Nationa Basketball League
Utility Trust St Pauls 94
Glanmire 79
Report: Enda Walshe
One of the most iconic lines from the Rocky film franchise came in its last release. Sylvester Stallone’s iconic boxing character exclaimed “It ain’t about how hard you’re hit, it’s about how you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”
Utility Trust St Pauls may have been on the ropes last week after a left hook from a slick Liffey Celtics outfit but they definitely boxed their way out of the corner on Monday night.
UCC The Address Glanmire came to Killarney for a novel edition of Monday night basketball but they walked into a combination of fast paced movement and some outstanding shooting to leave the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre punch drunk and dazed.
Coach James Fleming had all his heavy hitters a-ailable after GAA commitments and it helped to generate momentum from the get go and saw his squad land some hammer blows.
The return of Lorraine Scanlon, Siofra O’Shea and Denise Dunlea, allied to the desire to right the wrongs of the opening night defeat, helped produce an outstanding display which the home support lapped up.
Scanlon floated like a butterfly in the paint picking up rebounds she had no right to win, while the attacking trio of Megan Ormiston, Gracen Kerr and Anja Marinkovic stung like a bee. But as the ageless Lynn Jones alluded to afterwards, it was a team effort from one to 12.
Kerr, Ormiston and Marinkovic combined to hit the opening 10 points with Glanmire’s American duo of Deljane Williams and Caulie Cavanaugh opening their account.
Marinkovic had her eye in from three-point land, something that was contagious and caught by Rheanne O’Shea. Cavanaugh was a real handful for the visitors as Leah McMahon and Denise Dunlea helped to keep the defensive intensity.
McMahon, with a bit of razzle dazzle, and Ormiston helped to open up a 24-17 lead but Annalise Murphy, Cavanaugh and Emer Dunne helped shave down the first quarter advantage to three, 28-25.
Siofra O’Shea was now on court and it coincided with a purple patch as Scanlon made her presence felt. Kerr and Ormiston dovetailed wonderfully to help push out the advantage to 43-35, some of their combination play was sublime. Kerr’s incisions were surgical like with Ormiston always on the same wavelength.
The St Paul’s defence was working hard and it succeeded in limiting Glanmire offence to Cavanaugh’s outstanding input. Scanlon finished the half on a high, one particular basket almost defying logic. It helped to increase the lead to nine, 54-45 as the teams headed for the half time team talk.
Glanmire, like all good sides, came out of the chat with a renewed purpose. Aine McKenna started to pull a few strings as Cavanaugh and Williams flexed their muscles.
With just over two minutes to go in the quarter the score was 66-63 in St Pauls favour and it was all up for grabs.
Meabh Barry gave Scanlon a well-earned breather and made sure there was no drop in effort. But a big three from Ormiston seemed to light the spark for a flurry as they made a match winning move.
Denise Dunlea followed it up with one of her own and Rheanne O’Shea’s quarter-back style pass to Leah McMahon yielded one of the scores of the night. Simone O’Sheas three pointer on the buzzer gave the scoreboard a healthy look, 78-65.
At the start of the fourth the O’Shea and Ormiston axis combined to maintain the advantage and a timely three from Marinkovic midway through had Glanmire on the canvas.
The outstanding Cavanaugh would finish with 49 points and alongside Williams they played to the final buzzer. Queralt Almasque was now on board as Marinkovic, Ormiston and Rheanne O’Shea delivered the final blows.
It helped St Pauls produce a turnaround in a week that even Rocky Bilbao would have been proud of.
Megan Ormiston had 29 points, Gracen Kerr 18 and six assists, Anja Markovic shot 16, Rheanne O’Shea 12, Lorraine Scanlon six, Simone O’Shea and Leah McMahon five each and Denise Dunlea three.
Callie Cavanaugh hit a game high 49 points, Deljane Williams 18, Annalise Murphy five, Aine McKenna four and Emer Dunne three.
Next Sunday Utility Trust St Paul’s visit Brunell with the game tipping off in the Parochial Hall at 2.45pm.
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