Women’s National Cup: Montenotte secure sixth basketball title

Team Montenotte Hotel cemented their place in Irish basketball history with a record sixth Women’s National Cup win at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin, yesterday.

The Glanmire club completed a second three-in-a-row by beating Pyrobel Killester 96-64 in a one-sided affair.

Killester had lost none of the grace or steel that has seen them fight for silverware on two fronts this season.

They were simply overpowered by a side peaking when it mattered most.

“What I loved was the freedom we played with offensively,” said coach Mark Scannell. “We shot the ball: well we weren’t trying to force it. And we had so many weapons on the floor and on the bench.”

Áine McKenna was the big gun and revelled in her captain’s role. The MVP had 10 points in four minutes and the Glanmire club still had time left in the first quarter for a 12-0 run.

Killester coach Karl Kilbride gave his bench the opportunity to get to grips and put three U20 women’s cup champions on the floor. Aoibheann Byrne and Aisling McCann rewarded his faith with baskets as Killester managed a considerable 20- point quarter.

Glanmire repeated their first-quarter trick and put up another 31 points. One by one they stepped up to hit their shots. Marie Breen hit a pair and Chantell Alford refused to miss.

When the sides met in the 2015 decider, Montenotte Hotel won 62-36 on the back of a one-point lead at half time. This time around they were already 62-34 clear at the break.

Men’s National Cup trophy

On Saturday, Templeogue beat GCD Swords Thunder to claim their first Men’s National Cup trophy with a 78-75 win at the National Basketball Arena. It was a maiden final appearance for both sides, but a classic decider. The lead swung four times before Thunder missed a three-pointer on the final buzzer to send the Templeogue faithful into rapture.

“The way we came out in the third quarter and did our best to lose it in the fourth, it’s a special night,” said Templeogue Coach Mark Keenan with a fourth cup medal around his neck. “You see the spirit within the group. We always believe we can do it.”

Ex-Ireland international Paul Cummins was heating up in the second quarter of his first game in 11 weeks. His outside shooting topped up second chance scores from Michael Bonaparte to level the sides at 49-49 late in the third. Stephen James followed up with a couple of down town three-pointers and it took Isaac Westbrooks to snap a 13-0 run with the last shot of the third.

Thunder hadn’t clapped out just yet. Alex Dolenko finished defiantly off his own steal, Dan Nelms’ dunk edged them closer and a Westbrooks jump-shot brought it back to 67-70 with 90 seconds left. Jason Killeen completed a double-double with his most precious rebound of the evening to prevent Thunder from an equalising opportunity. Fouled in the process, he also iced the free-throws at the other end with 22 seconds left.