GURRANABRAHER CREDIT UNION Brunell won the club’s first InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O’Connor National Cup title, defeating fellow Cork side Catalyst Fr. Mathews 100-84.
Captain Edel Thornton was awarded the MVP with 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and five turnovers, but there were multiple standout performers for the victors, including American Jayla Johnson with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Lauren Homan who netted 23 points.
It was a frantic opening quarter at the National Basketball Arena with the sides matching each other blow-for-blow.
A three-point jump shot off the glass from Thornton, followed by a Johnson layup had Gurranabraher Credit Union 16-13 up, but Ariel Johnson levelled things from the three point line to make it 16 apiece midway through the quarter.
A Katie Walsh two-point jump shot from the corner put Gurranabraher Credit Union Burnell 28-25 ahead at the end of the quarter.
Liam Culloty’s side raced out of the blocks in the second quarter, Thornton picking out Danielle O’Leary for a three to put them 33-25 up within a minute. Their lead was 10 points in third minute of the second quarter, 36-26, Johnson with the layup and additional free throw.
A long-range O’Leary three had Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell 41-29 to the good in the fourth minute.
Catalyst Fr. Mathews dragged themselves back into the contest and Grainne Dwyer was central to it. Her put-back basket had them trailing 43-38 with 3’48 to go in the second quarter before a Shannon Brady layup followed to make it a three-point game.
Gurranabraher Credit Union would take a nine-point lead into half-time thanks to a shotclock-beating three by Homan to hand them a 54-45 advantage – the shot greeted by high-fives from teammates.
Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell led by 15 points at one stage in the third, but Catalyst Fr. Mathews kept themselves in the fight with a layup by Ariel Johnson at the end of the quarter – she’d finish with a game-high 35 points – and the deficit was nine once more, 72-63.
Five quickfire points from Johnson, a three-point jump shot followed by a steal and layup, and the gap was six, 74-68, with two minutes gone in the fourth quarter.
Back-to-back threes for Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell – Homan’s fifth and Thornton’s second – brought their personal tallies to 20 points and 18 points, respectively, at that stage.
The Nellies were 83-71 up with six minutes to go and Gráinne Dwyer’s three midway through the quarter made it a seven-point game once more, 86-79.
O’Leary’s fourth from the three-point line three made it 91-81 with three minutes to go and it appeared it was going to be Brunell’s day. A Johnson two-point jump shot – to bring her to 28 points – reinforced their lead and they’d eventually claim a 100-84 win.
Head coach Liam Culloty said: “It’s just unbelievable for everyone involved in the club and we’re absolutely delighted. To get over the line for the first time ever, for this club to win the Super League cup (InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O’Connor National Cup) is just an incredible feeling, especially the year that is in it, our 40th anniversary and obviously our founding member passed away in September.
“We beat a really, really good team, Fr. Mathews have a team of legends there, the two Dwyers, Niamh and Gráinne, unbelievable legacy. We believe we have started our own little legacy today with two sets of sisters in the team, so hopefully that’s the start new for the club as we push on.”
