Clean sweep Four Celtics in Inchicore
IT WAS a clean sweep for Liffey Celtics as the club saw all four of the teams they fielded in last weekend’s DLBB Cup Finals in the Oblate Hall emerge victorious.
Indeed Liffey accounted for the Under 13, 15 and 16 Cup silverware while also lifting the Ladies Senior Cup in what was another memorable weekend for the club.
Liffey Celtics teams won the Ladies Senior Cup, Under 15s, Under 16s and Under 13s Dublin Cup
In the latter, Liffey had to battle back from ten points down at the half time break to eventually see off a tough Oblate team 60-44 in overtime.
Led by Emily O’Callaghan, the Drimnagh side raced into an early lead while Rebecca Keating did her best to keep Celtics in touch.
Great work on the defensive end by Katie Williamson helped to narrow the deficit but, with Claire Quinn-Nealon delivering for Oblates, a nine-point gap still separated the two sides heading into the fourth quarter.
The introduction of player/coach Meagan Hoffman proved a real boost for Liffey as they fought back to level the match at 43 points apiece.
It forced overtime, during which Suzanne Maguire sank a quick three pointer for Liffey who never looked back from here on in.
The Liffey Celtics Under 16s made it five successive Dublin Cup titles after they chalked up a 49-30 point victory over Templeogue in the decider.
They had the Reds on the backfoot from the off, racing into an 11-2 lead in the first quarter as Emily Smyth and Ana Posternakova demonstrated their offensive and defensive strengths.
They carried that same momentum into the second quarter with two big three pointers from Ellie Soughley and great scores from Niamh O’Leary while Tara Nevin made some vital interceptions at the other end of the court.
Templeogue re-grouped at half time and re-emerged a different side in the second half with the Finn sisters providing impressive leadership by way of scores and assists.
But solid defending by Alannah Reilly, Sadhbh Corcoran and Niamh Sherlock and the great work of guards Rachel O’Carroll and Katie Walsh went a long way to seeing Liffey keep their opponents at bay.
Looking for their fourth consecutive Dublin Cup crown, the Liffey Celtics Under 15 Girls achieved just that when they just about managed to surmount a fierce challenge from Ongar Chasers, winning 33-31.
Down by three at the halftime break, Celtics really turned it around in the third quarter, winning that period 11-1 to lead by seven heading into the fourth.
Making a number of turnovers, Ongar closed the gap, but Liffey managed to weather that onslaught as no less than nine of their players got on the scoresheet.
The Under U13 title also went the way of the club as they really took off in the second half to beat a gritty Oblate team 60-45.
Up until the halftime recess this was a very close affair with just two points separating the sides at the break.
But, with the aid of top scorers Ciara Brogan and Stephanie Nanbuhie and some great ball carrying by captain Ciara Farrell, Celtics stormed to the prize in what was a very impressive performance.
