud of themselves.

U18 Girls T2

Kenmare Kestrels 29-35 Tralee Imperials

Our U18 Girls Team 2 began their season on Saturday after a 21 month layoff from competitive basketball. They made the long trip to Kenmare, to take on local team Kenmare Kestrels. Imperials were missing a number of players due to other commitments.

Imperials started slowly in quarter 1 with the long layoff particularly noticeable. Kestrels raced into an early lead with some very good scores. Aine Walsh kept Imperials in touch with 2 great scores from the free throw line. Katie Nix at Point Guard was starting to have an influence on the game. With seconds remaining in the quarter, Katie got to the basket for a great score, reducing the deficit to 10-4 at the end of Quarter 1.

The introduction of Keelin Coffey at the start of quarter 2 provided the platform for an Imperials revival. Strong Defensive work from Keelin and Hollie Leane, with great transitional play from Aine Walsh started to pay dividends for Imperials. Aisling O’ Connell got to the basket for 2 brilliant scores. Katie Nix, Aine Walsh and Aisling all finished the quarter strongly with great scores, leaving the half time score of 18-14 in favour of Kestrels.

Quarter 3 began with both defences on top. Great work from Hollie Leane and Katie Nix, found Keelin Coffey who finished brilliantly. Keelin turned from scorer to provider with a great pass to Aisling O’Connell, Aisling getting through the defensive guard to finish brilliantly. Keelin was again provider for Alva Daughton who finished superbly. A strong comeback from Imperials, driven by a massive defensive effort by all Imperials players. Hollie Leane and Katie Nix were immense during this period with strong running and multiple steals. The final score of the quarter was a brilliant long range effort from Aine Walsh, leaving a score line of 24-24 at the end of quarter 3. All eyes on Imperials and the massive intensity levels of the first three quarters.

Aisling O’Connell opened the Imperials account at the start of quarter 4 with a brilliant effort. Kestrels began to run their bench and executed a full court press. Keelin Coffey was again to the fore with a brilliant pass for Alva Daughton, a bucket shot from Alva finished superbly. Imperials take the lead with 7:46 on the clock. With Kestrels in foul trouble, Keelin Coffey scored 2 from the free throw line. Keelin followed up with a great basket to extend the Imperials lead. Imperials were back again to the free throw line at the closing stages of the quarter. Aine Walsh and Katie Nix finishing to ensure a fantastic Imperials win on a score line of 35-29.

The management team of Danny and Brenda were delighted with the win. The fitness levels, intensity and teamwork were fantastic to see and bode well for the months ahead. Imperials follow up with their next game on Tuesday evening.

A huge thanks to Kenmare Kestrels for a sporting and enjoyable game. Thanks also to the referees and table officials.

Imperials Scorers

Aisling O’Connell 10

Keelin Coffey 8

Aine Walsh 7

Katie Nix 6

Alva Daughton 4

Ireland U16 Men’s Panel

Congratulations to Tomas Kennedy who has been selected on the Ireland U16 Men’s panel. Head coach, Pat Price, has made a selection of 31 players following a very productive weekend training camp at Kerry Sports Academy. Best of luck to Tomas as he moves forward with the selected group for December training camps.

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors

The Warriors had a 77-62 win over Moycullen BC in the quarterfinal of the insuremyhouse.ie Pat Duffy National Cup. This sets up a semi-final battle against Dublin sided Eanna BC in the new year. Warriors are back in super league action this coming weekend away to Belfast Star on 11th December.

Training Fees

Monthly training fees can be paid online via the Club Shop which can be accessed on the club’s app ‘ClubZap’ or the club’s website www.traleeimperials.ie. December and January are treated as one month and is available to pay online now. Any outstanding fees for October and November can also be paid online via the Club Shop.

Any queries contact imperialsbc@gmail.com

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CLUB NOTES 28/11/21

Academy

Due to limited hall availability, our final Academy session before Christmas for u6-9s will take place 2nd Dec Thursday 6-7pm in Kerry Sports Academy @ MTU.

