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Team Kerry won the Antton Pebet title in France over the weekend. (click on photo to enlarge)
TEAM Kerry have recently claimed their first ever international success after they emerged triumphant in a basketball tournament held in Biarritz, France.
The U-14 all-girls team clinched a famous win over BCLA from Toulouse over the weekend to claim the ‘Antton Pebet Title’ for Kerry for the first time, coming home a great welcome in Ballymac on Monday night.
The team, which featured girls from the Tralee, Ballymac, Dingle and West Kerry areas, came through their Pool on Saturday as Group Winners and faced into the quarter finals with confidence defeating Anglet Cote Basque comprehensively.
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They then succeeded in coming through a nailbiting semi-final with a late basket in the closing seconds to secure a 29-28 win over Lectoure.
Team Kerry then faced B.C.L.A from Toulouse in the Final and finished ahead, 36-31 in a great contest to clinch a famous win.
We spoke to General Secretary of the club David Ahern on the tournament and the teams success.
“The club [Team Kerry Basketball Club] is ten years old this year, and we’ve been doing a few tournaments, but this is the first time that we would have been overseas. We got an invitation to a tournament just outside Biarritz,” explained David.
“There was ten teams in the tournament and we played six games. Irish teams, when they go overseas, hope to do well and enjoy the occasion, but the girls exceeded themselves [this time]. We got a great reception, and I suppose the girls fed off that. They performed well with each game and went on to win the final,” he continued.
“They won their pool group on the Saturday and finished top of the group, so that gave them an easier quarter final draw on the Sunday. They just went from strength to strength with every game really. They exceeded our expectations, their own expectations and everything just went so well,” he finished.
Well done to Team Kerry and all those involved.
