Bobmore Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 1JE
Telephone - 01628 483 752
Company Registration No.07690054

Inclusive Zone Basketball: Runners Up

Posted on 10 Feb, 2020 in About GMS, Basketball, Events

The most recent Inclusive Zone Basketball competition had GMS as one of the competitors, because our team had qualified for the National Finals at Nottingham University.

GMS had dominated all their league fixtures and the semi final, so the final was a big day for the team.

In IZB there are three zones, four players: two able bodied in the outside zones, two in wheel chairs in the middle zone. The ball must pass through all three zones, before a shot can be taken. Each half is a strenuous 8 minutes long.

Drawing towards the close of the match, with just 2 minutes to go, GMS were down by 6 points.

That was before GMS surged to an amazing come back, bringing the score to 20-21 with 6 secs left. The team, turned them over, took the ball up court, but in the last shot of the match it bounced off the rim as the final whistle blew.

GMS were runners up, but what an incredible achievement in this National Final.

Praise goes to the team, as they scored all of their points in the final through the wheelchair players. (The winning team, Wokingham High scored eight of their points with their non wheel chair players.) The fluidity in play and teamwork demonstrated by the GMS students was outstanding. Moreover, they were gracious in defeat and fully respectful of the victors.

GMS would particularly like to thank Fiona ODonovan who pulled the trip together and managed the team and Pat ODonovan who was the head coach for the regional round and the national finals.

PJ O Donovan was a wheelchair player, captain and tactician, aside him was Conal O Donovan also a wheelchair player. Other members of the team included Will Leach, Harry Ashton, Harley Taberer, Rosie Jones, Joe Riley and Anakin De Oliviera. Thank you team for doing yourselves proud on a field of play and making GMS proud, too.