All are encouraged to bring a festive feel to the session - Christmas hats/T-shirts/jumpers etc.

Juveniles

U12 Girls T1

Glenbeigh Falcons 25-30 Tralee Imperials

U12 div 1+2 team took a depleted team to Glenbeigh this morning.

The teams were evenly matched in the 1st quarter with Imperials up 6 to 5 at the end.

Imperials were stronger in the 2nd and 3rd quarters with some impressive scores from Sarah Chute and Abby Crowley.

The 4th quarter was exciting as Glenbeigh came back strong with top scorer Clodagh Quirke scoring 10 points but Imperials were able to dig deep and keep a gap to secure a 5 point win.

All seven girls played extremely well and show continued improvements week on week.

U12 Girls T2

Glenbeigh Falcons 13-30 Tralee Imperials

The girls all played very well, with some girls only playing their first match today.

Tralee Imperials led 2-12 after the 1st quarter.

Imperials held on to the lead at half time 7-14.

The 3rd quarter Imperials extended the lead 7-24.

Final score 13-30 to Tralee Imperials.

All players were very impressive and getting a good understanding of the game.

Special mention to Lily-Mai Bowler who finished the game with a personal score of 18 points.

Well done to all the girls.

U14 Boys T1

TK Bobcats 38-17 Tralee Imperials

Q1 TK Bobcats 10-6 Tralee Imperials

Q2 TK Bobcats 22-14 Tralee Imperials

Q3 TK Bobcats 32-16 Tralee Imperials

Q4 TK Bobcats 38-17 Tralee Imperials

Top scorers : Conor McGibney 7, Jack Noonan, Jack Conway, Ruairi Kennedy, Luke Gannon & Eoghan Murphy 2.

U14 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 18-20 TK Vixens

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on Saturday morning against TK Vixens at CBS (The Green).

Evelyn Moriarty was unavailable due to injury, we wish Evelyn a speedy recovery and look forward to having her back on the court.

The game started positively for Imperials with a basket straight from tip off. Great work from Naomi Osibodu found Niamh Fitzgibbon who finished with class. Both defences were on top during the early exchanges in the quarter. Caoilainn Culloo and Naomi Osibodu were particularly impressive in defence, and great running by Penny Costello was causing difficulties for the opposition. As the quarter entered the final stages, Juliette Gleeson stamped her authority on the game. Juliette scored 3 great baskets in succession giving Imperials an 8-0 lead at the end of quarter 1.

The roles were reversed in quarter 2. TK Vixens stormed into proceedings with a great running game. Imperials were defending well but under serious pressure. As the quarter progressed Vixens dominance began to translate to the scoreboard. 9 unanswered points in the quarter left the score at 8-9 at half time in favour of TK Vixens.

TK Vixens continued their dominance in quarter 3. Imperials defence had tightened significantly, limiting Vixens to 4 points during the quarter. Sarah Slattery scored a superb basket near the end of the quarter, leaving the score line at 10-13 in favour of the opposition.

The 4th quarter began with some good scores for the opposition. They had extended their lead to 20-10 mid way through the quarter. Imperials rallied superbly at this stage led by Aoife O’ Connell, Caoilainn Culloo and Naomi Osibodu. Aoife scored 2 baskets to narrow the lead to 6. Sarah Slattery was also contributing hugely and followed up with a great score. With the TK Vixens defence under pressure, Aoife O’Connell was really coming into the game. She again got to the basket to reduce the deficit to the minimum with 36 seconds on the clock. Imperials fought for every ball but it was not to be, TK Vixens took the win on a score line of 18-20.

Congratulations to TK Vixens on the win, and thanks for a very enjoyable and sporting game.

As always a huge thanks to the Referees and our Table Officials.

The Imperials bench all got game time, with some valuable experience gained. The Management team of Brenda, Leanne and William are delighted with the effort and application and look forward to the weeks ahead.

U16 Boys T2

St Brendan's 56-36 Tralee Imperials

After almost two years without a game our u16 Team 2 made a welcome return to the court to take on local rivals St. Brendan’s. The boys found it difficult to settle into the game and St. Brendan’s started quickly to open up a 21-10 first quarter lead. Johnny Dawson and Conor Galvin performed well in the second quarter but we still trailed at halftime 40-16.

