Liffey Celtics 81 Portlaoise Panthers 43
Women’s Basketball Super League
Portlaoise Panthers fell far short of pulling off a major upset in Women’s Super League after they were comfortably beaten by leaders, Liffey Celtics in Leixlip on Saturday night.
The Kildare side successfully nullified the threat that Panthers usually pose from the three-point line, as Lynn Tunnah and Alyssa Velles were held to a total of 22 points.
And, while Amy Dooley certainly caused the hosts problems under the boards with 14 points and 13 rebounds, it was not nearly enough to seriously threaten their grip on this fixture.
Indeed, Sorcha Tiernan served up a game-high 21 points for the hosts, while Rachel Huijsdens, Eboni Williams and Allie Navarette were very solid under the defensive boards.
After falling behind 20-8 by the close of the first quarter, Portlaoise’s uphill challenge grew even more daunting, and it was not helped by the continued absence of American power forward, Jessica Fressle who is still awaiting visa approval to allow her re-entry into the country.
Still, Portlaoise did dig in at the start of the second quarter, making the stops and delivering several three-pointers down the other end through Tunnah and Velles to reduce their arrears to five.
But that was to prove a false dawn, as Celtics began to motor again with Navarette and Tiernan striking from both sides of the arc, before Huijsdens also made a couple of buckets, including a buzzer-beating deuce that pushed the homeside’s lead out to 44-23 by the half-time break.
Portlaoise were forced to work tirelessly just to ensure the gap did not widen in the third, Dooley getting in for 10 points in that quarter to help keep her side on the radar.
But any remote chance of a comeback was snuffed out over the closing six minutes, as Celtics strung together a 12-point run that included impressive three-point buckets from their young guns Kelly Bracken and Katie O’Sullivan.
Portlaoise will now head into a three-week break, during which they will look to regroup and arrest their winless streak when they return to action on January 25 with a clash against Catalyst Fr. Mathews in St. Mary’s Hall.
SCORERS – Liffey Celtics: Sorcha Tiernan (21), Allie Navarette (14), Áine O’Connor (12). Portlaoise Panthers: Amy Dooley (14), Lynn Tunnah (11), Alyssa Velles (11).
LIFFEY CELTICS: Kelly Bracken, Kate O’Flaherty, Eboni Williams, Rachel Huijsdens, Katie O’Sullivan, Sorcha Tiernan, Hazel Finn, Allie Navarette, Áine O’Connor.
PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Holli Dunne, Shauna Dooley, Megan Dunne, Lynn Tunnah, Jasmine Burke, Caoimhe Brophy, Amy Dooley, Alyssa Velles.
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