Liffey Celtics and Trinity Meteors served up an absolute treat in Cork. The battle for a place in the Domino’s women’s cup final was an open and free-flowing fight for the full forty minutes. Emmet Ryan on an entertaining day and a win for Liffey Celtics.
There’s nothing like a proper contest. Liffey Celtics and Trinity Meteors threw everything at each other. It wasn’t mindless but it was fearless. These were two teams who had a plan about how they wanted to win this Domino’s women’s cup semi-final and set about it. It was an absolute joy to watch.
Hooray for fun
I like fun. This game decided it was going to be fun. Both Liffey Celtics and Trinity Meteors came out running, with brilliant spacing and good but not so good it was a boring quest for perfection in shot selection.
The result was a lovely end to end start between two wonderfully matched outfits. Skill, size, and speed were basically level across the board. Irrespective of the level of any sport, this is really what you need. It was two sides out there trying to prove that they could outperform their opponent on a clear battlefield.
Gosh it was great. For all the grit and tension that is the norm at this stage of a competition, there’s a lot to be said for something that’s just enjoyable. The maddest part was that the scoring wasn’t even that high. It was decent, sure, but the willingness to compete in the open floor made this entertaining. As it was, the first quarter ended with Liffey Celtics up 18-15.
A proper contest
Obviously you want good execution in any sport but that really needs to be a by-product of other matters. At the core of any clash, be it between teams or individuals, is a willingness to engage. You fight where the battle is and make do as it comes.
That’s what we were witnessing in this game. If D had to be in the open court, so be it. This made the half court sets feel far more natural and less inevitable. When you think of the versions of the sport that are tough to watch of late, two things come to mind. Men’s NCAA ball is too much of a phone booth fight while the NBA seems to have all the space in the world until the playoffs.
Here, space was sought but it had to be won. Quality chances were being made but most of the gambles were the right ones, even if they didn’t work out. Plus when you see the ludicrous arc on an Aisling Moran three, it warms the heart. How can you not be romantic about basketball? At the half, Liffey Celtics led 38-31.
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I should probably discuss the actual game
Right, well, aside from being wonderful and open, it was Liffey who were proving far more effective at execution. Trinity Meteors were creating plenty of opportunities on the inside, thanks to Hazel Finn’s fine distribution, but the paint D of the Celitcs was frustrating them.
With Finn struggling to score herself, the bulk of that load went on Ava Learn and Kylie Horstmeyer. Celtics meanwhile had Destinee Brusch lighting things up inside and out with Katie Williamson and Sorcha Tiernan proving her main aides. Where they struggled was in ball security, with too many possessions given up in the open floor.
That enabled Trinity to remain in touch and ensured we actually had the enjoyable contest that I’ve rambled on about up to now. After a back and forth third quarter, Liffey led 48-47 and this was just great to watch.
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Tense but, still fun
Things tightened up a bit in the fourth but not all that much. As the crunch came however it was those execution issues of Trinity Meteors that seemed to be the biggest factor. Their difficulty finishing possessions with a score was giving Celtics far too much breathing room.
At the Yuma mark, there was a 7 point lead for Celtics and Meteors were going to need a switch in style as much as anything. Sorcha Tiernan would put Liffey Celtics up by double digits from the line, the first such lead all game, with 2 minutes left and that was that.
We watch this sport to have doubts, to see teams try to win rather than to try to not lose, and that’s what we got in this game. This is something that should be replicable at every level of the sport, both above and below this. Credit to both sides for their intelligent bravery on the floor.
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