3 boys teams travelled to Cavan to play the Lakers and took 2 wins from the three games. The U16 Girls who were also due to play could not get enough players to take to the court and forfeited the game.

U14 A Boys: Cavan Lakers 54pts Blackwater Steelers 34pts

The Lakers are unbeaten league leaders and its not hard to see why as they dominated proceedings in the first match of the day. The first period was close enough and would have been closer but for some dreadful finishing into what can only be described as a dodgy basket. That same dodgy basket went on to trouble the 16s too.

The 2nd was a blow out to Lakers as they completely outplayed the Steeler boys, the score at halftime was 37pts to 14pts. The Steelers pressed for the rest of the game but the early impact was not built on, however it kept the hosts hardworking and honest throughout.

Team and Scorers: Jamie Krisiulevicius 13pts, Luke Cawley 7pts, Donacha O Hanlon 6pts, Gary Treanor 4pts, Énrí Shiels 2pts, Conal Harpin 2pts, Dylan McPhillips, Sean S. Kelly, Michael McMorrow and Mark Donahoe.

U16 Boys: Cavan Lakers 35pts Blackwater Steelers 42pts

Sometimes its just stacked up against you but you know you will prevail and the U 16 boys believed in themselves and came away with the win. The lads started off well enough but the finishing in that aforementioned dodgy basket was abysmal, the misses and the uncalled fouls just grew.

The Lakers went on a good run in the 2nd as the Steelers got justifiably frustrated and took a commanding lead 22pts to 14pts. The change of ends and change of fortunes saw the Steelers take the quarter by 17pts to 4pts with Ben Ryan playing brilliantly. The defence had stopped leaking scores as well and going into the last the Steelers led by 5pts.

The Steelers pulled another 4pts ahead before the Lakers launched a counter offensive but cool heads on the court and on the bench steered the Steelers home for a well-deserved victory.

Team and Scorers: Ben Ryan 23pts, Cameron Liddle 11pts, Alister Stewart 3pts, Rio Corrigan 3pts, Tiernan O Rourke 2pts, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Kacper Ostrowski, Liam Conway, Ryan Murphy, Matthew Curley and Lui Shiels.

U18 Boys: Cavan Lakers 42pts Blackwater Steelers 70pts

This was the most polished performance of the day with the league leading Blackwater Steelers accounting for their second placed rivals with a fair degree of ease. It was a slowish start by the Monaghan lads as they let Cavan away with a couple of threes and finished the quarter 3pts down. Andrew O Connor found his range in the 2nd from outside while  Robert Haynes worked his magic inside and they wrestled back control of the game. A seven point lead at half time grew to 12 with Killian and Cian hitting some nice scores. The last was a blow out 24 to 7 with the Steelers using everyone.

Team and Scorers: Andrew O Connor 31pts, Killian McAdam 15pts, Robert Haynes 14pts, Cian Fitzgerald 4pts, , Michael McDonnell 4pts,  Kai McCaffrey 2pts, Ryan Treanor, Ryan Curley, Lorcan O Rourke, Dylan McKenna, Donal Leonard and Sebb Uglis.

Good luck to St Macartans College

Good luck to St Macartans College who compete in All Ireland A Schools Quarter Final tomorrow Tuesday Feb 6 in the National Basketball Arena against Summerhill College Sligo. The team is made up of Steeler lads past and present.

U18 Boys:  Dunshaughlin Rockets 40pts Blackwater Steelers 64pts

The under 18 Rockets team are better than some of their recent results suggest so this was an important away victory and cements the Steelers place on the top of the table.

The Monaghan lads started off well enough without getting much from a tight Rockets zone defence in the first quarter. Robert Haynes was rebounding superbly, and scores were coming off him with Andrew O Connor finding his range from outside. However, Dunshaughlin were staying in the game and a big 3 just before halftime evened the game at a rather low 22pts each.

The game opened in the 3rd with Killian McAdam, Cian Fitzgerald and Michael McDonnell getting crucial scores after the Steelers defence held them scoreless. Despite lazy refereeing the Steelers held firm to deter the Rockets and keep a 7point lead.

The Steelers pushed on in the 4th with scores flowing from the hands of Andrew and Killian but it was the defence that put the gloss on the win. The Rebounding and blocking out as a team was just excellent which we have been working on in training.
We are away to second place Cavan Lakers next week.

