Killester and Liffey Celtics progress to Paudie O'Connor Cup final in contrasting fashion

Killester reached their second Paudie O'Connor Cup final in three years thanks to a hard-fought 70-69 win over Utility Trust St Paul’s at Neptune Stadium, while FloMAX Liffey Celtics crushed SETU Waterford Wildcats 78-53 earlier on Saturday.

St Paul’s set out their stall early on with a Gracen Kerr basket with just 12 seconds on the clock.

Mathilde Diop found her range early on with a pair of threes, either side of Kerr’s, which had the Kerry club 13-8 up four minutes in.

Killester hit the front 22-21 when Destiny Strother landed from the three point with two and a half minutes remaining, but it was St Paul’s who held a narrow 27-25 advantage by the end of the quarter.

A long-range three from Diop – her third three – put St Paul’s 35-29 up with four minutes gone in the second quarter.

A pair of Lorraine Scanlon free throws made it a nine point game to St Paul’s with two minutes to go, 44-35.

A Samantha Haiby three in the final minute helped reduce the deficit, however it was St Paul’s 45-39 ahead at half-time

Killester started the third quarter with a 12-point run to turn the game in their favour.

Strother got things under way, it was followed by a neat layup from Haiby and three’s from Ieva Bagdanviciene and Michelle Clarke.

The run was concluded by a Hannah Thornton layup, the Dublin club 51-45 ahead three minutes in.

St Paul’s responded with four points from Alexandra Wittinger and Kerr to make it 51-49.

It was St Paul’s with the slenderest of leads by the end of the third quarter, Kerr landed her third from the three-point line and a basket from Wittinger established a 56-55 advantage.

Killester again began the fourth quarter quickly, Strother’s three had them 62-58 up less than two minutes in.

But this topsy-turvy game was back