16-19C
Generally fine

Find a...

Date Job Car Home











 




McKenna on high as Dynamos triumph

Tralee Imperials (Kerry) 49 Oblate Dynamos (Dublin) 58
Oblate Dynamos created a major shock when clinching the Senior Women’s National Cup against a fancied Tralee Imperials side at the National Basketball Arena.

The Dublin outfit lost by 25 points when the sides clashed in the league but they gained revenge in sensational fashion with a thrilling nine-point victory on Saturday.

Captain Sinead Mackessy opened the scoring for Tralee before Jolie Niland tied the game on Dynamos’ next possession.

Imperials got their tactics wrong in the opening minutes as they failed to press and run the ball with a youthful five on court.

Niland continued to hurt the Kerry side at the post and when Katie Mooney hit a basket and bonus point in the eighth minute the Dublin girls edged into an 11-9 lead.

The closing minutes of the quarter were tight as both teams upped the tempo but Dynamos led 13-12 at the hooter.

The second quarter was a scrappy affair with both sides guilty of poor passing and bad shot selection. Dynamos struggled to stay the pace and a last-gasp drive to the hoop gave Imperials a 29-24 interval lead.

Dynamos refused to buckle and battled back with Karen Staunton’s three-pointer in the 26th minute levelling the tie (33-33). In the closing minutes of the quarter Dynamos, backed by the home crowd, began hitting crucial shots and edged into a three-point lead before a fantastic Georgina McKenna effort had them 42-37 clear entering the final quarter.

Dynamos looked destined for the title before Imperials replied with a brace of baskets that reduced the deficit to five with less than six minutes left on the clock. But Dynamos, led by captain McKenna, found an extra gear and held out for a sensational win. For MVP McKenna it was a day to remember.

She admitted: “Not many pundits gave us a chance of winning but we believed in our ability and it’s my greatest moment in many years of competitive basketball.”

Top scorers for Dynamos: T Harrison, J Niland 11, G McKenna 11.

Top scorers for Imperials: S Mackessy 20, E Sherwood 13, D Geaney 6.

TRALEE IMPERIALS: L Rogers, L Jones, D Kearney, A O’Mahony, L Raymond, E Sherwood, L Brennan, M Barry, C Brennan, D Geaney, A Fitzgerald, S Mackessy.

OBLATE DYNAMOS: G McKenna, S McMahon, K Staunton, S Massey, T Harrison, J Niland, K Maloney, J Black, H Meagher, E Curran, S Farrell, S Whelan.

MVP: Georgina McKenna (Oblate Dynamos).

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

Home

More from the Irish Examiner