Team & Scorers: Andrew O Connor 22pts, Killian McAdam 20pts, Cian Fitzgerald 9pts, Robert Haynes 8pts, Michael McDonnell 4pts, Ryan Treanor, Dylan McKenna, Sebb Ostrowski, Conor McKenna, Ryan Corley, Lorcan O Rourke and Kai McCaffrey.

U14 Boys: Dunshaughlin Rockets 40pts Blackwater Steelers 50pts

This was the first outing for the U 14 boys from as far back as early December and they did well to get the result. The performance was not as good as it should have been but that will hopefully improve. The first quarter was good with 14pts from Jamie Krisiulevicius, 3pts from Lucas Kriscunas and 2 from Gary Treanor.

The second was closer but the Monaghan men still increased their lead with scores from Conal Harpin, Donacha O Hanlon, Dylan McPhillips and Luke Crawley. The defence was not as good though and we did not push the lead out further. The Steelers came under a good bit of pressure in the third but stayed in the lead without ever being in complete control. They saw out the last and got the win which was the most important thing.

Team & Scorers: Jamie Krisiulevicius 24pts, Lucas Kriscunas 7pts, Conal Harpin 6pts, Énrí Shiels 3pts, Michael McMorrow 2pts, Dylan McPhillips 2pts, Gary Treanor 2pts, Luke Cawley 2pts, Donacha O Hanlon 2pts and Mark Donohue.

U12 Boys: Blackwater Steelers 26pts   Cavan Lakers Cubs 18pts

Having made it into the top half of the league, the goal now is to continue to improve and maybe a place in the top 4 will be their reward. Our 1st hurdle was a game v Cavan Lakers Cubs in the Sem on Sat 27th January.  The 1st quarter was a blitz as our lads outplayed their opponents, defending manfully and limiting any scoring opportunities, while playing very well in offense, winning this period 12-2. We lost the 2nd qtr. through some sloppy play, poor passing and unnecessary fouls, which even at u12 level doesn't go unpunished. A better 2nd half from the lads saw them winning by 8points. 26-18. More work to be done!

Team and scorers: Johnnie Wright 12pts, Patrick Murphy 6pts, Ruadhan O Dufaigh 5pts, Andrew Stewart 2pts, Paddy Mulligan 1pt, Darragh Mulligan, Luke Swift, Stephen McSkeane, Diarmuid Mc Ginnity, Sean Woods, Adam McElvaney and Rory Conway.

U14 B Boys: Blackwater Steelers 18pts Cavan Lakers 33pts

This was the only negative part to the Steelers weekend but there are positives to be taken out of this game too. The home side led at the end of a good quarter of basketball with Shea Swift scoring freely, the lead could have been more, but the performance was very good. Unfortunately, we got over ran by 11 points in the second which effectively put the tie to bed. We didn’t manage to score in the 3rd but rallied well with 8 pts in the last. The boys are improving and all they need is a win to gain a bit of confidence.

Team and Scorers:  Shea Swift 8pts, Ali Elsayed 4pts, Daire Conlon 2pts, Cian Murphy 2pts, Andrew Walsh 2pts, Ryan McMahon, Matthew McVicar, Josh Curley and Harley Colleran.

Upcoming Fixtures

The U14, U16 Boys and U16 Girls all go away to Cavan Lakers next Sunday. There is also the juicy encounter between first and second in the U18 Boys League with the Steelers hoping to preserve their 100% record so far.

It was 3 wins from 4 this weekend as the boys U12, U14, U14 Rapids and U18 teams were in action. On Saturday 27th our U14 Rapids team were up first in St. Macartan's v Cavan Lakers.  Our lads were a man short due to injury, and while the performance was much improved, it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Lakers, suffering a defeat 18 -33.

Next up were the U12s. A brilliant 1st quarter by the lads, where they led 12-2 was a great start for them and even though the remainder of the game wasn't quite as strong, they never relinquished the lead and came out winners with a scoreline of 26-18.

On Sunday morning our u14s and u18s travelled to play Dunshaughlin Rockets.  There was never too much between the teams with our lads keeping their noses in front in a fast, good game, running out winners by 10. 40-50.

The last game was the u18 men. This was a tight, bruising encounter with some super performances by both teams. At half time it was 22-22 with all to play for in the 2nd half. A brilliant team effort by our lads saw them pulling away well and they certainly deserved the win 41-63.

