Enda Walshe reports
St Paul’s of Killarney are the Women’s Basketball League Southern Conference champions on the back of a very impressive win over Moy Tolka Rovers.
Played before a boisterous and big home support at the Presentation Gym on Saturday night, they clicked into the gear midway through the second quarter in a fashion that the Dublin side found hard to live with.
Tolka Rovers came to Killarney with their own agenda, knowing that a win would be a huge step in their own race for a play-off berth. They started in a business-like manner but soon found the pace and intensity of James Fleming’s side too hot to handle and with Sofia Paska giving an MVP performance, the writing was well and truly on the wall at half-time.
It would be too simplistic to point to Paska’s scoring return – she hit 26 points – and Yuleska Tejeda’s scalpel-like thrusts into the Rovers’ defence as the pillars on which this win was built.
The assist play from the likes of Rheanne O’Shea, Lorraine Scanlon, Denise Dunlea and Lynn Jones was top notch while coach Fleming’s clever use of the bench, with Cassandra Buckley pivotal, helped quell the influence of Tolka Rovers dynamic duo Shelby Cheslek and Faatimah Amen Ra.
The latter, in particular, was very influential but the rotating of her match-up helped to sustain the defensive intensity which, gradually, wore down her resistance.
Having now gathered the Southern Conference at the first time of asking in their comeback year, St Paul’s head to Dublin next weekend for a semi-final joust with the Phoenix Rockets who are now guaranteed second place in the Northern Conference thanks to Moy Tolka Rovers’ defeat.
The Presentation Gym has witnessed many a great night for Killarney basketball and this will rank with the best of them. The first quarter was an even affair with the 6’ 5″ Shelby Cheslek and Mae Creane putting Rovers on the front foot early.
Rheanne O’Shea went to the free-throw line to register the home side’s first points before Paska rounded off a wonderful team move with a basket.
Paska and Tolka’s Claire O’Brien exchanged baskets before Yuleksa Tejeda collected a great pass from Rheanne O’Shea to put Paul’s ahead for the first time. Cheslek was starting to create carnage inside, hitting six consecutive points to again push Rovers clear.
Tejeda responded as did Paska, with a three-point play, before Denise Dunlea teed up Paska with an incisive pass. Cheslek, fouled in the act of scoring, struck again but Leah McMahon, fresh from her Kerry minor football exploits, levelled things up before Tejeda with a steal ran in an easy lay-up. Amen Ra had the last word of the quarter to tie things up at 19-19.
The second quarter continued in the same vein as the first, with both sides going toe-to-toe. What was obvious at this juncture though was Paul’s had got to grips with the towering Cheslek and they began to dominate proceedings. Tejeda and Paska dovetailed to push the lead out to 34-27 before Rheanne O’Shea lifted the roof with a massive three. Tejeda followed up with two from the charity stripe and Pauls hit the lockers with a 12-point advantage, 39-27.
The half-time break did little to break St Paul’s momentum as they flew out of the traps with Paska and Tejeda, with a sublime move, hitting four without reply. Tolka called a quick time out and it worked initially as Cheslek struck back. But it was only a temporary respite as Tejeda, Paska after a generous pass from her compatriot, and Denise Dunlea with a lay-up stretched the lead to twenty, 49-29. Lorraine Scanlon, quietly influential, replied to another Cheslek score before Dunlea again swooped, this time for a three. St Paul’s would go into the final quarter with a healthy lead, 58-35, courtesy of a Paska basket on the buzzer.
Amen Ra was doing her utmost for the visitors – she hit two early threes but sandwiched between them was another three from Rheanne O’Shea. With Amen Ra starting to feel the effects of her efforts Elaine Kenny stepped in for Tolka but she was fighting against a rising tide.
Paska hit her final two points before Scanlon, the beneficiary of another Dunlea assist, netted again. Katie O’Connor made her entry for St Paul’s alongside Tara Donnellan as Tejeda kept the scoreboard ticking.
Jessica Quirke, introduced at various stages, got her name on the scoresheet when draining from beyond the arc. Julie McEvoy hit the final basket of the night , a three pointer, but that was preceded by the loudest cheer of the night ,as the tireless Lynn Jones hit a three of her own, a fitting finale to the regular season as both herself and Rheanne O’Shea were honoured as Joint Players of the Year.
So the newly crowned Southern Conference winners head to the capital for next weekend’s play-offs. Joining them there will be the McEvoy Cavan Eagles, who will probably be favourites, the Phoenix Rockets and Portlaoise Panthers.
The line of form suggests that it will be a St Paul’s v Eagles final but with the weekend having a cup like feel to it, it’s all to play for. One thing for sure though St Paul’s will head there in great spirits following their impressive capture of the Southern Conference.
MVP Sofia Paska hit 26, Yuleska Tejeda was not far behind on 24, Rheanne O’Shea had eight, Denise Dunlea scored five, Lorraine Scanlon managed four, Jessica Quirke and Lynn Jones notched three each, Leah McMahon hit two and Cassandra Buckley, Tara Donnellan and Katie O’Connor all played big parts.
For Moy Tolka Rovers Fatimaah Amen Ra netted 18, Shelby Cheslek scored 17 and Elaine Kenny had 10.
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