Another Bronx underdog story lights up Arena
FULL STRETCH: Trinity Meteor's Claire Melia and Chanell Williams of Killester. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane
ANOTHER shock victory, led by another 23-year-old point guard from the Bronx, left people rubbing their eyes with déjà vu and Killester fans in raptures after their senior women took fancied Trinity Meteors apart in the InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O’Connor Cup final.
What Jarret Haines did for Maree’s men on Saturday night was replicated by Killester’s tiny American point guard and MVP Chanell Williams, another New York native who lit up the National Arena with 25 points, 13 assists and four steals.
She shot four from five outside the arc and didn’t miss one of her seven free throws and, like Haines, repeatedly drove her tiny body into the congested paint.
Her direction of the game’s pace was also exceptional but, unlike him, hers was not a solo show.
Her fellow American Chyna Latimer actually outscored her (26) and grabbed 13 rebounds.
But Killester’s phenomenal three-point shooting – led by five from their Lithuanian star Ieva Bagdanaviciene (17), three from international Mimi Clarke (9) and two more in Ella McCloskey’s 12 – arguably did the most damage against a side who play a very different game and just couldn’t adjust to their speed and physicality.
Bagdanaviciene played professionally in Europe before moving here to join her husband two years ago, quickly falling pregnant with her one-year-old daughter Atene who played with her medal in her arms.
She described Killester’s noisy fans as “our sixth player".
“When you’re hyped like that it just happens,” she said of shooting 42% from all parts of the floor. “This team are so friendly, there’s no pressure, they welcomed me with open arms and just help me to have fun.”
“It was all down to our starting five,” said delighted and emotional coach Mark Grennell.
“I keep telling the girls they’re really good but we were waiting for that performance, for everyone to fire at the same day and today, all of our top five fired.
“Ella was incredible in making it tough for their big centre Celena (Taborn) and we’ve been waiting all year for Ieva and Mimi to hit form the same day because, when they do, you just can’t guard us.
“Winning in 2020 was beautiful but we went into that favourites, not this time,” he said. “This is an important win for us because it shows us where we can get to.”
It was their margin of victory that was most surprising.
Their pace and athleticism was always going to be a contrast to Meteors' more static, inside game but they also managed to block them out impressively, holding international stars Claire Melia to 13 points (10 rebounds) and Dayna Finn to 14 (nine rebounds).
Killester led 28-22 at the first break but with Taborn starting to dominate inside and Irish international Finn getting into the game - contributing nine and eight respectively in the second quarter - Meteors actually took their first lead a minute from half-time.
A Bagdanaviciene three edged the winners ahead again only for Irish international Melia to match it and trail by just 46-47 at the break but that was a rare standout moment for the Portlaoise star.
After the break Killester just kicked on.
Two threes apiece from Bagdanaviciene and Clarke and another from Williams powered them to a 14-point by the end of the third (60-74) while Meteors' own attack looked laboured and bereft of ideas.
They lost Finn to injury in the final quarter but she was already well shackled by Williams and Killester just kept driving on to despite losing both Williams and Clarke to cramp themselves.
Their 14 three-pointers dwarfed Meteors’ five (from 28 attempts) but their ability to hold them inside was just as impressive.
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