There were upsets galore around Cork as the first full day of Hula Hoops National Cup semi-final action got underway at Neptune Stadium and Parochial Hall.
In the Paudie O'Connor cup, two of the underdogs came out on top, Singleton SuperValu Brunell and Pyrobel Killester coming out of their two thrilling games in dramatic fashion against two powerhouses of women’s basketball.
Brunell return to the Cup final for the second consecutive year after downing league leaders DCU Mercy in stunning fashion 68-75.
Treyanna Clay, Aryn McClure and Katie Walshe were the standout stars for the Cork side as they picked up the leadership role for the team in style when point guard Danielle O’Leary had to leave the court in the second quarter due to injury.
Up stepped Clay and McClure, the former in dazzling fashion, hitting the 23-point mark by midway through the second quarter, and bagging an early double double with huge boards at the other end.
A big second half from both sides kept the game in the melting pot until late in the fourth, with Walshe and Clay ruling the offense for Brunell, while Mercy had some superb transition play with Sarah Woods and Ashley Russell to the fore.
Rachel Huijsdens was one of the main performers on the night but she couldn’t keep a hold of an explosive Clay for the full game, and with Greta Tamsanskaite adding huge threes for Brunell to add to the work of Clay, McClure and Walshe, it was Brunell’s day as they drove home to a 68-75 point win.
Killester lie in wait for Brunell in the final after they edged a thriller with Ambassador UCC Glanmire by three points, 78-75.
A stunning display from Glanmire’s Shrita Parker – which saw her finish with 35 points – wasn’t enough for the Cork outfit on the day as despite racing into an early first-quarter lead, Killester clawed their way back into contention by midway through the second quarter.
It was officially game on when Aisling McCann and Adella Randle El started draining long shots.
Glanmire’s pedigree in this competition is well known and they weren’t going to go down without a fight.
Tatum Neubert had a big inside basket early and then back to back threes from Shrita Parker gave Glanmire the lead 66-65.
The Shrita Parker show continued as she scored again and then dropped off a beautiful no-look assist to cap a huge 10-0 run for Glanmire as they led 70-65 with 6.42 remaining.
Despite Parker’s brilliance, Killester were not going away and a big jump shot by Christa Reed followed by a three from Randle El saw Killester regain the lead 75-74.
With just three minutes remaining the game was tied on 75 points apiece as both teams traded shots. A two by Reed gave Killester the lead again before Shrita Parker tied things up again.
Michelle Clarke came up with a big two before Aisling McCann stepped up to knock down a massive three pointer to give Killester a five-point lead and they held firm in the face of big Glanmire pressure to win by two in the end.
They've done it! @eannabasketball are through to their first ever @HulaHoopsIE Pat Duffy cup final with a 78-63 point win over @warriors_bc 💪🏻🏀 #HulaHoopsCup@ballsdotie pic.twitter.com/oBF26YhwAq
— Basketball Ireland (@BballIrl) January 11, 2020
In the Pat Duffy Cup, DBS Éanna are continuing to live the dream in their first year back at Super League level as they booked their place in their first ever Hula Hoops National Cup final with a 78-63 point win over Garvey’s Tralee Warriors.
A low-scoring first half saw nothing between the sides with Tralee just edging a 24-26 half-time lead behind monster work under the boards by Andre Berry and strong scoring from Paul Dick.
Joshua Wilson and Paul Dick were the stars for Éanna and carried their form into the third quarter, with Wilson clocking up a big 11 points in the period.
Zecevic was key inside, while at the other end, Quigley was the main offensive threat for Tralee and it was Éanna who held the lead, 47-41 going into the last.
A huge start from Éanna in the fourth kept momentum firmly in their favour, with Zecevic, Hillary Netsiyanwa and Wilson in superb form to keep them ahead. Warriors replied with great work from Jokubaitis and Quigley, but Éanna were confident closing out, and won out 78-63 in the end.
Griffith College Templeogue pulled it out of the fire to book their place in the decider, winning 78-75 against Coughlan C&S Neptune.
A huge three-pointer from Neil Randolph with just over two minutes to go sent Templeogue into a 72-71 point lead and the game remained in the balance from there on, with Jason Killeen one of the heroes for the Dubliners on the night as he followed up with a big defensive board – part of his 17 total in rebounds – and finished out at the other end to push them three up.
Another massive Killeen score followed, as the game ticked toward the minute mark, but the final chapter had not yet been written, as Kyle Hosford had ice in his veins to slot home two free throws at the other end.
Randolph replied in kind for Templeogue and despite a late Hosford bucket, and a final last gasp shot from Lehmon Colbert, it was Templeogue who will head back to the Arena in Tallaght on a final scoreline of 78-75