Bao Foley, Will Leahy and Ronan Hayes contributed to an improved performance in the third quarter to end the period 52-25. Conor Morrissey found his shooting groove in the final quarter and with improved effort on defence the game finished 56-36.

As expected the boys were very rusty and will improve as the season progresses. Well done to St. Brendan’s on a deserved win.

Johnny Dawson 10 pts

Conor Morrissey 7 pts

Conor Galvin 5 pts

U16 Girls T1

St. Mary’s 55-22 Tralee Imperials

U18 Girls T1

Ballybunion Wildcats 26-57 Tralee Imperials

The u18 girls travelled to Ballybunion on Monday last to take on Ballybunion Wildcats in their first away game in the Div 1 & 2 County league.

Niamh Collins opened the first quarter in fine shooting form draining two threes and two baskets inside and finding Aoife Fleming open on the base line to score a nice outside shot leaving the score at the end of the first quarter 15-3 to Imperials.

Imperials found the going tough in the second period with the physically strong Wildcats players getting the better of them under the boards. Up stepped Lauren Smullen and Aoife Bourke and both took control catching rebounds and through some nice footwork, making some good scores themselves leaving Imperials ahead 31-8 at half time.

Wildcats came out in the third quarter and showed great determination with great scores coming from Caoimhe O’Connor and Nora Fitzsimon, the pressure was on the Imperials girls to push on. Aoife O’Rourke kept great control at the top despite the tight man to man defence and dished some nice passes inside to Cara Gannon and Aisling Ní Ainifean who took their scores well. Score at the end of the third was 43-20 to Imperials.

Imperials won the final quarter with young players Lucy O’Donnell, Sorcha Casey and Grace Lucid all stepping up to the mark and getting themselves on the scoresheet. Lynda O’Connor hussled well throughout in defence and showed great strength on the rebounds as Imperials ran out winners on a final score of 57-26 to Imperials.

Team: Clodagh Murray (3) Aisling Ní Ainifean (8) Niamh Collins (12) Mary Moore, Aoife O’Rourke (6) Aoife Fleming (2) Lauren Smullen (4) Cara Gannon (7) Aoife Bourke (4), Lucy O’Donnell (4) Grace Lucid, Sorcha Casey (4) Lynda O’Connor(2)

U20 Men National Cup

Moycullen 88-103 Tralee Imperials

On Sunday our u20s had their first outing of the season in the National Cup away to a talented Moycullen outfit.

We started quickly with pressure defense triggering our fast break game for some easy baskets. We led 21 - 28 at the end of the first quarter. Aivaras Uosis who was playing well, rolled his ankle and had to be substituted. He later returned to make a key contribution to our win.

Our intensity dropped in the second quarter and Moycullen began to dictate the pace of the game. With some excellent 3 point shooting from the home team along with some poor decision making on our part we trailed 52-41 at the break.

We reorganised ourselves at halftime and the boys came out with serious intensity to begin the third quarter. Sean and Tim Pollman Daamen began to hit from three point range and Zygi got to the basket with some great drives. Our defensive effort was outstanding in this period with Dean Rusk and Johnny Feeley bringing great intensity. We scored a whopping 36 points in the ten minutes to lead 70-77 by the end of the quarter.

Moycullen made a run early in the fourth but we withstood their onslaught and controlled matters until the end of the game. Odhran Pierse and Adam Kelly gave us some valuable minutes to rest players. Darragh O Connor and Cathal Culloty also got into the game to help see out the win. FT 88-103.

The boys can be very proud to have come through a stern test from a quality side. Our next game is against local rivals Killorglin in the National Cup 1/4 final.

Top scorers:

Sean Pollman Daamen 40

Tim Pollman Daamen 23

Zygi Kaletka 17

Ireland U18 Men’s Panel

Congratulations to Aivaras Uosis who has been selected on the Ireland U18 Men’s panel. Head coach, Paul Kelleher, has made a selection of 29 players. The group will begin work in December with ultimate focus on the FIBA U18 European Championships in 2022, which take place in Oradea, Romania at the end of July 2022.

