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Liffey Celtics beat Killester to secure Paudie O'Connor National Cup title

Jan 20, 2025 07:50 By radiokerrysport
Liffey Celtics beat Killester to secure Paudie O'Connor National Cup title
REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY Paudie O'Connor Women's National Cup Finals, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 19/1/2025 Killester BC v FloMAX Liffey Celtics FloMAX Liffey Celtics' Eboni Williams, Alexandra Navarete, Sorcha Tiernan and Clara Boyce celebrate with the Paudie O'Connor Cup with their confetti Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady
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FloMAX Liffey Celtics beat Killester 65-53 to secure their second Paudie O'Connor National Cup title at the National Basketball Arena.

The Kildare’s outfit’s strength in depth proved telling, illustrated by Hazel Finn coming off the bench to claim the game MVP, her energetic performance at both ends saw her pick up award, after 13 points and eight rebounds.

FloMAX Liffey Celtics built an early 5-0 advantage in the contest after Alexandra Navarette’s layup. But Ieva Bagdanviciene’s three reduced the deficit to one, 5-4, in the fourth minute. Michelle Clarke’s driving layup kickstarted a seven point run for Killester, as they went 14-9 up with two minutes to go in the first quarter. It was a one-point game, 14-13, by the end of the it after Finn’s two-point jump shot.

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FloMAX Liffey Celtic’s Irish internationals clicked into gear in the second quarter, a Rachel Huisjdens two-point jump shot and a Finn layup nudged the County Kidare outfit 17-14 in front early on. Next up was Sorcha Tiernan, who landed a three with three minutes gone, to put Karl Kilbride’s 20-16 up. Tiernan was also linking up well with Huisjdens, she picked her out in the paint and a layup from the former DCU Mercy player had FloMAX Liffey Celtics 26-18 ahead at the quarter midpoint.

Killester needed a response, captain Michelle Clarke landed from the three point line with three minutes to go, to trail 30-21, only for Kate O’Sullivan to respond in kind seconds later. A Tiernan jump shot and it was 35-21 to Liffey Celtics with 1’15 left in the quarter. Killester’s American Samantha Haiby, was largely kept quiet in the first half, her layup in the closing seconds cut the deficit to 10, 35-25, at half-time.

A pair of Navarette layups and two Tiernan jump shots and it was a 19 point lead, 44-25, in the third minute, only for Haiby to snap that sequence. A three from Navarette brought Liffey Celtics up to 50, leading 50-30 in the fourth minute.

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Killester picked up the next score thanks to Sarah Courtney’s three, but their comeback hopes suffered a major blow when they lost Bagdanviciene, the Lithuanian rolled her ankle and had to be carried off.

Finn’s three with two minutes to go in third quarter had FloMAX Liffey Celtics 56-33 up. Kelly Bracken and Clarke exchanged threes in closing stages, but it was another Huisjden’s layup which finished off scoring in the quarter, Liffey Celtics with a commanding 25 lead, 63-38.

Killester needed points, but it took until the fourth minute of the fourth quarter to get a score, Hannah Thornton landing a three, it was followed shortly afterwards by a corner three by Haiby, 63-44. Killester continued to rally, another Haiby three made it a 15-point game, 65-50, with 3’24” remaining. Killester kept plugging away, Clarke was next to dispatch a a three, but it was to be FloMAX Liffey Celtics’ day.

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Speaking afterwards Hazel Finn said: “I am absolutely delighted, the amount of work we put in for today and we just clicked the past few weeks, so we’re absolutely delighted. We had a tough few weeks at the start and for me coming in I found it tough to click with the girls, as it’s a totally new team (for me).”

Asked about what the MVP award, Finn added, “It means everything to me. To be honest I haven’t won one of these at senior level ever, my sister (Dayna) has a tonne, so I was working so hard to get this now! So I get to add it now to hers, I am absolutely delighted.”

Quarter Scores:
Q1: 14-13, Q2: 11-22 Q3: 13-28, Q4: 15-2
Game Scores:
Q1: 14-13, Q2: 25-35, Q3: 38-63, Q4: 53-65
Killester:
Destiny Strother (5), Michelle Clarke (13), Samantha Haiby (15), Leilani Turner (0), Sarah Courtney (3), Bree Shelley (0), Ali Connolly (0), Robyn Malone (DNP), Ieva Bagdanviciene (5), Hannah Thornton (12), Maeve O’Seaghdha (0), Sara Fernandez Lopez (0).
FloMAX Liffey Celtics:
Kelly Bracken (3), Kate O’Flaherty (0), Ciara Bracken (DNP), Eboni Williams (5), Rachel Huijsdens (10), Kate O’Sullivan (3), Clara Boyce (0), Sorcha Tiernan (11), Hazel Finn (13), Alexandra Navarette (15), Aine O’Connor (5).

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