Gators stay in touch
Dublin Senior Womens Div 3
Wicklow Lady Gators 45 – 44 Killester
Following their league loss last week the Lady Gators were determined not to have a repeat of their shooting woes.
As both the Lady Gators and Killester were in joint third place in the league table, the game was always going to be close and tight.
The Lady Gators were off the mark early scoring through sisters Kristine and Patrica Delahunt, this was followed with two more scores from power forwards Yasmine Larkin and Linda Dempsey and the Gators had a lead of 8-2, but Killester hit two easy baskets off turnovers and the first quarter ended at 8-6.
The second quarter saw both teams compete in a defensive battle as the teams played up tempo man to man defence.
Yasmine Larkin opened the scoring for the Gators and they increased their lead with Patrica Delahunt in fine shooting form hitting big outside shots.
But for the Gators it was the huge work effort in defence that dictated the game, as Killesters point guard was harried all over the court by Laura Hodginkson, Stacey Healy, Ciara Broe, and Erika Davis who forced Killester in to making bad shots.
Rebounders Siobhain Vickers, Christine Kavanagh, Lillian Kavanagh and Yasmine Larkin gave Killester no second shot opportunites and as Kristine Delahunt patrolled the paint blocking several shots the Gators got to build a lead of 22-15, as Priscilla Bennett and Linda Dempsey made big baskets off the break.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first, as the Gators opened their scoring through Yasmine Larkin, Priscilla Bennett, and Lillian Kavanagh, which saw the lead increase to 27-17.
But this lead was short lived as Killester made a good run and pulled back the lead to 27-22, before Siobhain Vickers knocked down a huge three pointer.
Patrica Delahunt finished out the third quarter with a great drive coast to coast and the Gators were ahead 33-24.
The Gators could thank their great defensive effort for the lead they had accrued, as players worked so hard on help defence for each other making Killester work for every score.
But Killester were not gone and implementing a full court press they turned the Lady Gators over forcing them into mistakes, and as the game entered the final minutes the score was 35- 32.
Then a brilliant drive by Laura Hodginkson edged the Gators ahead as they battled with a determined Killester side.
As Linda Dempsey iced two free throws and Stacey Healy and Erika Davis dealt with the pressure trapping defence, the Gators were ahead 40-37.
Then final baskets from Kristine Delahunt and Patrica Delahunt increased the lead again to 45 -39.
As the minutes ticked away Killester made one last push and the Gators turned over the ball giving them easy lay ups and the game was suddenly 45-43 with 8 seconds to play, but Killester missed their final shot and the Gators got their well deserved win, and a brilliant team performance by everyone.
Scorers : Patrica Delahunt 12pts, Kristine Delahunt 8pts, Yasmine Larkin 6pts, Linda Dempsey 8pts, Priscilla Bennett 4pts, Siobhain Vickers 3pts, Laura Hodginkson 2pts, Lillian Kavanagh 1pt
