Panthers’ WSL play-off hopes suffer massive blow as they lose out to Cavan

Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers 53 

McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles 83 

MIDLANDS Park Portlaoise Panthers’ hopes of reaching this season’s Domino’s Women’s Super League play-offs are now hanging by a thread, after they suffered a heavy loss to McEvoy’s Cavan Eagles in St. Mary’s Hall on Saturday night.

Peter O’Sullivan’s side were desperate for a win last weekend in order to close the gap on Cavan to six points, but, instead, they now sit 12 points outside the top eight in the table, with just six games remaining.

A disappointing first-half performance, in which they were held to just 16 points, proved their undoing on Saturday as Cavan stormed into a 28-point lead by the break.

And while they did mount more of a stand in the second half, the hosts were unable to recoup the huge amount of ground lost, finishing with just two players in double digits, as Jessica Fressle and Alyssa Velles combined for 29 points.

Cavan, had four players in double figures by the close of proceedings, including Soleil Barnes on a game-high 25 points, with Mazatkan Harris weighing in with 19 on the scoreboard, together with eight rebounds and as many assists.

This game remained a tight affair for much of the opening quarter, the two sides still deadlocked at seven points apiece with just over three minutes remaining in that period, as Lynn Tunnah drew first blood for Portlaoise with a deuce before Velles also opened her account.

But an eight-point run, half of which came from Harris, handed Eagles the inside track, as they ended the first quarter with a 15-7 lead.

And they very much tightened their grip on this fixture in the second, which they opened with 12 unanswered points that included two superb efforts from beyond the arc by Barnes and Sophie Staunton.

Ciara Byrne did arrest that surge with a treble of her own, but that was followed by a further nine points without reply from Cavan, as Barnes struck more threes either side of one from Alexandra Mulligan.

Again, Byrne got the scoreboard ticking for Panthers, while Fressle supplied a layup, but yet another three from Staunton saw Cavan take a huge 44-16 cushion into the half-time interval.

Portlaoise needed an extraordinary run if they were to haul themselves back into contention after the break, but, while they did dig in more throughout the third quarter, they managed to recoup only three points in that period, Fressle and Velles doing their utmost for their side with a combined 17.

Indeed, Cavan went toe to toe with their hosts, Niamh Tolan and Katie O’Sullivan draining some timely free-throws, while Harris got in for another two buckets.

The fourth quarter opened with another three for the visitors from O’Sullivan that was quickly cancelled out by Velles, but Portlaoise where simply unable to make up any significant ground on their opponents who remained well clear, as Barnes picked up a further nine points in that final period.

Fressle, Byrne and Jasmine Burke got in for some more scores in the closing minutes, but Portlaoise were never going to drag this one out of the fire.

While their prospects of a play-off berth now appear very remote, Panthers will be looking to preserve their Super League status by staying clear of the winless Catalyst Fr. Mathews.

While the Cork side do face another tough fixture next weekend with the arrival of defending Super League champions and newly-crowned National Cup winners, Killester to Fr Mathews Arena on Saturday, Portlaoise won’t have it any easier, as they make the trip to Mardyke Arena to take on the in-form UCC Glanmire the following day.

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

Top Scorers: Jessica Fressle (17), Alyssa Velles (12), Ciara Byrne (8), Lynn Tunnah (7).

McEVOY’S CAVAN EAGLES: Katie O’Sullivan, Mazatkan Harris, Soleil Barnes, Leah Kelly Flynn, Niamh Tolan, Sophie Staunton, Caitlin Carroll, Ciara Brady, Ciara Tolan, Alexandra Mulligan, Omotese Osunde Okperan.

Top Scorers: Soleil Barnes (25), Mazatkan Harris (19), Alexandra Mulligan (13), Sophie Staunton (12).