Well done to all the lads and supporters over the two days!

U12 Boys:  Libby Dynamites 11pts Blackwater Steelers 27pts

The Steelers U12 boys got the weekend of fixtures off to a good start with a great performance and a great result when they beat Liby fairly comprehensively in Louth

U12 Boys:  Blackwater Steelers 26 East Cavan Eagles 15

The mighty U12 boys secured a second win in their second game of the weekend on the Sunday. This time we hosted East Cavan Eagles in the sem. With only 2 points separating the two teams we knew it was going to be a close game. Right from the tip off, both teams were determined to go out strong but it was the Steelers lads who came out on top. Some great rebounding and clinical finishing helped the lads get the win. Good job boys!

Team and scorers: Johnnie Wright 6pts, Ruadhan O Dufaigh 5pts, Paddy Mulligan 4pts, Sean Woods 3pts, Darragh Mulligan 2pts, Diarmuid Mc Ginnity 2pts, Rory Conway 2pts, Andrew Stewart 1pt, Patrick Murphy 1pt, Luke Swift and Daniel Aughey.

U14 B Boys:  Libby Dynamites 29pts Blackwater Steelers 16pts 

The Dynamites were physically too strong for our young lads on the day and deserved their win. Unfortunately the Steelers did not really compete on the day.

Team & Scorers: Cian Murphy 6pts, Daire Conlon 3pts, Aidan McKnight 2pts, Ali Elsayed 2pts, Sean Metcalfe 1pt, Mark Corrigan 1pt, Shea Swift 1pt, Ryan McArdle, Andrew Walsh, Arron McArdle, Max Aughey and Josh Curley.

U14 B Boys:  Blackwater Steelers 30pts East Cavan Eagles 52pts

The Eagles are League Leaders having not lost a game yet and proved to be the better team on the day but this was a much better performance from the lads compared with the day before.

Team & Scorers: Cian Murphy 17pts, Shea Swift 7pts, Mark Corrigan 4pts, Daire Conlon 2pts, Ali Elsayed, Ryan McArdle Josh Curley, Sean Metcalfe, Ryan McMahon, Andrew Walsh and Matthew McVicar.

U16 Boys:  Libby Dynamites 25pts Blackwater Steelers 80pts

This was a no contest after a devastating first quarter by these basket hungry Steeler boys and they went on to win easily.

Team & Scorers: Ben Ryan 31pts,Cameron Liddle 12pts, Kelvin Hackett 10pts, Kacper Ostrowski 7pts, Alister Stewart 6pts, Liam Conway 5pts, Rio Corrigan 4pts,Matthew Curley 3pts, Lui Shiels 2pts, Liam McKenna, Conor Mulligan and Che Treanor.

U16 Boys:  Blackwater Steelers 57pts East Cavan Eagles 31pts

The U16 boys were back in action on the Sunday and this was a tighter contest. The Steeler boys played some brilliant stuff throughout and eventually pulled away from them in the 3^rd quarter.

Team & Scorers: Cameron Liddle 18pts, Ben Ryan 13pts, Rio Corrigan 9pts, Alister Stewart 7pts, Liam McKenna 6pts, Matthew Curley 2pts, Conor Mulligan 2pts,Kelvin Hackett, Kacper Ostrowski, Liam Conway, Finn Slater and Ryan Murphy.

U12 Girls:  Blackwater Steelers 17pts East Cavan Eagles 32pts

The girls went down to the top side in the league early on and were unable to recover. It was the start of a bad day for the Steelers against the East Cavan side.

U14 Girls:  BWS 31 East Cavan Eagles 40 

East Cavan Eagles made the trip to Monaghan on Saturday and provided Steelers with some good tough opposition. 1st quarter was a tight one with eagles just edging it by 2pts. The second saw the Steelers outscore eagles by 9pts thanks to scores by Holly McQuaid. Steelers took the lead, winning 20-13 at the half. 

The third again was a tough contest, with Steelers loosing themselves on defence a few times giving eagles easy baskets. Two starters in Rachel Callery and Aine McQuaid got fouled in this quarter and eagles took advantage outscoring them in both 3rd and 4th quarters. The girls on the floor played their part but unfortunately basic mistakes on defence cost the us the game. Eagles went on to win 40-31. Steelers now sit joint second with East Cavan Eagles in the league table going into the Christmas break. 