Garvey’s Tralee Warriors

We would like to wish Garvey’s Tralee Warriors the very best of luck as they take on Moycullen BC in the insuremyhouse.ie Pat Duffy National Cup quarterfinal. Tip off @ 7.30pm in Tralee Sports Complex on 4th December.

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CLUB NOTES 21/11/21

Academy

The Kerry Sports Academy at MTU is a hive of activity on Thursday evenings with our Academy. The u6/7 boys and girls are working hard on their fundamental skills. The high energy sessions are led by some of our fantastic volunteers from the u18 boys and girls teams. It's fantastic to see these juvenile players getting involved with coaching and introducing the game to the youngest club members. Meanwhile, our u8/9 boys and girls had their first taste of playing a basketball game. Following on from the weeks of skills and drills they have been doing at the Academy sessions, most recently led by Warrior Kieran Donaghy, they got to put what they have learned into practice. The Warriors players - Ron, Niko, Aaron, Jacko and Skinny, who also are our Academy coaches, were very impressed by the performance of the youngsters.

Juvenile

Meanwhile, it has been another busy week for our juvenile teams. Our girls teams made it a hat trick of wins over St. Brendan's while our u14 boys T1 lost out away to St. Mary's.

U12 Girls T1

St. Brendan’s 17-45 Tralee Imperials

U12 Girls T1 playing in the U12 div 1&2 county league got their first win of the season. They were away against St. Brendan’s. The panel of ten played some fantastic basketball showing improvements in both offence and defence. They got a hold of the game early and kept the momentum going throughout.

U14 Girls T1

Tralee Imperials 64-10 St. Brendan’s

U14 Division 1 girls had their first competitive outing of the season against local rivals St. Brendan’s, who were missing a number of their regular players through injury and other commitments. Nevertheless the game was played at a high intensity in a sporting manner throughout by both teams.

Imperials jumped out to an early lead thanks to a strong performance under the boards from Anna O‘Sullivan and Priya O'Donovan who both finished the game on 9 rebounds apiece. Excellent long range shooting from Saoirse McCarthy and Sophie Mitchell helped Imperials stretch their lead before the half with Leipa Kaletkaite and Ciara Costello a constant threat on the fast break. Half time score 36 - 6

The second half saw more of the same from Imperials with Anna Chute taking control in the point guard position ending the game with 5 assists. Great inside scores from Emily Flynn saw Imperials stretch their lead further going into the 4th Quarter.

During the final quarter the Imperials defence stepped up their pressure in particular Ashlyn Falvey and Anna Slattery who combined for 5 steals in the quarter.

A solid first outing for the girls who are all delighted to be back playing competitive basketball after a long break.

Final score

Imperials 64

St Brendans 10

Tralee Imperials Scorers:

Priya O‘Donovan 16

Ashlyn Falvey 10

Sophie Mitchell 8

Emily Flynn 6

Ciara Costello 6

Anna O‘Sullivan 6

Anna Chute 6

Saoirse McCarthy 4

Leipa Kaletkaite 2

U14 Girls T2

Tralee Imperials 32-21 St. Brendan’s

Our U14 Girls Team 2 continued their season on Saturday with a home game against local rivals St Brendan’s.

The first quarter opened with strong defensive work from St Brendan’s and scores were at a premium. Juliette Gleeson opened the Imperials account with a great basket. Imperials showed positively in transition, with Maria O Connell, Caoilainn Culloo and Juliette Gleeson combining well, to find Penny Costello in space, with Penny finishing brilliantly. At this stage Aoife O’ Connell stormed into the game with strong running and 2 great baskets. The final score of the quarter fell to Penny Costello who was involved in everything. Imperials with a slender 10-5 lead at the end of quarter 1.

