Portlaoise Panthers defeated Cobh 51-45 to lift the Women’s National Intermediate League Plate final at the National Basketball Arena. Maeve Cahillane picked up the MVP after her 14 point performance.
It was a tight opening quarter, Sinead Melia knocked down the first three of the game with 35 seconds to go, to put Portlaoise Panthers 10-9 ahead, but it was Cobh captain Dara Diggin who had the last say with a layup to put them 11-10 up. Diggin had nine points in the first quarter.
The second quarter followed similar lines, with little between the sides, the ever-dangerous Diggin was leading the attack with another seven points, to help her side into a 22-19 half-time lead.
Portlaoise Panthers made a bright opening to the third, Sinead Melia’s two pointer, followed by a three by Catherine Ashe saw them take the lead, 24-22, two minutes in. Sinead Melia’s three from the left opened up the biggest lead of the game, 31-24, with a little over three minutes to go in the quarter and prompted a Cobh timeout. Portlaoise Panthers were finding their range from the three point line, another from Ashe and Maeve Cahillane’s effort with 8 seconds to go in the quarter had them in front by 13 points, 39-26, going into the final quarter.
Cobh began the fourth with a four-point run, finished off by a layup from Zara Smith with the shotclock about to go to make it a nine point game, 39-30. Portlaoise Panthers response was a 10-point run, started with back-to-back three’s from Sinead Melia and Cahillane, to put them in command at 49-30.
A layup by Tarrant off the glass midway through the quarter and a three by Dara Diggin a minute later gave Cobh hope. Diggin, who’d been kept scoreless in the third, picked up another layup and was fouled in the process, she slotted the resultant free throw - Cobh now trailed 49-40 with three minutes to go, prompting a timeout by Portlaoise Panthers head coach Peter O’Sullivan. A couple of Deirdre Tomlinson free throws for Panthers made it an 11 point game with two minutes remaining. Cobh kept plugging away, Dara Diggin had a two point jump shot as the final buzzer sounded, to bring her personal tally to 24 points. The day belonged to Portlaoise Panthers, who won 51-45.
MVP Maeve Cahillane, of Portlaoise Panthers, said: “We’ve been here for cup finals, a lot of this team had our run in Super League and it’s just so lovely that we can still go and soldier together and have the opportunity to play in the National Basketball Arena again, it’s just great. We’ve been playing together for a long time so it’s fantastic to still have that.” -
Q1: 10-11, Q2: 19-22, Q3: 39-26, Q4: 51-45
Portlaoise Panthers: Lisa Farrell, Sinead Melia, Maeve Cahillane, Deirdre Tomlinson, Attracta Phelan, Gráinne Tomlinson, Claire Foyle, Catherine Ashe, Sharon Melia, Marie Ramsbottom, Caitriona Mulhare, Ann Marie Troy
Head coach: Peter O’Sullivan
Top three scorers: Sinead Melia (15), Maeve Cahillane (14), Catherine Ashe (10)
Cobh: Mia Tarrant, Lucy O’Shea, Amy Morrissey, Amy Duggan, Anna Ring, Orlaith Finn, Sally Palmer, Dara Diggin, Eimear Diggin, Zara Smith, Sarahrose Walsh
Head coach: Dominic Foster
Top three scorers: Dara Diggin (24), Zara Smith (8), Amy Morrissey (4)