Team and scorers:  Holly McQuaid 16pts, Rachel Callery 11pts,Erica McDonald 2pts, Eille Curran 2pts, Rachel Lennon, Katie Trainor, Gormlaith MacGongail, Cathy McKenny, Ellen McDonald, Aine McQuaid, Aoibheann McGinnity and Aoife McSkeane.

U16 Girls:  BWS 39pts ECE 42pts

This was close game that was lost in the 3^rd quarter but overall a great performance against a good team.

Team & Scorers: Niamh O Connell 14 pts, Rachel Callery 9pts, Brid Mc Nally 6 pts , Riona Kilpatrick 6 pts, Ava Ross 1pts Dearbhla Ni Ghallchoir 3 pts Amy Deery.

U18 Girls:  BWS 45pts ECE 68pts

Team & Scorers: Amy Mulligan 16pts Lara O Mairtin 13pts Morgan Mc Kenna 10 pts Amy Deery 4 pts Alison Mc Bride 2pts Riona Kilpatrick and Dearbhla Ni Ghallchoir Aisling Ni Ghallchoir

U18 Girls:  Navan Cougars 66pts V BWS 45pts

Team & Scorers: Amy Mulligan 13 pts, Morgan Mc Kenna 12 pts, Lara O Mairtin 8 pts, Alison Mc Bride 4 pts, Amy Deery 2 pts, Mollie Molloy 2 pts, Riona Kilpatrick 2 pts Aisling Ni Ghallchoir 2 pts.

The U 18 girls had 2 games this weekend and fell to 2 defeats due mainly to lack of practice which leads to a poor scoring rate. The girls missed a lot of chances over the 2 games.

Happy Christmas

We would like to wish everybody connected with Blackwater Steelers a very Happy Christmas and a successful New Year.

Blackwater Steelers 33pts East Coast Cavaliers 20pts

Our u12 boys were the only team in action this weekend as we welcomed East Coast Cavaliers to the Sem on Sunday morning. This was a much improved  performance from the lads, and they are gelling well together as a team. Our defensive game is getting better with each game. Our full court press, which we used for the first time worked really well and denied the opposition any scores in the last quarter. Great job boys!

Team and scorers: Paddy Mulligan 9pts, Andrew Stewart 7pts, Johnnie Wright 6pts, Patrick Murphy 4pts, Sean Woods 2pts, Ruadhan O Dufaigh 2pts, Stephen McSkeane 2pts, Ethan McCaffrey 1pt, Daniel Aughey, Luke Swift and Rory Conway. 

8 of the 9 Blackwater Steelers teams headed off to Drogheda on Saturday morning last with the girls winning all their games against Drogheda Sparks whereas only the U 18 boys won against the very strong boys club Bullets.

U14 Girls:  Drogheda Sparks 21pts Blackwater Steelers 55pts

The Girls started off well offensively creating a big lead at the half. Drogheda scored more in the second half but the Steelers never looked like they would lose the game.

Team and scorers: Rachel Callery 24pts, Holly McQuaid 22pts, Aine McQuaid 4pts, Erica McDonald 2pts, Katie Trainor 2pts, Aoibheann McGinnity 1pt, Ellen McDonald, Elle Curran, Gormlaith MacGonghail and Alex Carlisle

U12 Girls & U16 Girls

The U12 girls won by a brilliant 33pts to 6pts and the U16 won by 46pts to 44pts on their visit to Drogheda.

U12 Boys:  Drogheda Bullets 39 Blackwater Steelers 24

Our u12 boys faced a mammoth task on Saturday morning as they faced table toppers Drogheda Bullets. After a great team performance the week before in Streete, the coaches were hoping for a similar display against a stronger opposition. The boys did not disappoint. It was very heartening to see them play with the same intensity from start to finish, even when they went behind early in the game.

Team and scorers: Ruadhán Ó Dufaigh 8pts, Andrew Stewart 6pts, Paddy Mulligan 4pts, Rory Conway 2pts, Darragh Mulligan 2pts, Johnnie Wright 2pts, Daniel Aughey, Diarmuid Mc Ginnity, Seán Woods and Stephen McSkeane.

