SETU Waterford Wildcats were made scrap tooth and nail for every bit of their narrow 82-77 success on the road against Utility Trust St. Paul’s that saw them go three points clear of FloMAX Liffey Celtics at the top of the Women’s Super League table.
Deadlocked at the halftime break, this game saw the hosts take a four-point lead into the final quarter, but Wildcats, with the aid of the prolific Sarah Hickey and Ashia McCalla, who combined for 49 points and 15 rebounds, managed to claw their way back for the victory.
Killester reminded everyone just why they are the reigning Women’s Super League champions after they served up a tenacious display against another of the league’s big hitters, FloMAX Liffey Celtics, batting back from 17 points down late in the second quarter to clinch a dramatic 74-72 overtime win in Clontarf on Saturday night.
Desperate for a return to winning ways in the league following recent narrow defeats at the hands of The Address UCC Glanmire and Catalyst Fr. Mathews, Killester looked to be on course for a third straight reversal in this season’s campaign.
But 13 second-half points by Leilani Turner, including a huge three with 30 seconds remaining, proved crucial in seeing the Dublin side restore parity at 63 points apiece, effectively forcing overtime, during which Michelle Clarke struck twice from beyond the arc and Sarah Courtney landed two from the free-throw line just 17 seconds ahead of the buzzer to help pinch a huge victory for the holders.
St. Paul’s will draw encouragement from a dogged performance that featured a 44-point total from Mathilde Diop and Gracen Kerr, while Megan Ormiston and Lorraine Scanlon took 17 defensive boards on their way to an impressive 25 rebounds.
Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers missed out on the chance to avenge their early exit from this season’s Paudie O’Connor National Cup at the hands of Trinity Meteors, losing out to their Dublin rivals 67-54 when they met in Super League competition in St. Mary’s Hall on Saturday night.
While they were again clinical from the free-throw line with 12 from 12, Portlaoise made just four of their 28 three-point attempts as Trinity did enough to keep them at arms-length down the stretch, Grace Prenter and Emma Merriweather putting up 34 points on the night, with the latter combining with Sarah Kenny for 24 rebounds.
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell served up big second and third-quarter performances to see off Catalyst Fr. Mathews 75-65 in Thursday night’s Cork derby in Parochial Hall.
In what was a repeat of last season’s Paudie O’Connor National Cup Final match-up, Brunell turned a seven-point deficit midway through the second period into a 17-point advantage by the start of the fourth as Deaja Richardson top scored on 20 points, with nine rebounds and four assists to boot.
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