SETU Waterford Wildcats 65
Utility Trust St Pauls 50
Report: Enda Walshe
A defeat for Utility Trust St Paul’s but, after results elsewhere, this game could almost be looked at as a free shot.
Even a win at the home of the regular season champions wouldn’t have prevented the necessity to beat Fr Mathews on the last day and so after 17-match weekends the final play off will be a shoot-out between James Fleming’s current side and his former side who he coached to great success in the very recent past.
A play-off spot would have been on the bucket list at the start of the season but around Christmas time it looked like a forlorn hope. Aa strong January and February has put them in the mix, however, and a home game against the Cork side is sure to whet the appetite of every Killarney basketball fan.
Ironically a win for either side will set up an away date with SETU Waterford Wildcats in the play-offs and certainly, from St Paul’s point of view, they have shown they have the tools to chisel out some success. But all that will be irrelevant unless they clear the Fr Mathews hurdle.
Even though the scoreline may not reflect it, this was a game that St Paul’s played very well at stages, particularly in the second quarter, but a slow start to the third allied to a purple patch from the Wildcats opened up an advantage that would be difficult to bridge. The South Easterners are unbeaten at home all season and are not in the habit of tossing away match winning positions.
Chelsea Cain got her side’s opening points, a three-point play, but Alex Wittinger and Lorraine Scanlon got their side up and running.
Callie Cavanaugh, starting alongside Wittinger, struck back and then Wittinger landed some of her signature shots. Denise Dunlea, Leah McMahon and Lynn Jones all saw first quarter action rotating with Rheanne O’Shea but it was the Wildcats who finished the stronger, 20-12 clear.
The second quarter saw St Pauls play some of their best basketball all season. Strong defence allied to slick offence was their mantra and Scanlon, Cavanaugh and Wittinger were so dominant it prompted a Waterford timeout.
Cain had put the Wildcats 29-22 up but when Mathilde Diop waltzed in, she opened the floodgates for Wittinger and Siofra O’Shea who duly put their side 32-31 ahead at the change of ends
It was soon a 47-34 for Wildcats but St Pauls gathered themselves with Wittinger prominent and Diop narrowed the gap to seven, 49-42. The next couple of minutes would see St Paul’s miss a couple of chances to close the gap further, with their defence helping to execute some stops.
It was still within their grasp to get back into the contest and despite the efforts of Leah McMahon and Lorraine Scanlon, unfortunately the horse had bolted for St Pauls.
The Wildcats closed out the game and will now enter the play off as the number one seed. With Fr Mathews subsequently losing their Cork derby joust with Brunell it sets up next Saturday’s showdown for the final play-off place, with St Pauls having home advantage.
Alex Wittinger was the game’s top scorer with 22, Lorraine Scanlon and Callie Cavanaugh had eight each, Mathilde Diop six, Siofra O Shea four, Rheanne O’Shea two, Leah McMahon, Denise Dunlea, Lynn Jones.
For the Wildcats Katie Hickey had 20 , Chelsea Cain shot 17, Aisha McCalla 15 and Helena Rohan six.
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