In the past four years, Loreto can proudly say they have reached the Basketball finals with at least one of their school teams. This is the second time in three years that both the Girls and Boys Basketball teams make it through to the finals together, playing some very good Basketball throughout the tournament.
The Girls team were a brand new combination of players, which consisted of younger talented girls, who were led by the experienced Laura Rodriguez and Beatriz Felipes (co-captains). This team surpassed every ones expectations by reaching the finals, as their skills and understanding progressed as the tournament went on. In the final they came up against an experienced and well drilled St Joseph’s team. Our girls kept the game very close in the first two quarters, however St Joseph’s experience under the post, helped them to pull away in the last half of the game. Our girls must be commended for never giving up and playing some good basketball throughout.
The Boys team showed throughout the tournament that they were one of the most skilful and knowledgeable teams Loreto Convent has ever produced. They sailed through to the finals, only losing one match to St Anne’s by a mere 2 points. This was the same team that they would meet in the final and it would prove to be one of the best finals that has ever been seen in the competition. Our boys, led by the very talented Juan and Julio Dominguez Perez (co-captains), started the match at full speed, although both teams showed signs of nerves early on. St Anne’s led at half time with the slightest of leads, however they did pull away (33-17) by the end of the third quarter. Going into the final 10 minutes of the game, most of the crowd felt St Anne’s had done enough to win the game. However, our plucky and determined Loreto boys were out to prove everyone wrong. They played with their hearts and tremendous team spirit, attacking from every angle, scoring point after point to claw the game back to within one basket (2 points). The crowd were won over by their hard fought comeback and everyone was on their feet willing them to go on and win the game. However, luck and time were certainly not on our side and an excellent 3 pointer by St Anne’s star player won them the game. The final score finished 40-37 to St Anne’s, even though Loreto won the last quarter 20-7.
Although both teams finished as runners-up, these results are still a huge achievement for our small school, who has to work twice as hard in order to compete with bigger schools. We are all extremely proud of both of our teams, who despite coming away empty handed, had won over every ones hearts.
A special mention must go to Laura Rodriquez, who was selected for the ‘All Star Top 5’ players of the Girls tournament. This ‘All Star Top 5’ award also went to both Juan and Julio Dominguez Perez, who have been central to Loreto’s Basketball teams since they were in Year 5, catching the eye of coaches, officials and spectators alike.
Congratulations to all involved and many thanks to everyone who came to support Loreto throughout this exciting and eventful tournament.
About the author
