Killester have won their fourth InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O’Connor National Cup title, following an impressive 96-70 win over Trinity Meteors.
Chanell Williams was inspirational for the Dublin outfit, scoring 25 points and racking up 13 assists, four rebounds and four steals to earn her the MVP. Killester were fast out of the blocks, their two Americans in particular – Williams and Lattimer – making a huge impact and they were 13-5 ahead with a little over three minutes gone. Trinity Meteors started to have joy on the boards - Claire Melia and Celena Taborn among the scorers. At the end of the first quarter it was 27-22 to Killester.
Ella McCluskey’s three from the corner got Killester off to the perfect start in the second quarter, as they led 31-22. Killester’s shooting from the three point line was proving fruitful, Clarke got in on the act in the fourth minute of the quarter and they were ahead 36-24.Trinity Meteors closed the gap with Taborn starting to making a real impact inside – she would finish the contest with 25 points. A layup from Dayna Finn brought Trinity Meteors in front for the first time, 43-42, with a little over a minute left in the second quarter. Killester regained the lead, but it was the narrowest of one’s at the half-time break after Claire Melia’s buzzer-beating three for Trinity Meteors to finish the half, Killester ahead 47-46.
Bagdanaviciene unloaded two big threes for Killester to start the third and it was 63-58 midway through the third. Latimer drained a two point jump shot from the same corner, to make it an 11 point game in Killester’s favour. Clarke landed another three from the top of the arc in the closing seconds and Mark Grennell’s side appeared in control, 74-60.
Bagdanaviciene sunk another three to start the fourth quarter, while the hot-handed Williams converted from long range too, to give Killester an 80-60 lead.Sarah Kenny finally snapped that scoring sequence with a three point jump shot of her own, but Trinity Meteors still had an uphill task.With five an half minutes to go they lost Finn to injury, 30 seconds later it was Williams who went down clutching her leg and had to be carried off. The medics on the Killester bench managed to get her back on court so she could savour the closing stages, Killester running out comfortable 96-70 winners in the end.
UCC Blue Demons claimed a 76-73 win over Tolka Rovers to claim the InsureMyHouse.ie U20 Men’s National Cup title. It was a thrilling contest, with 14 lead changes.
The game overall was played at a frantic pace, Tolka Rovers were ahead 24-20 at the end of the first, Faapito, Curran and Sam Badejo with six points apiece.
Tolka Rovers began the second quarter brightly and opened up a 10 point lead, 31-21, three and a half minutes into it, with another basket form the lively Faapito.
By half-time that gap had narrowed to a single point, 37-36, after a strong finish by Blue Demons - Matthew McCarthy and Matthew Conlon’s baskets sandwiched either side of Ben Horgan’s three.
A three point jump shot by Colin Hannigan had Blue Demons up by four, 43-39, three and a half minutes into the third quarter, but it would be level by the end of it, at 54-54.
The fourth quarter saw Tolka Rovers open up an eight point lead, 64-56, following a three point jump shot by Moustsapha Kourouma with six and a half minutes to go. But Blue Demons came right back with a five point run, Horgan’s three from the right hand side made it 64-61 midway through the quarter. Layups followed from Jake Orji and Matthew McCarthy to complete the turnaround - Demons now ahead 65-64. Tolka Rovers wrestled back the lead to leave an exciting finish.
With two minutes to go Tolka Rovers were ahead by six, 73-67, after Elijah Faapito’s drive to the basket and layup completed a seven point run for the Dublin club. A timeout ensued and Blue Demons hit the ground running after it, Niall Hannigan launched a three from the corner to make it a one-score game once more.Blue Demons captain Jack O’Leary knocked down two free throws and there was just one point in it with 1’08” to go, Tolka Rovers ahead 73-72.O’Leary was fouled once more and picked up another two free throws and he calmly slotted both to give Blue Demons a 74-73 lead with 36.9 seconds on the clock.
An unsportsmanlike foul on Brian Curran gave him two free throws attempts with 9.1 seconds remaining. Tolka still had possession and an opportunity to win it, but couldn’t get the vital basket and with 3.4 seconds left. UCC Demons wrestled back possession and O’Leary was fouled once more, he converted both free throws to make it 7/7 from the free throw line overall. In the dying seconds Tolka Rovers couldn’t land the three that they needed to force overtime.
Meteors won the InsureMyHouse.ie U18 Women’s National Cup, defeating Singelton SuperValu Brunell 70-53 at the National Basketball Arena.
Meteors opened up an early four point advantage through Freya Blennerhassett and two Grace Prenter free throws, before Singleton SuperValu Brunell’s Rachel Lynch and Issy McSweeney’s scores nudged the Cork club 5-4 ahead in the fourth minute. It was a tight first quarter, but it was Meteors who ended it 18-12, Prenter had the last say, she’d racked up 10 points already.
In the second quarter Singleton SuperValu got within four points through McSweeney and with a little under three minutes to go they trailed 25-21. Meteors extended their advantage to eight by half-time, 31-23, Prenter again with the final points of the quarter, a two-point jump shot.
It was the third quarter where Meteors took a stranglehold, outscoring their opponents 24-9, to lead 55-32. Prenter was central to that third quarter push with nine points, while Aisling Moran had six.
Singleton SuperValu to their credit kept plugging away in the fourth, guard Rebecca Sexton scored 10 points in the quarter, including two from the three point line. It was to be Trinity Meteors day, running out 17-point victors in the end.
UCD Marian claimed the InsureMyHouse.ie Men’s National Intermediate Cup Competition, with an 83-58 success over Leixlip Zalgiris.
It was a tight opening quarter with Leixlip Zalgiris holding the slenderest of leads at the end of it, 17-16.
The start of second quarter was also close, there was a lovely three from the corner by Marius Kasperavicius to bring it to 21-21 in the third minute. Conor Meany hit a hot streak in the second quarter, his three point jump shot made it 26-21 to UCD Marian. Their advantage was seven points, 30-23, midway through the quarter, following Colm O’Reilly’s basket. Leixlip Zalgiris came back and got within a point with three minutes to go, 32-31, following Aurimas Statkus’ layup and subsequent free throw, after he’d picked up a foul. UCD Marian built a lead once more, a big three on the half-time buzzer from Meany handed UCD Marian a 39-31 advantage at the break.
Andrius Lekavicius got Leixlip Zalgiris off the mark in the third quarter to make it a six point game. But UCD Marian started to take control of this game, a neat pass from Meany picked out Castillo in the paint and his flicked layup extended UCD Marian’s advantage to 47-34. Leixlip Zalgiris struggled to find their range early in the quarter, but finally got going with an eight point run – Statkus and Kestutis Damulevicius with three’s either side of Dalius Tamosauskis’ basket, to trail 51-42. A turnaround jump shot from Meany, another layup from the imposing Castillo and a big three from David Drumm had UCD Marian up by 18 points. Leixlip Zalgiris managed to reduce that deficit - a three from by Marius Kasperavicius as he fell to the floor made it 60-47 at the end of the quarter.
Kasperavicius began the fourth with another three-point jump shot and the gap was now 10. But UCD Marian weren’t to be denied, a dunk by Colm O’Reilly had them ahead by 19 points, 72-53, with 5’35” left on the clock and there was to be no dramatic comeback from their County Kildare-based opponents.
