Plucky Panthers outpaced on the homestretch by Brunell
Portlaoise Panthers' Ciara Byrne put in a good shift against Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell Photo: David Maher
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell 82
Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers 65
MIDLANDS Park Portlaoise Panthers served up severe resistance against Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell when they made the trip to Parochial Hall on Saturday, but a ten-point run for the Cork side late in the third quarter effectively sent them on their way to victory in this hard-fought Domino’s Women’s Super League clash.
Looking to bounce back from their third loss of the season to FloMAX Liffey Celtics the week before, Brunell carded a victory that handed them the inside track in the battle for, what is likely to be, the last of the top-four placings and, with it, a home quarter-final play-off.
Both sides finished with four players in double digits, but Portlaoise did struggle to contain Ireland senior international captain, Edel Thornton who amassed a game-high 31 points, while Katie Walshe and Brailyn Jarrell Joseph combined for a further 29.
The latter, together with Kelly Sexton, proved very effective under the boards, the two players chalking up 21 rebounds between them.
Lynn Tunnah was Panthers’ most prolific player on the night with 18 points as Christiana Ojide Boiko and Jessica Fressle added 15 apiece to the scoreboard while, themselves, soaking up a total of 17 rebounds.
A deuce by Boiko and a free throw from Fressle saw Portlaoise spring from the traps first, and they increased that lead to five as Alyssa Velles and Tunnah got in on the act.
But an eight-point run for Brunell saw the hosts overtake as Thornton drained three free throws and Joseph picked up an ‘and one’ before Tunnah struck from both sides of the arc to level it up again in the closing minute of the first half.
Yet, there was still time for the Cork side to reclaim a narrow 20-18 lead by the end of that period, Joseph getting in for a bucket with just 16 seconds remaining before the buzzer.
Brunell pushed that advantage out to eight at the start of the second quarter, as Joseph picked up two from the free-throw line before Katie Walshe and Thornton struck from the floor.
An uncontested shot from Ciara Byrne and deuce from Holli Dunne did get Panthers moving again, but they struggled to reel in their opponents who moved 11 clear as Walshe picked up points from both sides of the arc.
Still, Portlaoise kept on battling and free throws from Boiko and Tunnah helped reduce their arrears to seven (43-36) by the half-time break.
Peter O’Sullivan’s side continued on to make a great start to the third quarter, registering eight unanswered points compliments of Tunnah and Velles to retake a one-point lead with just over two minutes gone in that half.
Katie Walshe got the scoreboard ticking again for Brunell, but a treble from Velles and layup from Boiko saw the game deadlocked at 49 points apiece.
Yet it was Brunell’s turn to make a run this time as the hosts served up 10 points without reply, Thornton accounting for eight in that surge, with Ava Walshe making up the balance, as the home side ended the penultimate period with a 59-49 lead.
Boiko did draw first blood for Panthers in the fourth, but Brunell responded with six points, that included a nice three from Francesa Kyamagero.
That set the tone for the closing eight minutes as the hosts kept their Laois rivals at bay, thanks in no small measure to the nine points supplied in that period by Ava Walshe, who struck from all areas of the floor.
Next up for Portlaoise will be an equally difficult trip to Mercy College for a clash with SETU Waterford Wildcats on Saturday night.
GURRANABRAHER CREDIT UNION BRUNELL: Kelly Sexton, Clodagh Downey, Laura Hannigan, Ava Walshe, Megan O’Leary, Isabelle McSweeney, Edel Thornton, Francesca Kyamagero, Katie Walshe, Abbie Lyons, Brailyn Jarrell Joseph.
Top Scorers: Edel Thornton (31), Katie Walshe (15), Brailyn Jarrell Joseph (14), Ava Walshe (11).
MIDLANDS PARK PORTLAOISE PANTHERS: Holli Dunne, Shauna Dooley, Ciara Byrne, Megan Dunne, Lynn Tunnah, Jasmine Burke, Elaine Kennington, Christiana Ojide Boiko, Jessica Fressle, Sarah Fleming, Alyssa Velles.
Top Scorers: Lynn Tunnah (18), Christiana Ojide Boiko (15), Jessica Fressle (15), Alyssa Velles (13).
