Cork Basketball: Fr Mathew's fall to disappointing home loss to Portlaoise
Abby Murphy with possession for Catalyst Fr Mathew’s. Picture: Larry Cummins
Midland Park Portlaoise secured maximum points in a competitive Domino’s Women’s Super League clash at the Fr Mathew’s Arena on Saturday.
In a game that could have went either way a late basket and bonus from Christiana Boiko secured a late win for Midland Park Portlaoise.
The visitors only took 20 seconds to get up and running courtesy of a neat jumper from Jessica Fressle that was immediately responded from a stunning three pointer from Mathew’s American Laila Blair.
Blair looks a nice signing for Mathew’s as she has plenty of weapons in her locker but this game a tight affair in the opening four minutes with the sides sharing 14 points.
The home team were having problems guarding the Portlaoise bosman Christiana Boiko whose physical power was murdering Mathew’s defence.
Newly appointed Mathew’s coach Jamie Barry certainly made use of his bench in the opening quarter, but his side trailed 14-11 in the ninth minute.
The home team had a little bit of good fortune when Grainne Dwyer nailed a buzzer beater that helped her team reduce the deficit to three points 18-15 entering the second quarter.
Mathew’s second American Lexie Givens who had a quiet first quarter nailed a three on the restart to tie the game.
The scoring averages of both sides was rather poor as the Mathew’s American Gvens was giving them little in the offence court and even less in defence.
Grainne Dwyer still possesses the will to win and in the final minute produced a stunning move to the hoop that helped reduce the deficit to three points at the interval 31-28 after a very disappointing half of basketball.
Givens brought the teams on parity on the restart only for Alyssa Velles to nail a stunning three pointer on the next possession for the midlanders.
It was a strange game in every sense of the word as both teams couldn’t get a run and midway through this period the visitors led by the minimum 38-37.
Blair gradually found her touch and a basket plus a stunning floater and suddenly the home team had a five point lead.
The excitement was at fever pitch for the home fans, but a Lynn Tunnah shot outside the arc reduced the deficit to the minimum.
Credit to Mathew’s they responded and inspired by Dwyer they raced into six- point lead before late Velles free throws reduced it to 53-49 entering the final quarter.
Coming down the stretch both teams continued to scrap for control and midway through the quarter the game was tied at 60 points each following a Blair lay-up.
The closing minutes were frantic but Portlaoise pulled it out of the fire at the death with a late Boiko basket that secured them the points.
L Blair 32, G Dwyer 14, L Givens 11.
C Boiko 19, A L Velles 17, L Tunnah 12, J Fressle 9.
G Dwyer, D Murphy-O’Riordan, C McCarthy, S Fitzgerald, A Murphy, A Murphy, H O’Brien, A Price, M Lukasiewicz, L Blair, L Givens.
E Kennington, L Tunnah, H Dunne, M Dunne, A Byrne, C Byrne, S Dooley, S Fleming, J Burke, A M Velles, J Fressle, C Boiko.
P Persson (Cork), S O’Shaughnessy (Tipperary).
App?