U14 A Boys:  Drogheda Bullets 42pts Blackwater Steelers 40pts

This was the proverbial game of two halves; the Steelers were poor in the first quarter with some below par finishing around the basket, the Monaghan side should have been further ahead. The 2 quarter got away from the Steelers and they became ragged with the half time score at 25pts to 14pts. The boys pressed in the third and made good headway winning it by 4 with super performances from Donnacha O Hanlon and Michael McMorrow. The last quarter was even better but just didn’t get enough on the board. Well done to Jamie Krisiulevicius on scoring 29pts but winning 3 out of the 4 quarters and still losing the game is hard to take.

Team & Scorers: J. Krisiulevicius 29pts, Michael McMorrow 4pts, C. Harpin 3pts,  D. McPhillips 2pts, D. O Hanlon, G. Treanor, M. Donahue, E. Shiels, L. Cawley, L. Krisciunas and S. S. Kelly.

U14 B Boys:  Drogheda Bullets 39pts Blackwater Steelers 29pts

This was a great game of basketball from these inexperienced lads but they just were not able to pull back the first quarter deficit. They just need a little more composure under the basket and this game could have been a win.

Team and Scorers: S. Swift 10pts, M. Corrigan 8pts, R. McArdle 4pts, A. Elsayed 3pts, S. Metcalfe 2pts, A. McKnight 2pts, C. Murphy, R. McMahon, A. Walsh, M. McVicar and A. McArdle.

U18 Boys:  Drogheda Bullets 67pts Blackwater Steelers 72pts

This game was between probably the two best U 18 teams in the NEBB League and the Steelers came out on top thanks in no short way to the 40pts Andrew O Connor scored, he had a super game from start to finish. However this game was not won easily, the Steelers took control in the first with great defence setting up some good fast breaks. Despite missing a lot of shots the Steelers led by 16 to 12 after the first. The Bullets rallied in the 2nd and wrestled control back helped by some questionable refereeing decisions. After a couple of sweet 3 pointers they went into the break leading by 6pts (31 to 25).

All the Steelers showed up in the 3rd and they went from 6 down to 11 up by the end of the third, with Dylan McKenna in, the defence got harder to beat, Killian hit form too and the scoreboard ticked over nicely for the quarter. The Bullets pressed in the last and made a real fight of it to come back in to it; or rather I should say the Steelers let them back into it. They cut the lead to three at one stage but the experience of Ryan, Killian and Andrew seen them come out winners.

Team & Scorers:  Andrew O Connor 40pts, Ryan Treanor 12pts, Killian McAdam 11pts, Robert Haynes 7pts, Michael McDonnell 2pts, Sebb Uglis, Sebb Ostrowski, Ryan Corley, Dylan McKenna, Kai McCaffrey, Sean Conway and Donal Leonard.

U16 Boys:  Drogheda Bullets 46pts Blackwater Steelers 27pts

This was only the 2nd defeat of the season for the U 16 lads but it was a heavy defeat to a very physically strong Drogheda. The Drogheda lads are huge compared to the Steeler boys with a lot of them playing up at 17 and 18 levels too. However the Steelers made it very difficult for them throughout the game.

Team and Scorers: Ben Ryan 9pts, R. Corrigan 7pts, K. Hackett 3pts, A. Stewart 2pts, K. Ostrowski 2pts, C. Liddle 2pts, T. O Rourke 2pts, M. Curley, L. McKenna, L. Conway and C. Mulligan.

Blackwater Steelers travelled the long journey down to Westmeath on both Saturday and Sunday to play Streete in the NEBB League and came away with 7 out of 8 wins.

Sunday

U12 Girls:  Streete Warriors 10pts Blackwater Steelers 24pts

The U 12 girls got the ball rolling with a win against a depleted Streete team. They played well throughout with some nice passages of play. Well done girls.

Team & Scorers: D. Cawley, L. Lennon, N.McQuaid, S. O Donnell 2pts, A. Trainor 4pts, C. Nally 2pts, A. Bogue 4pts, K. Fanning 6pts, C. O Neil 4pts and D. Marron 2pts.

U14 Girls:  Streete Warriors 14pts v Blackwater Steelers 53pts

Steelers travelled to Westmeath shorthanded; however the girls that travelled made sure they left Westmeath with the points. Streete were poor on the ball and Steelers took advantage of this. Rotations were made frequently and Steelers ran out winners on a scoreline of 14-53.

