Latest news with #SarahHickey
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Hickey the star as Ireland women overcome Norway
Ireland 78 Norway 63 Sarah Hickey led the way as Ireland's women's basketball team took an impressive win over a Norway side 14 places above them in the world rankings. The first quarter of this JYSK Summer Series clash at the National Basketball Arena got off to a lively start, with both sides showing plenty of energy on both ends of the floor. Ireland's Hickey and Micol Torresani of Norway set the tone early before a gutsy play by Sorcha Tiernan saw her hit the floor but nail a three. Ella O'Donnell, who was called up late in place of the injured Bridget Herlihy, extended the lead with a nice inside move as the hosts began to take control. An impressive opening quarter ended with Ireland ahead 23-16. It was a grittier start to the second quarter as both sides got tighter defensively. That switch favoured Ireland more, stretching the lead to 15 by the midpoint of the quarter. Hazel Finn's tenacity proved telling as Norway struggled to match Ireland's intensity. With captain Edel Thornton adding to the barrage, the hosts looked in fine form. A steal and score by Anna Horvig Wikstrøm rallied the visitors late in the quarter but Ireland still led 42-35 at the half. Ireland came out energised to start the second half, with Sorcha Tiernan finding O'Donnell on the fast break to put Ireland 10 in front again. A tighter defensive effort by the hosts made it hard going for Norway at the other end. The response from the visitors simply wasn't there. Ireland entered the final frame with a commanding 67-49 lead. The final quarter felt rather processional. Norway had the odd highlight, including a high pressure three from Maren Mildestvedt, but the result was never in doubt. Ireland took an impressive win that can be built upon. IRELAND: Edel Thornton, Enya Maguire, Kate Hickey, Sarah Hickey, Hazel Finn, Lauryn Homan, Abigail Rafferty, Ella O'Donnell, Annaliese Murphy, Sorcha Tiernan, Kara McCleane, Lorraine Scanlon NORWAY: Stine Austgulen, Synne Jacobsen, Sunniva Sørbye. Severine Uggen, Maren Mildestvedt, Karoline Teigland, Vilde Havnes, Micol Torresani, Anna Horvig Wikstrøm, Aiva Julirud
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Basketball Ireland ‘extremely alarmed' and ‘assessing next steps' after being drawn against Israel for Euro qualifiers
BASKETBALL IRELAND revealed it was "assessing our next steps" after being drawn against Israel for the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers. travel to face Advertisement However, that fixture has been cast into doubt after The statement read: "Basketball Ireland is extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and as such we are assessing our next steps following today's FIBA "Basketball Ireland have spoken to FIBA "Basketball Ireland will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days and we will provide an update next week." Advertisement Read More on Basketball The possibility of Ireland boycotting the games against Israel in protest is not certain as the governing body revealed the potential financial implications. The statement continued: "Upon commencement of the competition, Basketball Ireland would be subject to a fine of up to €80,000 should Ireland fail to fulfil their first fixture with Israel. "Failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000 and removal from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers, as well as the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2029 Qualifiers. "Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied. Advertisement Most read in Other Sports "FIBA Europe rules state that they "may impose addition sanctions according to the FIBA Internal Regulations - Book 1 - General Provisions (Chapter 6)", which includes 'disqualification from a competition in progress and or exclusion from future competitions .'" Controversy surrounded a game between Ireland and Israel in February 2024 when there were calls for them to boycott the fixture in response to the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory. Portland Fire Returns: WNBA Expansion Fueled by the Caitlin Clark Effect They refused citing fears of punishment from FIBA that could have included a five-year ban from international basketball. The Irish Government backed Basketball Ireland's position. Advertisement However, the players themselves refused to take part in pre-match formalities after an Israeli player allegedly slurred Ireland by wrongly calling them "anti-Semitic". Basketball Ireland later described the comments as "inflammatory and wholly inaccurate" in a statement to The Irish Independent. And the association said the remarks had been raised with FIBA, the international basketball federation. 1 Sarah Hickey of Ireland in action against Daniel Karsh of Israel Credit: Oksana Dzadan/Sportsfile Advertisement
