Liffey Celtics and Pyrobel Killester remain locked at top of Super League ahead of final round

Home wins for both FloMAX Liffey Celtics and Pyrobel Killester on Saturday mean the two sides remain deadlocked at the top of the MissQuote.ie Super League ahead of their final round of regular season fixtures on Monday.

Eleven points in the first quarter by Claire Melia helped Pyrobel Killester open up a 16-point advantage over Trinity Meteors by the end of that period, which laid the groundwork for a 73-63 home win in their MissQuote.ie Super League clash on Saturday.

A 21-point haul by Jiselle Thomas went a long way to seeing them push that lead out to 24 by the close of the third, although the combined 31 from Sarah Kenny and Morgan Lenehan, if nothing else, helped Trinity close the gap to 10 by the final buzzer.

“It was a very good first-half performance from us,” said Pyrobel Killester head coach, Mark Grennell. “In the second half we were solid enough to put the game away."

“We came away with no fresh injury worries and we now can look forward to Brunell on Monday,” he added.

FloMAX Liffey Celtics were forced to weather a far more severe test from play-off hopefuls Ulster University, fighting back from 12-0 down early on to edge a 75-72 victory in Leixlip on Saturday night.

Alexandra Navarette was instrumental in this comeback win, top-scoring on 28 points, while Tianna Ayulo and Áine O’Connor also provided some great inside work against a dogged Ulster outfit that was fuelled by some heavy scoring from Trinity Oliver (21) and Ance Aizsila (19).

“I said to the girls that these are the games that champions win,” said FloMAX Liffey Celtics head coach Karl Kilbride. “It doesn’t need to be pretty, you’ve just got to get over the line at this stage of the season,” he insisted.

An 80-55 defeat at the hands of Waterford Wildcats at home in the Kingfisher Sports Arena means University of Galway Mystics will face iSecure Swords Thunder in a Super League promotion/relegation battle.

Victory on Saturday evening would have seen Galway leap-frog Portlaoise Panthers at the death, but instead they were left rooted to the foot of the table by a Waterford side who refused to allow their hosts a way back after opening up a 26-point advantage by the half-time break.

Jade Compton enjoyed another colossal outing for the visitors, amassing 33 points and 24 rebounds, while the newly-acquired Alarie Mayze also made a significant impact with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

A narrow 86-84 defeat away to Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell means Catalyst Fr. Mathews will have to beat Trinity Meteors on the road on Monday if they are to secure the last remaining Champions Trophy spot.

Indeed the InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O’Connor Cup winners battled back for the win from 12 points down early in the second quarter, finishing with five players on double figures, including top-scorer Danielle O’Leary on 22 points and both Jayla Johnson and Katie Walshe on 17 apiece.

The Address UCC Glanmire completed their regular season programme with a convincing 80-56 win on the road against DCU Mercy.

Yasriyyah Wazeerud finished up top scorer with 19 points, while Amy Dooley and Cheah Whitsitt totalled 33 points and 14 rebounds to help see last season’s champions to their seventh win on the bounce.

In the MissQuote.ie Division One League Trophy quarter-finals, Super-League bound St. Paul’s Killarney ran out 81-68 winners over Abbey Seals Dublin Lions in Duagh Sports & Leisure Centre, while iSecure Swords Thunder saw off Moy Tolka Rovers 79-45 in ALSAA and Limerick Celtics beat McEvoys Cavan Eagles 81-64 in Crescent College.

MissQuote.ie Super League

Saturday, March 16th

DCU Mercy 56 - 80 The Address UCC Glanmire

University of Galway Mystics 55 - 80 SETU Waterford Wildcats

Pyrobel Killester 73 - 63 Trinity Meteors

FloMAX Liffey Celtics 75 - 72 Ulster University

Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell 86 - 84 Catalyst Fr. Mathews

Monday, March 18th

Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell vs Pyrobel Killester, Gurranabraher Credit Union Arena, 1400

FloMAX Liffey Celtics vs SETU Waterford Wildcats, Leixlip Amenities, 1500

Trinity Meteors vs Catalyst Fr. Mathews, Coláiste Íosagáin, 1530

MissQuote.ie Division One League Trophy (Quarter-Finals)