Academy victorious in Year 8 basketball tournament
The event was sponsored by the Ballymena Council Sports Development team with a special thanks to Katrina McCaughan who got behind the venture organised by the Blackstone Basketball Club.
The schools taking part were St Patrick’s College, Cambridge House, Dunclug and Ballymena Academy.
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Hide AdThe contest was played on a league basis with a top two final encounter that saw Ballymena Academy, coached by Ryan Hayes, defeat St Patrick’s Ballymena, coached by Paul McKee.
This was a fiercely contested game with both teams in contention until the closing stages. The Academy came out winners 32–27 by dominating the boards in the closing stages. They used a considerable height advantage close in and shot the vital scores to take the trophy.
The tournament was a forerunner to next season’s launch of basketball coaching in the Leisure Centre on a Saturday afternoon from 1-3 pm.
The new club will be coached by Blackstone members with the aim of linking to the cross Community Development Project that will begin in Primary Schools in the Ballymena area.
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Hide AdPeace Players, an American-based group will be working in the Primary schools delivering their programme through basketball.
The Leisure Centre club will offer coaching for for U 14s and U-12s that will be an extension of the work in the Primary and Secondary schools.