Eagles Show Fight but Glanmire Take the Spoils
🦅 Women’s Super League
🏀 Eagles Show Fight but Glanmire Take the Spoils in Virginia
There was plenty of excitement at the Virginia Show Centre on Sunday as Cavan Eagles Basketball Club wrapped up their regular season with a battling display against high-flying UCC Glanmire, with the visitors eventually claiming an 87–78 victory.
Coming into the game sitting third in the league, Glanmire demonstrated their quality early on, but the Eagles showed great resilience and determination throughout in front of their home supporters.
The visitors made a blistering start, dominating the opening quarter to lead 31–16. Jewel Watkins was the standout performer early on, pouring in 14 points to put Glanmire firmly in control. For the Eagles, Soleil Barnes kept the scoreboard ticking with two well-taken three-pointers.
The home side responded strongly in the second quarter. With Sophie Staunton making important contributions and the Eagles tightening up defensively, the hosts cut the deficit and went into halftime trailing 50–36.
The third quarter saw the Eagles open with a promising 7–0 run to ignite hopes of a comeback. However, Glanmire responded with an 11–3 surge of their own to regain control of the contest. Watkins continued her impressive display, adding another 10 points as the Cork side extended their lead to 74–58 heading into the final period.
To their credit, the Eagles refused to back down. Mazatkan Harris and Katie O’Sullivan each added six points in the closing stages as the home side pushed hard down the stretch. The Eagles’ long-range shooting was a highlight on the night, knocking down an impressive 11 three-pointers.
Watkins proved decisive for Glanmire, finishing with a game-high 35 points.
For the Eagles, Harris delivered a standout all-round performance with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Barnes impressed with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while O’Sullivan finished with 13 points and 5 assists. Staunton added 10 points, and Niamh Tolan and Ciara Tolan both chipped in with nine points apiece. Alex Mulligan and Ciara Brady also played key roles on both ends of the floor in a strong team effort.
The game marked the Eagles’ final league outing of the season and the second meeting between the sides this year. When the teams met earlier in December, Glanmire edged another high-scoring encounter 94–85.
With just one league fixture remaining between St Paul’s Killarney and Brunell Basketball Club, it now looks likely that the Eagles, who finished in eighth place, will face table-toppers Killester Basketball Club in the quarter-finals of the playoffs in Dublin on Saturday, March 21.
📸 Thanks to Bernard Sheridan for the great pics