Panthers no match for defending champions Killester despite a bright start

Basketball Ireland Women’s Super League Midlands Park 

Portlaoise Panthers 54 

Killester 88 

MIDLANDS Park Portlaoise Panthers were unable to sustain the intensity and fight they brought to the opening quarter of their Domino’s Women’s Super League encounter with Killester on Sunday afternoon, losing out heavily to the defending champions in St. Mary’s Hall.

Just two points separated the sides after the opening ten minutes, Jessica Fressle hitting 13 points in that period on her way to a game-high 25 for Panthers.

But Killester tightened up significantly on defence thereafter, limiting their hosts to just a further 32 points across the next three quarters, while they also turned up the heat at the other end of court with four players hitting double figures, including Audrey Roden on 20 points and Michelle Clarke on 18.

Not for the first time this season, Panthers struggled in the field with a 27 percent return in this outing, while Killester enjoyed a 41 percent success rate from beyond the arc and 54 percent inside - that without the inclusion of star American, Samantha Haiby.

Still, the home side certainly put it up to the current Super League leaders in the opening quarter, during which the two teams found themselves deadlocked on no less than seven occasions.

Roden opened proceedings with a superb treble just 14 seconds in before an ‘and one’ from Fressle levelled things up soon after and set the stage for a titanic tussle throughout the opening ten minutes during which Morgan Lenahan hit eight points, including two efforts from downtown.

Fressle was just as successful from outside for Panthers, who also benefitted from the combined nine points that Alyssa Velles and Christiana Ojide Boiko totalled in the first quarter, which ended with a buzzer-beating three by Sarah Courtney to leave Killester ahead 24-22.

But Portlaoise’s challenge soon began to fizzle out after that as they went for more than six minutes without another score in the second period, in which time Killester enlarged the gap to 15 points, as Courtney, Clarke, Roden, Ieva Bagdanaviciene and Leilani Turner all got in for baskets.

Shauna Dooley finally got Panthers going again when she struck from outside the arc before Jasmine Burke added a deuce, but the clouds were darkening for the hosts as Clarke produced a three-point play before Hannah Thornton added a layup to see Killester take a 46-30 cushion into the second half.

Peter O’Sullivan’s side did try to dig in and gain some traction early in the second half, Fressle delivering down the lane before Velles got some more return with shots either side of the arc to reduce the deficit to 11 midway through the third quarter.

But three buckets from Roden, Thornton and Courtney in the space of just over a minute put Killester back on track, and they ended that penultimate period 22 points in front (66-44).

There was no way back for Portlaoise in the final stanza as Killester added a further 12 points to their advantage, seven of their nine match-day squad members getting on the scoresheet in those closing minutes, including Clarke who picked up another two buckets from outside.

Jasmine Burke did convert all four of her free throws for Portlaoise in that closing quarter, but it was scant consolation for a team that has been unable to add to just the two victories they have managed so far in this campaign, those coming against the winless Catalyst Fr. Mathews.

They will again attempt to better their record this coming Saturday when they make the trip to Parochial Hall to take on a Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell side still jostling for a home play-off berth and looking to bounce back from their ten-point defeat at the hands of FloMAX Liffey Celtics at the weekend.

MIDLANDS PARK PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Shauna Dooley, Megan Dunne, Lynn Tunnah, Jasmine Burke, Christiana Ojide Boiko, Jessica Fressle, Sarah Fleming, Alyssa Velles.

Top Scorers: Jessica Fressle (25), Alyssa Velles (11), Christiana Ojide Boiko (7).

KILLESTER: Michelle Clarke, Leilani Turner, Sarah Courtney, Sarah Power, Audrey Roden, Laura McFarland, Ieva Bagdanaviciene, Morgan Lenahan, Hannah Thornton.

Top Scorers: Audrey Roden (20), Michelle Clarke (18), Morgan Lenahan (16), Hannah Thornton (12).