Áine McKenna inspires Glanmire to Cork derby glory in National Cup semi
Carrie Shepard of The Address UCC Glanmire attempts a lay-up under pressure from Shannon Ryan of Singleton Supervalu Brunell during the InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O'Connor Cup semi-final at Neptune Stadium in Cork. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
A stunning performance from The Address UCC Glanmire was good enough for them to see off Cork rivals Singleton Supervalu Brunell in a pulsating Paudie O’Connor Women’s National Cup semi-final at Neptune Stadium.
Glanmire went into the game minus one American as their latest signing Jarlyn Duran decided to leave the country after Christmas due to suffering homesickness.
Plenty of players stood up for Glanmire and inspired by their outstanding captain Áine McKenna they had too much for Brunell when the game hung in the balance in the fourth quarter.
It was a pure team performance from Glanmire with players like Amy Dooley and Mia Furlong making crucial contributions and Claire Melia, who had only two points going into the fourth, produced 11 points coming down the stretch.
The mood in the Glanmire camp was one of elation with coach Mark Scannell praising his side's courage.
“We were down a few players but look I have always said we have some serious athletes in this side and I am over the moon that my team stood up to be counted when it mattered in this game,” he said.
Brunell had a terrific start as consecutive Simone O’Shea three-pointers gave them a 12-2 lead before Scannell called a time out after just three minutes.
Glanmire with McKenna and Casey Grace in superb form got back in the game and led 23-22 at the end of a thrilling opening quarter.
The Brunell defence was non-existent as they looked to have no structure in the offence court with their scoring completely drying up.
Glanmire looked in total control as they set exceptional screens in the opening exchanges and they stretched their lead to 10 points in the 12th minute following a Grace jumper.
Miriam Loughrey, the hard battling Glanmire forward, was rewarded in the last minute with two free throws and a buzzer-beater lay-up that ensured her side went in at the break leading 50-42.
Kwanza Murray, after a disappointing first half, nailed a basket and three-pointer on the restart that gave Brunell a good foundation.
Suddenly Glanmire were put under pressure and when Shannon Ryan executed one of her two free throws with 2.34 remaining, the sides were level at 58 points each.
Glanmire kept battling and a late Carrie Shepherd basket gave them a four-point cushion, 64-60, entering the final quarter.
Coming down the stretch, the class of Melia was always evident as she hit the clutch shots when her team needed inspiration.
Brunell can have few complaints as they failed to fire when the game was there to be won as Glanmire deservedly booked their place in the decider.
C Shepherd 22, A McKenna 18, C Melia 13, M Furlong 13.
S Ryan 28, K Murray 23, E Thornton 15, S O’Shea 9.
M Finnegan, S Ryan, L Homan, A Braham, K Sexton, E Thornton, S O’Shea, A Macheta, K Murray, K Walsh, L Crean-Hickey, S O’Reilly.
A McKenna, C Grace, L Scannell, M Furlong, A Dooley, C Shepherd, A M Murphy, E O’Shea, M Loughery, A Furlong.
J Dooley (Portlaoise), C White (Dublin), J Lavin (Dublin).
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