Superb Killester power to National Cup triumph

Killester 96-70 Trinity Meteors

Killester won their fourth InsureMyHouse.ie Paudie O'Connor National Cup title thanks to an impressive 96-70 defeat of Trinity Meteors on Sunday evening.

The pacy Chanell Williams was in inspirational form for the Dublin outfit, scoring 25 points and racking up 13 assists, four rebounds and four steals to earn the MVP.

There were also big performances from another American, Chyna Latimer, who had 26 points and 13, along with Ieva Bagdanaviciene, who shot five from the three-point line. Talismanic captain Michelle Clarke was also excellent in a brilliant all-round display.

Killester, who last won the trophy in 2020, were fast out of the blocks, their two Americans in particular - Williams and Lattimer - making a huge impact.

They were 13-5 ahead with a little over three minutes gone. But Trinity Meteors started to have joy on the boards - Claire Melia and Celena Taborn among the scorers.

Williams was dictating play and she drove through traffic and finished with a neat layup in the dying seconds of the first quarter to make it 27-22 to Killester. She also picked up a foul and added the extras from the free throw line.

Ella McCluskey's three from the corner got Killester off to the perfect start in the second quarter, as they led 31-22. After a layup by Robyn Malone it was 33-22.

Killester’s shooting from the three-point line was proving fruitful. Clarke got in on the act in the fourth minute of the quarter and they were ahead 36-24.

Trinity Meteors closed the gap with Taborn starting to making a real impact inside - she would finish the contest with 25 points. A layup from Dayna Finn brought Trinity Meteors in front for the first time, 43-42, with a little over a minute left in the second quarter.

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