Singleton Supervalu Brunell v Pyrobel Killester
AT A GLANCE:
The Women’s Paudie O’Connor Cup final is truly the story of the rise of the underdogs. Both of these teams caused upsets in the Cup semi-finals to get to the final and with Brunell hoping to scoop their first ever title, while Killester are aiming to end a 15-year drought, this should be a cracker.
COACHES:
Brunell – Tim O’Halloran
Killester – Karl Kilbride
Brunell
Last Cup Final: 2019 (runner up to Liffey Celtics)
League Record: 2 wins and 10 losses (sitting in 8th place in the league)
Leading scorer: Adella Randle El 19.6 points per game (now on called, ppg) (placed 6th for scoring in the league nationally)
Killester
Last Cup Final: 2016 (runner up to Glanmire during their 4-year winning streak)
League Record: 8 wins and 4 losses (sitting in 5th place)
Leading scorer: Treyanna Clay 17.1 ppg (11th in scoring nationally)
KEY STATS
| Brunell | Killester | |
| PPG | 69 | 74 |
| Points Against | 76 | 69 |
| Rebounds | 32 (10th) | 47 (1st) |
| Assists | 11 (10th) | 18.5 (5th) |
| Steals | 9.7 (7th) | 11.5 (3rd) |
| 2 fga | 49.8 (8th) | 46.7 (7th) |
| 2 fg% | 33.5 (9th) | 39.3 (8th) |
| 3 fga | 22.3 (3rd) | 27.5 (1st) |
| 3 fg% | 35.6 (1st) | 30.8 (2nd) |
| Fta | 18.3 (2nd) | 15.9 (6th) |
| FT% | 64% (9th) | 76% (2nd) |
Road to the Final
Brunell
Quarter final: Away game vs Marble City Hawks they win 69-62
Semi final: At Neptune Stadium in Cork vs league leaduers DCU Mercy - they win 75-68
The highlight of Brunell’s cup run has undoubtedly been the upset of league leaders DCU Mercy in the semi-final. Treyanna Clay’s masterclass with 31 points and 20 rebounds separated the teams as Brunell caused the biggest upset of the semi final weekend.
Key players in Cup so far: Treyanna Clay (USA), Aryn McClure (USA), Katie Walshe (IRE), Greta Tamasauskaite (Lithuania), Danielle O’Leary (IRE).
Injury concerns: Danielle O’Leary picked up an ankle injury in semi-final v DCU Mercy, and had to exit the game in the second quarter. It is unconfirmed as to whether she will play on Sunday or not.
Injury concern 2: Katie Walshe – picked up a very serious hand injury last weekend in their Women’s Super League game with Glanmire in Cork.
Killester
Quarter final: Home game vs Fr Mathews, Killester win 72-64
Semi final: At Neptune Stadium in Cork vs the famous Glanmire. Killester win 82-79
Killester will look to go three for three against Cork opposition in the Cup as they have already disposed of Fr Mathews and Glanmire (two Cork teams). The semi-final started poorly as they trailed by almost 20 points in the first quarter, but a balanced team display saw them pull out a huge win.
Key players in Cup so far: Rebecca Nagle, Adella Randle El, Leah Rutherford (on rebounds), Christa Reed, Aisling McCann.
PREVIOUS MATCH UPS THIS SEASON
December 15th, 2019
Played: At Brunell gym at Parochial Hall, Cork.
Final score - Brunell 93 – Killester 95. THIS GAME WENT TO OVERTIME.
Christa Reed was the hero for Killester as she hit the game winner with two seconds to go in overtime in Cork. Killester’s American duo of Reed and Randel El combined for 54 points in the dramatic win while Treyanna Clay impressed for Brunell with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
September 28th, 2019 (opening game of the season)
Played: At the IWA in Clontarf
Final score: Killester 70, Brunell 63.
This was the first game of the season for both teams. Adella Randle El was the standout for Killester with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Ella McCloskey had 16 points and a whopping 20 rebounds. Rebecca Nagle and Christa Reed had 12 points each. Katie Walshe and Aryn McClure led the scoring for Brunell, with 16 and 14 points respecitvely, with Aryn also claiming 10 rebounds
THE STORYLINE:
Killester: This is Killester’s first shot at Cup glory since 2016 when they were on the receiving end of a thrashing from Glanmire. Coach Karl Kilbride is still on the sidelines and Rebecca Nagle, Michelle Clarke and Aisling McCann all featured that day and will be major weapons for Killester this Sunday. As a club, the north Dublin club are looking to make it back to back years to win a Super League Cup after the men’s team won the 2019 Cup.
Brunell: Also known as the Nellies – they make it back to their second consecutive Cup final after a thrilling upset over the overwhelming favourites DCU Mercy in the semi finals. Coach O’Halloran will be hoping league form will be parked this weekend - they have won just two league games so far this year.
The worry for Brunell is the health of the team as mentioned above. A team who are already lacking depth may have lost two of their major weapons (Danielle and Katie) and they’ll have to find big performances elsewhere to fill the void.
KEY MATCHUPS
Treyanna Clay vs Leah Rutherford (nee Westbrooks)
This is a matchup that Brunell need to not only win, but to dominate. Treyanna Clay was unstoppable in the semi-final and her size and athleticism will cause trouble for any team in the country. Westbrooks role is to do the dirty work for Killester as she looks to rebound and create space for the shooting talent around her. Her semi-final performance typified the impact she can have as she picked up 21 rebounds and created lots of second chance opportunities. Karl Kilbride will need Westbrooks and Ella McCloskey to neutralise Clay as much as possible and if they can manage that there will be only one winner on Sunday.
Greta Tamasauskaite v Adella Randle El
Tamasauskaite grew into the semi-final particularly after the loss of Danielle O’Leary and she will be critical to Brunell’s hopes. The Lithuanian has played professional in other countries and has played at the World University Games so she certainly has the pedigree to make a big impact. Randle El is 6th in the country in scoring at 19.6 ppg and her 21 points paced Killester in the semi-final. She’s a dangerous scorer who can impact the game all over the court, in the league meeting between the two teams she was close to a quadruple double with 26 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists and 7 steals! Again, this is a matchup that Brunell need to win to have a chance at upsetting Killester.
Aryn McClure v Christa Reed
McClure’s involvement in the game may also be a doubt as she missed last week’s league game against Glanmire, but it looks like she’ll be fit for this Sunday. In the semi-final win, McClure had one of her best performances to date in Ireland and looked assured running the team. Her matchup with Reed is fascinating as again Brunell need this to go their way. Reed averages more points and hit the game winner when the two teams met in the league, but McClure does have the ability to compete with her.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Killester have incredible guard depth and have shooting all over the floor. Aisling McCann, Rebecca Nagle and Michelle Clarke are all lethal shooters and can’t be afforded space. The issue for teams playing Killester is that by guarding the shooters it opens space for their dynamic American duo of Reed and Randle El.
With so many injuries and a tough league campaign to date, Brunell will be hoping to piece together a big performance on Sunday. They need Treyanna Clay to dominate inside If they are to get their hands on the Paudie O’Connor trophy though.
These are two of the teams who shoot the most three pointers in the country so expect a lot of outside shots, which team can knock them down at a higher rate will be very important. Depth and their record this season both point to a Killester win but Brunell have already caused a major shock this year and will be looking to go one step further than last year.
