Super League talking points: Killester chase history as Pauls fairytale rolls on

By the time we play the league finals in two weeks’ time we will have had six finals 13 months. Remarkably, Killester will have been represented in all six.

Mon, 31 Mar, 2025 - 06:45

Conor Meany

Killester back for another shot at unique history

By the time we play the league finals in two weeks’ time we will have had six finals 13 months. This includes two League Finals and a Cup Final in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Remarkably, Killester will have been represented in all six. Last year the women won the League decider, while the men lost. This year the men won the Cup, while the women lost. Now they chase the unique men’s and women’s double again in the League Finals and they will enter both games as favourites. There aren’t enough superlatives to highlight how incredible an achievement this is for the only club in the Super League with both men’s and women’s teams.

Chazelas helps keep Northsiders moving up

The best thing about playoff basketball is that it reveals championship character. When teams get tested, they reveal the best version of themselves. On Saturday in the IWA, Killester punished Eanna in transition regularly, and they finished brilliantly around the rim with Baptiste Chazelas impressing with 20 points. As defending Champions, Eanna didn’t relinquish their title easily, and in the fourth quarter they put their best run together to get within just two points, with six minutes to play. The Eanna crowd were into it, and it looked like we were in for a big finish. That question Eanna asked of Killester revealed the best of the Northsiders as they responded with an 11-0 run that ended the game as a contest. Paul Dick, who was quiet by his standards, started that run with a big three, followed by a three-point play and Killester never looked back, winning 101-90.

Eanna never find their rhythm

Eanna got huge contributions from James Gormley and Mark Reynolds inside, but Killester did a great job containing their guards throughout. It would be hard to fault Darren McGovern or his side this year. They have been excellent at times, but in both competitions they came up against a Killester side who were better. Matching the energy of a desperate challenger is hard for any defending Champion, and I think Killester’s collective enthusiasm was an important factor on Saturday as they relentlessly challenged Eanna. With Mark Reynolds set to retire, it will be interesting to see what level of transition is now ahead for Eanna. I don’t expect much, and they should be in the mix again next year, especially if they can keep their European core who have been a big part of the club for the last few seasons.

Cavanaugh keeps St. Pauls fairytale rolling

With 11 minutes to go in their last league game of the year, St. Pauls trailed Fr Mathews, and it looked like their season would be over. They rallied and earned a playoff spot and haven’t looked back since, beating the number 1 and 4 seeds so far in the playoffs. With Alex Wittinger gone, American Callie Cavanagh was brilliant with 18 points, her most since joining Pauls mid-season. In a tight 67-64 win, special mention also should go to the Irish duo of Rheanne O’Shea and Lorraine Scanlon. O’Shea had her first double-digit scoring game since October, scoring seven in the second half. Scanlon added a double-double and Pauls, in their first year in the Super League, are remarkably in the League Final. For Meteors, they will have to look back with regret, as their American Morgan Lenahan had the worst time to have her first single-digit scoring game of the season. They had a good year overall but with Grace Prenter likely heading away, they will need to retool for next year.

Killester get revenge on Liffey

Killester’s title defense remains on course as they avenged a Cup Final loss to Liffey Celtics with a 92-85 win in Leixlip. Liffey shot brilliantly early on and Sorcha Tiernan was superb again, but once Sam Halby got going she was hard to stop. The American had 32 points, and Killester’s experienced role players all contributed around her. Mark Grenell deserves huge credit for the work he’s done with this group. Claire Melia’s presence last year helped deliver a league title, but to lose a EuroCup-calibre player, and come back to reach both finals double is incredible. Killester beat St Paul’s narrowly in the Cup Semi-Final and another win over the 8 seed is the final step required for history. Liffey will have to come away and regroup after a disappointing end to a good season. They have had incredible talent but didn’t always click this year. Often their Irish core had to carry the load, and as we saw on Saturday, sometimes an American taking the game by the scruff of the neck is what is needed to win titles.

Demons demolish Neptune to leave no doubt

Demons marched on to the semi-finals with a 110-91 win over Neptune on Sunday evening. This game had very little drama in it as Demons shot well from the outside early on and then went to the rim continuously with lots of joy. Demons got great production from David Lehane and their three imports, with Tillman unguardable and Patrick Robinson very effective. On the other end, Neptune regressed after last week. Chance Hunter was excellent again scoring 43 but despite that he couldn’t impact the game to the same level he did a week ago. His supporting cast struggled more, with Jaksa Sola ineffective and Tamyrik Fields anonymous. Fields in particular, had just four points, which is criminal for a player of his talent. Not only did he not score but he didn’t try and impact the game in any other way. It’s the right result for the league after what was a forgettable episode and Demons deservedly progress to face Tralee in what should be a brilliant semi-final midweek.