Imperials really raised the intensity level in quarter 2. Evelyn Moriarty and Naomi Osibodu combined well with Naomi finishing superbly. Evelyn then turned from provider to scorer with a great long range effort. At this stage Imperials were growing in confidence and beginning to take a hold on the game. A brilliant run from Keelin Reidy found Evelyn Moriarty free, and Evelyn duly obliged with a super score. Keelin Reidy and Aobh Cronin followed up with 2 great baskets, after great defensive work by both. The score of the game came from Sarah Slattery with seconds remaining in the half. Keelin Reidy securing a great turnover in her own half, before finding Sarah free with a superb pass. Sarah finished brilliantly to give Imperials a 22-5 lead at half time.

The 3rd quarter began with Imperials under a lot of pressure defensively. St Brendan’s started strongly with some early scores on the board. Imperials slowly began to get to grips with the threat as the quarter progressed. Clodagh Burke was strong in defence for Imperials, with Lauren Foley, Niamh Fitzgibbon, Katie Enright and Maria Walsh doing well in transition. The introduction of Naomi Osibodu during the quarter really steadied the Imperials ship, with Naomi securing turnover after turnover in an awesome display. The quarter closed with Imperials leading 22-13. All eyes focussed on the final quarter with St Brendan’s staging a strong comeback!

Penny Costello opened the Imperials account in quarter 4 with a superb effort. Aoife O’ Connell followed up with 2 great lay ups after great runs from defence. At this stage Naomi Osibodu and Caoilainn Culloo were immense in defence for Imperials. They also popped up at the other end to finish superbly, giving Imperials a slight cushion going into the final minutes. At this stage Imperials ran the bench with all girls contributing strongly to the win.

The support of the girls for each other during the game was a joy to behold!

Special mention to Amber Ryan who was on the bench today but injured. We wish Amber a speedy recovery and look forward to having her back on the court with the girls.

A huge thanks to St Brendan‘s for a very sporting and enjoyable game. Thanks as always to the referees and our wonderful table officials.

A final word of thanks to all the parents, without whose help and support this couldn’t work. The girls are a fantastic group and we’re delighted to be part of the team!

We return to action on Wednesday evening with a home game against St Colman’s.

Tralee Imperial Scorers:

Aoife O’ Connell 8

Penny Costello 6

Evelyn Moriarty 4

Naomi Osibodu 4

Juliette Gleeson 2

Keelin Reidy 2

Aobh Cronin 2

Sarah Slattery 2

Caoilainn Culloo 2

U14 Boys T1

St. Mary's 52-25 Tralee Imperials

Q1 - St. Mary's 14 Tralee Imperials 6

Tralee took a while to settle down but got underway with some nice baskets from Conor McGibney.

Q2 - St. Mary's 22 Tralee Imperials 15

Strong second quarter for Imperials saw them outscore St Marys 9 pts to 8 with some lovely scores from Ruairí Kennedy and very good work in offence and defence from Eoghan Crowley.

Q3 - St Mary's 40 Tralee Imperials 17

Some very organised play from St Mary's saw them pull the lead further ahead and they outscored Imperials 18 pts to 2 here despite some good effort from David Lynch.

Q4 - St.Mary's 52 Tralee Imperials 25

A few long range shots from Imperials didn't work out in their favour and despite good pressure which led to a few scores St. Mary's were the deserved winners.

Tralee Imperials Scorers:

Conor McGibney 12

Ruairí Kennedy 10

Jack Noonan 2

David Lynch 1

Garvey's Tralee Warriors

Congratulations to Tralee Imperials BC chairperson, John Dowling, and Academy coach, Aaron Calixte, on their Basketball Ireland Superleague October Coach and Player of the Month awards respectively.

Garvey's Tralee Warriors head into the international break unbeaten at home and through to the National Cup quarter final vs Moycullen BC which will take place 4th December in the Tralee Sports Complex.

A special mention to the younger members of the squad who have stepped up to the challenge of playing Superleague including Tralee Imperials Keelan Crowe with two big performances vs DCU Saints and vs Templeogue. It is testament to the great work being done in the local clubs of Tralee and is fantastic for boys and girls of the town to see members of their club playing basketball at the top level in Ireland.