Team and scorers: Holly McQuaid 21pts, Rachel Callery 18pts, Elle Curran 6pts, Aoife McSkeane 4pts, Rachel Lennon 2pts, Erica McDonald 2pts, Ellen McDonald, Aine McQuaid, Alex Carlisle, Dervla Cawley, Leah Lennon.

U16 Girls:  Streete Warriors 25pts Blackwater Steelers 31pts

This game was even scores up until last quarter when the Steeler girls got their noses in front. Well done to the 5 girls that travelled down and a big thank you to Rachel Callery for playing up from the 14s.

Team & Scorers: Aine no Dhufaigh 2pts, Katie Deery 4pts, Niamh O Connell 12pts, Amy Deery 7pts
Rachel Callery 6pts and Mariea Botev.

U18 Girls:  Streete Warriors 19pts Blackwater Steelers 42pts

This was the first outing with the full squad of U 18 Girls mainly due to injury early in the season and they won easily. Well done girls!

Team & Scorers: Morgan McKenna 13pts, Amy Mulligan 9pts, Mollie Molloy 6pts, Gemma Johnston 4pts, Lara O Mairtin 4pts, Alison Mc Bride 2pts, Amy Deery 2pts and Aisling Ni Ghallchoir 2pts.

Saturday

U12 Boys:  Streete Warriors 24pts Blackwater Steelers 26pts

This was a great game for the Steeler boys and for the spectators as it was basket for basket for a lot of it. It was level after the 1st, level again at half time but the Steelers pulled away in the “money” quarter to give some breathing space before their press caused some jitters in the last. The team learned a lot from their mistakes the previous week and everyone worked really hard and played as a team. The defence was much improved from the last day with team help working well.

Team & Scorers: D. McGinnity 4pts, S. McSkeane 4pts, P. Mulligan 4pts, A. Stewart 2pts, P. Murphy 2pts, D. Aughey 2pts, R. O Dufaigh 2pts, S. Woods 2pts, D. Mulligan 2pts, E. McCaffrey 2pts, L. Swift and R. Conway.

U14 Boys:  Streete Warriors 57 Blackwater Steelers 41

As Streete warmed up you could see this would be a decent challenged and it turned out to be worse than that as the home side took the pints with some aplomb. They are unbeaten so far and were too good for the Steelers. After a good first quarter the Steelers led 14pts to 16pts but the home side pulled back in the 2nd and led by 1pt at half time. Poor team work and individual frustration cost the Steelers dear as rampant Streete surged ahead in the 3rd & 4th quarter to win the game comfortably. The Steelers fought to the end but the points were lost.

Team & Scorers: Jamie Krisiulevicius 19pts, Conal Harpin 10pts, Mark Donohue 4pts, Lucas Krisciunas 2pts, Dylan McPhillips 2pts, Michael McMorrow 2pts, Luke Cawley 2pts, Donnacha O Hanlon, Enri Shiels, Sean S. Kelly and Gary Treanor.

U16 Boys:  Streete Warriors 26pts Blackwater Steelers 57pts

This was a good performance from the 16 boys and a good result. Streete had no answer to the speed and accuracy of the Steeler boys and the Monaghan men led from start to finish. It went 18-8, 4-13, 5-10 and 16-9 through the quarters, dominating throughout. There are tougher games on the horizon.

Team & Scorers: Ben Ryan 20pts, Alister Stewart 12pts, Cameron Liddle 8pts, Liam McKenna 8pts, Rio Corrigan 5pts, Kelvin Hackett 3pts, Kacper Ostrowski 1pt, Conor Mulligan, Lui Shiels, Liam Conway and Tiarnan O Rourke.

U18 Boys:  Streete Warriors 52pts Blackwater Steelers 70pts

Missing two starters from their line up the Steelers were slow to start and Streete matched them stride for stride in the first with the first quarter finishing even. The Steelers opened up a 14pt gap in the 2nd with strong play from Andrew and Ryan. They stretched it out in the third to secure the game and were never in any danger despite a rally from the home side.

Team & Scorers: Andrew O Connor 29pts, Ryan Treanor 22pts, Sebb Uglis 13pts, Robert Haynes 4pts, Lorcan O Rourke 2pts, Sebb Ostrowski, Kai McCaffrey, Dylan McKenna, Sean Conway, Michael McDonnell and Alister Stewart.

