Liffey Celtics get back on track with big win over defending Super League champions Trinity
Brooke Kane with Nya Epps top scored for FloMAX Liffey Celtics in their win over Trinity Meteors Photo: ©INPHO/Ben Brady
FloMAX Liffey Celtics got their campaign back on the rails after they earned a comfortable victory over defending champions, Trinity Meteors in Leixlip Amenities Centre on Monday afternoon.
The second tie in a double-game weekend, Celtics were eager to make a return to winning ways, having slipped to 2 and 2 in the table after suffering successive defeats at the hands of SETU Waterford Wildcats and Utility Trust St. Paul’s in the lead-up to this latest outing.
Trinity, on an identical record, were looking to generate some momentum behind their title defence by building on a hard-fought victory over Midlands Park Portlaoise Panthers just two days before.
But it was the homeside who bagged the valuable points, thanks in no small part to a huge first-quarter display that saw them open up a 19-point gap on their Dublin rivals and remain in control all the way to the final buzzer.
Liffey, who were without the services of two of their key players, Sorcha Tiernan and Lynn Tunnah, for this game, still saw four of their players hit double digits, captain, Áine O’Connor leading the way with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Brooke Kane emerged their most prolific scorer on 20, while fellow American, Nya Epps finished on just one less, while also carding six rebounds and eight assists.
Pleased with the impressive start his side made to this game, Liffey head coach, Hillary Netsiyanwa told The Kildare Nationalist “The last couple of games we’ve started off on the back foot, so, today was a big focus for us to actually let go of our inhibitions and make a stand on our home court as well.
“It's been three long road trips, one to Cavan, then to Waterford and then to Killarney less than 48 hours ago, so getting back home, playing a good team, playing a good game where our next players were asked to step up and they did, it's massive for us going into Thursday with another home game in the league before we play Meteors in the cup the following week” he said.
A three-pointer by Hazel Finn saw Trinity draw first blood just 14 seconds into proceedings on Monday, but Liffey got motoring quickly, and put together a huge 17-point run, as O’Connor and Katie Williamson began to pose problems for their opponents on the inside, while Kane and Epps also proved a headache for the visitors around the perimeter.
Indeed, Celtics held their opponents scoreless for almost seven minutes before Finn got their side of the scoreboard running again with another effort from beyond the arc, but they still trailed their hosts 28-9 by the close of the first quarter.
It was, however, a slow start to the second period for the Kildare side, who, themselves, went almost four minutes without a bucket, while Trinity recouped six, as Finn struck in the paint and Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder carded a three-point play.
A treble from Kane got Liffey motoring again, and they managed to maintain a significant lead, as the American picked up a further two free throws, while Williamson and Epps hit much-needed scores in the paint to see the hosts take a 40-23 cushion into the half-time break.
Both sides cancelled each other out at the start of the second half, as two baskets from Finn were answered in kind by two superb layups from Epps before a big three from O’Connor was replicated down the other end for Trinity by Catherine Connaire.
Yet three quick buckets by Williamson and Kane, pushed Liffey on again and a sublime sideline three from the latter had the homeside 25 points up with just over two minutes remaining in the third.
Dornstauder and Finn did mop up some buckets under the board, but Liffey still held a commanding 61-39 lead heading into the closing 10 minutes of play.
And they managed the game comfortably down the stretch, their young players Erin Boyce, Ciara Brogan and Rachel Doyle benefiting from the extra minutes they were afforded, the latter draining two superb doubles from the field when under severe pressure.
Indeed, Trinity struggled to loosen Celtics’ grip on this tie, especially when they lost Finn to foul trouble although they still managed to get in for several late scores through Aisling Moran, Connaire and Ciara Mulligan that brought them back to within 18 by the final buzzer.
Brooke Kane, Nya Epps, Erin Boyce, Rachel Doyle, Katie Williamson, Ciara Brogan, Clara Boyce, Áine O’Connor.
Top Scorers: Brooke Kane (20), Nya Epps (19), Áine O’Connor (18), Katie Williamson (10).
Hazel Finn, Morgan Lenehan, Catherine Connaire, Sofia Lopez O’Sullivan, Ciara Mulligan, Aisling Moran, Kaitlyn Summers, Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder, Martina Destro, Rachel Rice.
Top Scorers: Hazel Finn (21), Zayn Urbaniak-Dornstauder (13), Catherine Connaire (8).
