SETU Waterford Wildcats inflicted a first home defeat on FloMAX Liffey Celtics this season, winning out 76-66 in Leixlip Amenities Centre on Saturday night to set up date with Pyrobel Killester in the 2023/24 MissQuote.ie Champions Trophy Final.
Looking to avoid a fourth defeat at the hands of their Kildare rivals this season, Waterford produced a hugely intense defensive display to shackle their hosts with Jade Compton putting up 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Alarie Mayze and Kate Hickey each netted 17.
Despite the best efforts of Áine O’Connor, who managed 17 points and combined with Allie Navarette for 24 rebounds, Celtics coughed up a 12-point advantage in the opening quarter of a game in which the absence of Ireland international Rachel Huijsdens was sorely felt by the homeside.
“We had it all to play for,” said SETU Waterford Wildcats assistant coach, Jillian Hayes, who took charge of the team in the absence of Tommy O’Mahony on Saturday.
“We had played Liffey Celtics three times this season and they’d beaten us those three times very convincingly, so we were absolutely the underdogs tonight.
“But we just concentrated on defence all this week and I think that won the game for us. Our intensity on defence was superb.
“We wanted to be in a final. I felt like the top four this year were really close to each other and we could have been winning a league only for one or two slip-ups, but we weren’t going to slip up tonight” she insisted.
Newly-crowned MissQuote.ie Super League champions, Pyrobel Killester weathered a huge test by Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell to record a 91-85 victory over their Cork rivals in Clontarf on Saturday night and subsequently book their spot in this season’s Champions Trophy decider.
Trailing by seven heading into the final quarter, Brunell fought their way back on to level terms with just over six minutes remaining, but the Dubliners held firm as Claire Melia, Jiselle Thomas and Michelle Clarke drained a combined 10 from the free-throw line down the stretch.
Ieva Bagdanaviciene also made quite an impact for Killester with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas totalled 29 points to emerge joint top scorer with Brunell’s Jayla Johnson.
“It was an incredible game, high pace and high scoring,” remarked Pyrobel Killester head coach, Mark Grennell.
“Brunell were fantastic and we were great too. It was a really good advert for ladies basketball in this country,” he added.
This season's MissQuote.ie Division One champions, St. Paul's Killarney moved to within one game of making it a double after they beat Limerick Sport Huskies 96-75 in Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre on Thursday night to secure their place in the 2023/24 League Trophy decider.
