Conroy proud of Panthers’ fighting display against Women’s Super League leaders Waterford SETU

Waterford Wildcats 70

Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers 66

MIDLANDS Park Portlaoise Panthers head coach, Keith Conroy spoke of his pride at seeing his players produce a performance that very nearly toppled Women’s Super League leaders, SETU Waterford Wildcats in their own back yard on Saturday evening.

The visitors went toe-to-toe with the current table toppers for the entire game in Mercy College, the two sides finding themselves deadlocked on no less than six occasions throughout the final quarter.

In the end, it was a bucket from the floor and two free-throws by Ashia McCalla that helped Waterford edge ahead over the closing minute to ensure they remained clear at the top of the table heading into Christmas.

For Conroy, the sheer doggedness of his team, who were, again, without the services of American power forward, Jessica Fressle, was something from which he and his players can draw huge encouragement.

Amy Dooley delivered another big performance for Panthers, racking up 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Lynn Tunnah and Alyssa Velles also proved quite a handful for Wildcats with their combined 37 points.

“Waterford are 8 and 1 for a reason,” said Conroy. “They’re an excellent team and we knew what we were coming up against, but we prepared well. We had our homework done.

“We looked to implement our game plan, we executed and we came up just that bit short. They made their free throws and we may have missed a couple, and in tight games, that’s the difference.

“But the girls gave me everything. We still had no Jess. She’s away in America, so, for the team to put in a performance like that and nearly come away with the win against one of the best teams in the country, I’m just so proud. Hopefully this is something we can build on,” he smiled.

It was the visitors who led by five (15-10) at the close of the first quarter on Saturday, Lynn Tunnah accounting for seven points in that period as she drained shots from both sides of the arc.

But Waterford quickly regained their composure, and a nine-point run at the start of the second quarter helped see them outgun Portlaoise by 11 to leave them 35-29 to the good by the half-time break.

Kate Hickey and Chelsea Cain spearheaded that second-quarter revival by the hosts as they combined for 17 points and seven rebounds in what was a big ten-minutes for the hosts.

Keith Conroy’s side continued to press after the break and put together another roll over the closing four minutes of the third, that saw them reduce their arrears to three points (50-47) as Velles and Amy Dooley got in for important buckets.

Dooley, Tunnah and Velles struck again to tie the game up at 53 points apiece with just over two minutes gone in the fourth quarter before the former landed another on the inside to nudge Panthers in front for the first time since the latter stages of the second period.

It proved a titanic tussle down the stretch with the two sides deadlocked six times throughout the fourth, Dooley proving a real headache for the Waterford defence with nine points from inside and the perimeter, while Tunnah also put up a couple of deuces.

But Waterford demonstrated a composure that has been a key element in their drive to the top of the table this season, as buckets from Sarah Hickey and Ashia McCalla edged them four clear with 1.20 left on the clock.

And while Dooley pulled one back from the free-throw line for Portlaoise, Kate Hickey responded in kind for Wildcats before McCalla hit a further two from the line to enlarge the gap to six with 17 seconds remaining.

Panthers needed to produce something special to pull this one out of the fire, but a Megan Dunne deuce was all they could muster up as Wildcats drew on their experience to see this one out.

It may have been a sore loss to absorb, but this Portlaoise outfit can draw huge confidence from this display as they look ahead to another tough road trip on Saturday that takes them to Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell who will, no doubt, be looking to avenge their 19-point reversal at the hands of Portlaoise on the opening weekend of the season.

“We beat them first game of the season and we know they’re going to be out for revenge,” warned Conroy.

“But we’re looking forward to it. We’re heading into Christmas and the spirits are high. Women’s Super League basketball in Portlaoise is in a much better place and we just want to keep going with that,” he said.

SETU WATERFORD WILDCATS: Kate Hickey, Orla Dullaghan, Helena Rohan, Sarah Hickey, Aoife Brett, Ashia McCalla, Miriam Rasenberger, Chelsea Cain.

Top Scorers: Sarah Hickey (16), Chelsea Cain (14), Kate Hickey (12), Ashia McCalla (11).

MIDLANDS PARK PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Holli Dunne, Shauna Dooley, Ciara Byrne, Megan Dunne, Lynn Tunnah, Jasmine Burke, Caoimhe Brophy, Amy Dooley, Alyssa Velles.

Top Scorers: Amy Dooley (19), Lynn Tunnah (19), Alyssa Velles (18).