Kilkenny Stars impress but Brunell advance to Basketball Cup Final

There was cup heartbreak for the Kilkenny Stars under-18 women’s team as Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell advanced to the final on the back of an emphatic win.

A 20-point performance from both Francesa Kyamagero and Jean Aherne, including a stunning five three-point shots from Aherne proved too much for Kilkenny to handle, though they can be proud of their part in a brilliant advertisement for women’s basketball.

An entertaining, even first half ebbed and flowed with all the tension of a good cup tie. Both offences hit the ground running and Caoimhe Timmons wasted little time in racking up 12 first quarter points. The Kilkenny star putting emphasis on a 10-0 run with back-to-back buckets from behind the arc.

Not to be outdone, trailing 20-15 at the onset of the second quarter, it was Brunell’s turn to catch fire.

First came Francesa Kyamagero with a quickfire five points and while Kilkenny responded through Lena Zydek and Aimee O’Reilly, further target practice by Jean Aherne and Ava O’Mahony and suddenly Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell had turned the game on its head to lead 36-35 at the interval.

An outstanding defensive performance in the third quarter by Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell restricted Kilkenny Stars to just six points. Both Caoimhe Timmons and Aimee O’Reilly had slipped into foul trouble for Kilkenny Stars and that inability to be aggressive on both ends really worked into the Cork side’s hands.

Brunell’s surge coincided with Irish youth international Abbie Lyons finding her stride. Lyons was responsible for three crucial steals as her team went on a 17-2 run during an eight minute spell, contributing eight points herself. A perfect euro-step by Kyamagero brought her total for the game to 23 points and despite late scores from Niamh Mulhall, O’Reilly and Timmons from the line, Stars entered the fourth with a huge task ahead, trailing 55-41.

McKenzie Kucey and Zydek traded scores to start the fourth, but then came two fatal blows to Kilkenny Stars’ hopes of a reversal. Aherne occupying the same right hand corner of the court at Parochial Hall, delivered consecutive daggers that almost took the roof off the 67-year-old building. The lead was now 22 points with 6:05 remaining and this sparked both coaches to run their benches for the closing minutes.

Brunell will go up against Limerick Celtics in the final in a fortnight.

Kilkenny Stars - Emily Lauhoff, Sarah Burke, Juno Vanhengel, Kayla Wall, Jill Dempsey, Aoibheann Walsh, Niamh Mulhall, Aimee O’Reilly, Lena Zydek, Caoimhe Timmons

Gurranabraher Credit Union Brunell - Jean Aherne, Sophie O’Keeffe, Abbie Lyons, Micha Rineal Honzales, Millie Murphy, Francesca Kyamagero, McKenzie Lucey, Sarah Sheehan, Ava O’Mahony, Abbie Power, Saoirse O’Driscoll, Saoirse Lyons