REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul supporters ahead of the game
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul fans ahead of the game
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul fans ahead of the game
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
They lost out to Killester 63-83.
Utility Trust St. Paul’s made a solid start and were up by five points, 9-4, four minutes in after Mathilde Diop’s basket. For Killester, Destiny Strother and Michelle Clarke were the driving force in the opening quarter, with seven points apiece, as they led 21-16 by the end of it.
Utility Trust St. Paul’s started the second quarter with a five-point run to bring the game level at 21-21, after Gracen Kerr slotted one of her two free throws. Killester responded with a nine point run, finished off by a Clarke three, to see the Dublin club 30-21 up midway through the quarter.
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul's' Gracen Kerry is challenged by Destiny Strother of Killester
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul's' Gracen Kerry is challenged by Hannah Thornton of Killester
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul's' Mathilde Diop is challenged by Michelle Clarke of Killester
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul's' Denise Dunlea is challenged by Ieva Bagdanaviciene of Killester
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
A Clarke layup in traffic made it 32-25 to Killester with three minutes to go in the second quarter. Hannah Thornton and Denise Dunlea exchanged baskets in the final minute, before Lorraine Scanlon converted on the rebound at the end of the quarter for Utility Trust St. Paul’s, to reduce the deficit to 38-33 at half-time.
Killester really turned the game in their favour at the start of the third quarter thanks to a 10-point run, while defensively they were containing the threat of the likes of Kerr and Callie Cavanaugh
Back-to-back threes from Destiny Strother and a Samantha Haiby fastbreak and layup had Killester 56-35 up with three minutes to go. Cavanaugh finally snapped the run, however Utility Trust St. Paul’s scored just four points in the third quarter overall. A layup and a corner two from Sara Fernandez Lopez in the final minute saw Killester into a 62-37 lead.
Utility Trust St. Paul’s to their credit started the fourth quarter with back-to-back three’s from Kerr. Killester responded in kind - Strother and Haiby converting from the three point line, Mark Grennell’s side were 68-44 up two minutes in. Cavanaugh and Kerr kept the scoreboard ticking over for St. Paul’s as they tried to close the gap, but the gap was too large to bridge. Strother picked up the game MVP following her 20-point performance.
Killester captain Michelle Clarke said: “We haven’t had our best season to date, I think our talent is still there this year, but we didn’t always match it with our work ethic. I think we righted a wrong that we didn’t get right in January (in the Paudie O’Connor National Cup final). Delighted to come out with the result that we did and hopefully we can look forward to our men’s side raising the trophy today.”
She added, “When you play a Kerry team there’s one thing guaranteed, and that’s that they have a ‘never-say-die’ attitude and we needed to match that today and I thought we did for enough time to come away with a nice win.”
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Utility Trust St.Paul's supporter Chloe McMahon, aged 7 from Killarney, celebrates a score
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Killester's Sam Haiby and Denise Dunlea of Utility Trust St.Paul's
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Killester’s Sam Haiby and Callie Cavanaugh of Utility Trust St.Paul's
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
REPRO FREE***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE***Basketball Ireland Domino's Women's Super League Final, National Basketball Arena, Dublin 13/4/2025
Utility Trust St. Paul's vs Killester
Killester's Sam Haiby is challenged by Callie Cavanagh, Leah McMahon and Gracen Kerry of Utility Trust St.Paul's
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom Maher
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 16-21, Q2: 17-17, Q3: 4-24, Q4: 26-21
Game Scores:
Q1: 16-21, Q2: 33-38, Q3: 37-62, Q4: 63-83
Utility Trust St. Paul’s:
Leah McMahon (8), Abby Doherty (0), Rheanne O’Shea (2), Lynn Jones (0), Clodagh Clancy (0), Gracen Kerr (16), Denise Dunlea (4), Lorraine Scanlon (5), Siofra O’Shea (0), Kate Healy (DNP), Callie Cavanaugh (18), Mathilde Diop (10)
Killester:
Destiny Strother (20), Michelle Clarke (14), Samantha Haiby (25), Leilani Turner (1), Sarah Courtney (2), Ali Connolly (0), Robyn Malone (DNP), Ieva Bagdanaviciene (10), Hannah Thornton (7), Maeve O’Seaghdha (0), Sara Fernandez Lopez (4)
For Pauls legend Lynn Jones it may now be the end of the road
Pauls captain is Denise Dunlea
UCC Demons edged Killester 94-92 in a thrilling Domino’s Men’s Super League final at the National Basketball Arena on Sunday. Patrick Robinson was the star of the show, racking up 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a brilliant all-round performance.
