With over 1,000 career points already, Dexter Southfield junior Orlagh Gormley established herself as one of the most talented point guards in Massachusetts well before being selected to join the Ireland under-18 women’s national team.
The 5-foot-7 Quincy native seems quiet by nature, but her passion for basketball is apparent. In addition to using her speed to drive to the basket, she can knock down three-pointers, provide accurate passes to her teammates, and haul in rebounds. She credits her work ethic to her family.
“Both of my siblings played,” said Gormley. “Watching them, I got it at a young age. So, I just followed in their footsteps pretty much. They were always playing basketball in the backyard, so I was always playing with them. I make sure that no matter what team I’m on, I give the same effort as I always do.”
Her sister Aoibhe, a senior at Thayer Academy, plans to play at Boston University. Brother Eoin played at Catholic Memorial and is a student at Boston College.
At North Quincy, Gormley earned a reputation for her scoring. During the 2021-22 season, Gormley scored 56 points for North Quincy in a round of 32 playoff game against Masconomet, breaking the previous school record of 54 points. She finished her sophomore year with an average of 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, earning Patriot League Fisher Division MVP recognition as well as a berth on the Boston Herald Girls Basketball Dream Team.
With eyes on stronger competition, she enrolled at Dexter Southfield.
“Public school was a lot of fun, and I don’t take it for granted,” she said. “Dexter Southfield is in the AA division of NEPSAC, and it is much more competitive. Playing against really good teams and players night in and night out, you rarely have an easy game.”
Gormley averaged 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 0.9 turnovers per game this season. She netted 30 points against Rivers School in January, hitting four of seven from three-point range.
“Orlagh is the ultimate competitor at all times,” said Dexter Southfield coach Kristen Campopiano. “She is just as competitive in practices as she is in games. She has a job to do and that’s exactly what she does, and does not stray from the task at hand, which is winning and being the best she can possibly be. She is also a very good teammate and friend and has a great relationship with the team. She is fearless in all she does, and you will never see her give up on a play or a game. She will give it her all to the very end.”
The Dexter Southfield girls defeated Rivers and then Tabor Academy in the NEPSAC Class AA playoffs, but fell to Noble & Greenough, 67-44, in the final to finish at 22-6.
A week and a half before that loss though, Gormley received the news that she had been included in the Ireland under-18 women’s squad for its upcoming Four Nations tournament in Cardiff, Wales.
“Yeah, someone reached out to my mom,” she said. “They said they saw me play in one of my live tournaments. So, that guy reached out to (Ireland U18 Women’s head coach Tommy O’Mahony), and then he basically reached out to me and my mom. So, we thought it would be a really cool experience for me to do it.”
She qualifies for the squad because her parents are Irish. Her mother hails from County Monaghan, and her father is from County Tyrone. The Gormley family makes annual summer trips back to Ireland. So, naturally, they are excited about Orlagh’s opportunity to play for the Ireland under-18s.
Ireland will face Wales, Scotland and England on Apr. 12 and Apr. 13. Gormley is not thinking a lot about how many minutes she might get to play in the tournament, however.
“I’m not expecting too much,” she said. “I think it’ll just be a good experience overall. I’m not too worried about the whole thing. I’m just more excited about it.”