Fr. Matthews entered the opening semi-final of Saturday's Insuremyhouse.ie National Cup semi-final as underdogs to their opponents Flomax Liffey Celtics. The Kildare-based club are ranked 2nd in the Superleague standings with a 9-1 record. Not only were Catalyst Fr.Matthews facing one of the top teams in the league they had never failed to reach the cup finals in any season prior.
Fr. Matthews had a coaching change at the start of this season as Niamh Dwyer came out of retirement. One of the legends of Irish basketball was back on the court and she was ably replaced by Pat Price, with 25 years of experience coaching in the Men’s Superleague. A close encounter earlier in the season was a teaser of what was to come yesterday.
A nip and tuck first quarter but it was Matthews who pulled away to lead by 8 points at the halfway mark; 37-29. That lead extended to 16 in the third quarter thanks to a steal and basket from Ariel Johnson. However, Sorcha Tiernan drained two three-pointers to bring Liffey within touching distance of Matthews at the end of the third quarter 52-44.
Head coach Karl Kilbride urged on his side as their intense defense paid off with 3 deflections to stop the scoring run of Matthews and shift the momentum back to the Kildare side. as the game was tied with 4 minutes remaining. However, the experience of the Fr. Matthews and the Dwyer sisters who have a combined 11 senior National Cup titles to their name was enough to see them through to the Paudie O’Connor Cup final.
Brunell ensure an all Cork final
Pyrobell Killester and Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell was touted as potentially the game of the weekend! And what a game it was. Killester gave Brunell their only loss in the Superleague with an early season win at home in the IWA. However, Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell was without their forceful leader Edel Thornton through injury the day prior. Thornton was back wearing a facemask as she continues to recover from a broken nose ready to give it all for her childhood club.
The contest began in the reigning champions' favor as both teams began aggressively trading scores throughout the first quarter. Killester finished the first quarter ahead 23-16 with a rebound and outback from Leva Bagdanavičienė.
Kelly Sexton proved valuable for Brunell off the bench as she hit a three and set up Lauryn Homan to convert a three-point play. Sexton weaved her way through the Killester defense and stole the rebound from under the basket energised the Brunell crowd. Killester had the height advantage but grit and determination kept Brunell within touching distance in the first half. A no-look pass from Danielle O’Leary to Katie Walshe who converted a layup at the basket was a sign of things to come, as Brunell’s unselfish play continued throughout the game.
The big story before the half was Killester’s foul trouble as Irish Senior International and Basketball Ireland December Player of the Month Claire Melia collected her 4th personal foul under one minute remaining. Head coach Mark Grenelle was forced to go to his bench earlier than anticipated and called on Turner and Courtney, two underage guards who will feature for Killester’s U20 Semi Final squad tomorrow in the parochial hall.
Keowa Walters had the opening score of the 3rd quarter followed by a clean block on Kayja Williams which brought the Killester fans on their feet. Both teams packed out the Neptune Stadium. However, Brunell’s defensive efforts paid off as they continued to convert layups from steals and forced turnovers as they took the lead by one point 6:05 remaining. Foul trouble continued for Killester as Bagdanavičienė picked up her 4th early in the 3rd quarter. Forcing Claire Melia back on with 3:34 remaining as Brunell capitalised on Killester’s lack of depth and led by as many as five points. A bank shot from Walters wasn’t enough to shift the momentum as rebounds from Williams and a banked 3 from Dainelle O’Leary kept them ahead by 8 points with 2:34 remaining. Momentum was very much in the hands of Brunell as they extended their lead to 14 points at the end of the third quarter; 74-60.
However, Killester wasn’t ready to give up and entered the final quarter with an athletic finish from Jiselle Thomas who finished the game with 37 points. Bagdanavičienė fouled out with 8 minutes remaining as Brunell maintained a ten-plus point lead through the fourth quarter. Despite the efforts of Clarke and Thomas, the deficit proved too much as Brunell stormed their way to the National Cup final in Tallaght! Final score 78-92 to Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell.
Brunell’s last appearance in the Paudie O’Connor Cup final was in 2019 and proved to be a special occasion as the club celebrates its 40th anniversary. The team pays tribute to their founder Andrew Drumm who passed away in September 2023 displaying a black ribbon on their jerseys as a mark of respect. A historic fixture for both teams is set to bring the National Basketball Arena to life in two weeks' time.
The final will take place in the National Basketball Arena on Sunday 21st January and will be available to watch live on TG4