The game was in balance right up to the final seconds, with Robinson’s basket and a James Hannigan free throw proving to be the difference in a game of fine margins between the top two from the regular season.
This game was also repeat of the Pat Duffy National Cup final and the temperature rose slightly midway through the first quarter, as Isiah Dahser and Kyle Hosford got themselves in a tangle while wrestling for possession of the ball.
Kason Harrel had 10 points in the opening quarter, his dunk made it 26-19 with just under a minute and a half to go. This game was always going to be tight and there was just two points between the sides by the end of the quarter, 26-24, as Robinson landed a long range two, to bring his tally to 11 at that stage.
A Scott Hannigan three brought the game level at 38-38 each midway through the second quarter. The teams matched each other stride for stride, Elijah Tillman was his usual menace in the paint, his put back after Robinson’s layup didn’t land saw the American draw a foul and the and-one put Demons 49-47 up with seconds remaining. The impressive Harrell had the final say in the half, to bring it level at 49-49 apiece going into half-time, after Paul Dick’s buzzer-beating three attempt rimmed out.
Tillman exited the court early in the third quarter. In his absence Robinson took the mantle with a pair of jump shots and a free throw to help UCC Demons into a 60-54 lead four minutes into the quarter. Thankfully for Demons Tillman returned with a layup and then created the space for a Hosford three and Demons were 66-59 up with four minutes remaining in the quarter.
Any concern over Tillman’s fitness was extinguished following a trademark dunk with 3’12” to go in the quarter, Demons led 68-62. Killester needed a response and Isaac Westbrooks hit a timely three to make it a four-point game, 71-67, with two minutes left. A corner three from Killester captain Ciaran Roe was the last score of the quarter, leaving it poised at 75-72.
Roe’s floater at the start of the fourth quarter reduced the deficit further, to bring his tally to 16. He wasn’t done yet, his three was met with a loud roar, Killester were 79-75 up to complete the turnaround. Next up was UCC Demons captain David Lehane to unload from the three point line, and it was a one-point game once more, Demons trailing 79-78.
UCC Demons lost the influential Kyle Hosford for the closing stages, after he picked up his fifth foul. Demons were undeterred, a Robinson layup and it was a two point game midway through the quarter, the Cork club behind 85-83.
A three from Lehane made it 89 each with three minutes to go.
Then came the closing stretch, Robinson hit a two with 23.9 seconds remaining, which got UCC Demons 93-91 in front. Harrell had two free throws to bring it level, but could only convert one. James Hannigan then drew a foul, again only one was downed from the free throw line and it was 94-92 with 6.2 seconds to go. Killester still had possession, however there was to be no further late twist to an outstanding final.
UCC Demons captain David Lehane said: “Just after an unbelievable season, I think we deserved this. Knockout basketball, you have to get your rewards and I thought we did that today. We stuck together, I’m so proud of this team. Fair play to Killester, they were unbelievable as well, but today we just got lucky and got over the line.”
He added, “There’s nothing between these two teams, they beat us in the Cup, we beat them today. It’s a battle of who’s better on the day, and to be honest there wasn’t much of a difference, but we did just enough to get over the edge.”
Lehane also praised game MVP Patrick Robinson, “Pat is incredible, he’s been doing that all season. Today he had a point to prove, and he proved it fairly obviously.”
Quarter Scores:
Q1: 24-26, Q2: 25-23, Q3: 26-23, Q4: 19-20
Game Scores:
Q1: 24-26, Q2: 49-49, Q3: 75-72, Q4: 94-92
UCC Demons:
Scott Hannigan (8), Blake Murphy (0), Tobias Christensen (11), Kyle Hosford (5), James Hannigan (8), David Lehane (10), Eimantas Spudulis (DNP), Patrick Robinson (35), Carleton Cuff (DNP), Cian Looney (DNP), Daryl Cuff (DNP), Elijah Tillman (17)
Killester:
Isaac Westbrooks (3), Andrew McGeever (3), Daniel Sheridan (DNP), Paul Dick (7), Isiah Dasher (19), Farouq Raheem (2), Ciaran Roe (21), Kaiwen Yang (DNP), Ethan McKean (DNP), Baptiste Chazelas (9), Kason Harrell (28), Eoghain Kiernan (DNP)