U14 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 51pts Cavan Lakers 40pts

The U14 girls took on Cavan Lakers on Wednesday the 8^th (rescheduled from the 28^th Oct on request by Cavan Lakers). The Cavan girls were unbeaten going into the game so we knew we had a tough task ahead. First quarter was a tight one, finishing with Cavan on top 11-15. The Steelers came out strong in the second, outscoring the opposition by 21pts to 3pts. Half time score 32-18 to the Steelers.

In the second half, Cavan continued to apply a strong full court press, which put Steelers under a lot of pressure; however they still managed to get scores which allowed them to take the win.

Team and scorers: Rachel Callery 22pts, Holly McQuaid 21pts, Ellen McDonald 2pts, Erica McDonald 2pts, Elle Curran 2pts, Katie Trainor 2pts, Bernice John, Cathy McKenny, Aine McQuaid, Amelia Deery, Aoibheann McGinnity, Alex Carlisle, Rachel Lennon and Aoife McSkeane.

U12 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 11pts Carrick Cruisers 22pts

Carrick Cruisers were clearly the better team in this match, they led from start to finish. The Steelers didn’t bring the good form they have shown in previous matches to the court today.

Team & Scorers: S Healy 1pt, S. O Donnell, E. McGinnity, A. Bogue 3pts, A. McCormack 1pt, D. Cawley 4pts, L. Lennon, C. O Neil 2pts, D. Marron, A. Trainor, C. Nally and K. Farmer.

U14 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 58pts Carrick Cruisers 27pts

The Steelers came out strong in the first 2 quarters to give them a commanding lead by half time. They added to that in the third which meant the deficit was much too great to make any sort of a comeback. This the 2^nd good win inside the week.

Team & Scorers: Rachel Callery 32pts, Holly McQuaid 16pts, Cathy McKenny 6pts, Alex Carlisle 2pts, Amelia Deery 2pts, Aine McQuaid, Elle Curran, Rachel Lennon, Aoibheann McGinnity, Aoife McSkeane, Ellen McDonald, Katie Trainor, Erica McDonald, Gormlaith MacGonghail and Bernice John.

U16 Girls: Blackwater Steelers 57pts Carrick Cruisers 36pts

This was a good win for the Steeler U 16 girls winning all but the last quarter.

Team & Scorers: A. Deery 13pts, N. O Connell 12pts, K. Deery 9pts, A. Rabella 8pts, A. Ross 4pts,B. McNally 4pts, D. Ni Ghallchoir 3pts, , A. Duffy, A. McKenna, H. Turley 2pts and M. Botev 2pts.

U12 Boys: Blackwater Steelers 22pts Carrick Cruisers 27pts (Steelers win on the 10 player rule)

Despite being beaten by a good Carrick Cruisers team the Steelers come away with the points as Carrick only had 9 players so the league term this a forfeit. This was a disappointing game for the Steelers lads performance wise as they still haven’t gelled as a team and don’t trust each other enough. Work in progress as they say. Get well soon to Adam McElvaney who injured his hand during the game.

Team & Scorers: A. McElvaney, A. Stewart 6pts, D. Aughey, D. McGinnity 2pts, D. Mulligan, L. Swift, P. Mulligan 9pts, P. Murphy, R. Conway, R. O Dufaigh 5pts and S. Woods.

U14 B League: Blackwater Steelers 32pts Carrick Cruisers 31pts

The last game of the day was a cracker, went down to the wire and kept all on their toes. The win for Steelers was just about deserved over the course of the game and is a good boost for these inexperienced young lads.

There was only a basket between the sides in the first with Carrick ahead but 8pts from Ali Elsayed and 2pts each from Fionán Gallagher and Mark Corrigan in the 2^nd put Steelers ahead by 4 at half time. Carrick came back strongly in the third but the home side held firm and outscored them by 1pt, 10 to 9 thanks to a strong quarter from Cian Murphy. That one point became very significant at the end.

The Steelers found it hard to score in the last whereas Carrick were piling the pressure on, they won the last by 4pts but that 1pt difference became very important as they just run out of time.

Team & Scorers: Cian Murphy 12pts, Ali Elsayed 8pts, Shea Swift 4pts, Mark Corrigan 2pts, Fionán Gallagher 2pts, Daire O Conlan 2pts, Andrew Walsh 2pts, Josh Curley, A. McArdle, Ryan McMahon, Max Aughey and Matthew McVicar.