PRESENTATION Secondary School booked their place in the All-Ireland Under-16 'C' league semi-final following a brace of victories in Christ King Secondary School, Cork, recently. Wexford, the South East champions, took on last year's All-Ireland finalists, Coláiste Íde of Dingle, and Mohill Community School from Leitrim in two exciting, intense matches.

Presentation 33, Coláiste Íde

26: Coláiste Íde started well and raced into a 6-0 lead as the Wexford girls found their rhythm. Emma Walsh and Cara McDonald replied before Coláiste Íde added a further four.

Walsh added another from a clever cut to the basket to leave the score at the end of the first quarter 10-6 in favour of the Kerry side.

The second quarter saw Presentation really hold a tight defence, with Emma Walsh doing an excellent job man-marking Liaidh Tóibín. Lauren Lawlor was dominating the rebounds while Cara McDonald was playing a tremendous game on the wing, turning defence into attack and running the channels.

Baskets from McDoland, Lawlor and Walsh saw the Pres. girls outscore their opponents 6-2 in this quarter as the game was all square at 12-12 at the halfway stage.

Once the game resumed, the confidence of the Presentation girls grew as the Trojan workrate of Eadaoin Miskella and Lauren Lawlor on defence set the tone for the third period. Emma Walsh was punishing any gap she saw in Dingle's defence as she added six points to her personal tally.

Lawlor (5), Miskella (2) and McDonald (2) all added baskets while conceding only eight points in return, much to the pleasure of the delighted travelling support from Wexford. The quarter closed with Presentation ahead 27-20.

The final quarter saw Dingle man a full court press in an effort to dispossess the Pres. girls and gain more scores. Presentation held firm, however, and were determined not to let their opponents back into the game.

Coláiste Íde forced their way through for two early scores, narrowing Wexford's lead. Aisling Nolan plucked some vital

rebounds from the air as the hard-working trio of Lawlor, Walsh and Miskella all chipped in with scores to maintain a six-point cushion as the final buzzer approached.

Coláiste Íde pressed hard but it wasn't enough as Presentation Wexford recorded a fine sevenpoint win against strong opposition.

Scorers: Emma Walsh (14), Lauren Lawlor (10), Cara McDonald (6), Eadaoin Miskella (2).

Presentation 40, Mohill Com

munity College 38: Two wins from two games would guarantee Presentation's place in next month's semi-finals, but Mohill were adamant they were not going the let the Wexford girls have it their own way in the final game of the day.

Mohill were clearly the stronger team in the opening quarter as they played a direct, fast-break style of basketball and raced into an early lead within minutes of the throw-in. Presentation found it difficult to cope with the intensity of the opening exchanges and trailed the Leitrim side 8-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Eadaoin Miskella was determined to turn things around and led by example as she stood firm against the Mohill attack. Emma Walsh and Lauren Lawlor began to exert their attacking brilliance on their opponents, using both skill and speed to work Presentation back into the game.

Scores from Walsh, Lawlor and Miskella saw the Pres. girls amass a whopping 16 points in the second period, while only conceding a single basket. The half-time score saw the Wexford girls trailing 18-16, but they were back in business.

Wexford battled on and midway through the third quarter they took the lead for the first time in the game, as they edged ahead through Emma Walsh.

Lawlor and Miskella continued to defend with tenacity while Cara McDonald was making herself available tirelessly to alleviate the pressure. Mohill did get in for scores, but further baskets from Nolan, Miskella, Walsh and Lawlor saw Presentation stretch the lead to five points heading into the final quarter.

As Dingle did in the first match, Mohill operated a full court press in an effort to overturn possession and fight their way back into the match. A place in the All Ireland semi-final was at stake and the intensity on court mirrored the prize on offer.

Mohill's pressure was paying off as they scored three baskets in quick succession. Presentation then suffered a huge blow as Lauren Lawlor was forced to leave the game as she picked up her fifth personal foul in what was a high-octane and compelling personal display on defence.

Eadaoin Miskella and Emma Walsh added scores to leave Pres. up 39-38 with less than a minute on the clock. Emma Walsh pointed from the free throw line to make it 40-38 in Presentation's favour. The

remaining moments of the match were frantic, but the final whistle was greeted by scenes of elation from the Presentation team and supporters.

Scorers: Emma Walsh (15), Lauren Lawlor (13), Eadaoin Miskella (10), Aisling Nolan (2).

Presentation: Beth Kavanagh, Jessica Reville, Cara Kavanagh, Eadaoin Miskella, Eleanor Nolan, Caoimhe O'Sullivan, Susan O'Doherty, Ciara Grey, Emma Walsh, Aislling Nolan, Lauren Lawlor.

The Presentation girls deserve great credit for their team ethos and diligent commitment to training. Many thanks must also go to the parents and supporters who travelled to Cork for what was a very long and intense day, as their encouragement was tremendous when the going got tough. Although the opposition and venue is not yet known, everyone is looking forward with much anticipation to the semi-final.