Saturday, February 21st
Trinity Sports Centre
In only the second National League double-header in Trinity Basketball history, both Trinity’s Men’s Club team and Trinity Meteors faced must-win contests. The Men’s Club side took on Declans in the BIDL Round of 16 playoffs, while Trinity Meteors faced UCC Glanmire in a clash with major playoff implications.
Men’s Club 79–55 Declans
Coming off two Dublin League wins during the week, confidence was high for the Men’s Club team heading into a win-or-go-home matchup against a young and athletic Declans side. However, it was the North Dublin side that started the game stronger, hitting multiple three-point shots to build an early 8–2 lead and forcing Trinity into taking a timeout. Coach Aran Lee instilled calmness into his side, encouraging Trinity to increase the tempo and take the game to the opposition. TCD responded, with a 12–0 run, pushing the fast break as Daniel O’Toole and Samuel Rex leaked out for easy transition points.
The second quarter saw Trinity put on a defensive masterclass, holding their opponents to just four points. Eric Brandt was a constant menace on defence, getting into passing lanes and forcing turnovers. His three steals in the quarter created the momentum to push Trinity to a double-digit lead. Liam Smyth was also exceptional, using his wide wingspan to emphatically block two shots out of bounds. The increased defensive intensity carried over to the offensive end, with Trinity outscoring Declans by 21 points in the quarter.
TCD began the second half with great intensity as Filippo Grespan went coast-to-coast and finished with an elegant layup at the rim. Declans switched into a zone defence, but Trinity responded with excellent ball movement to break it down. A hard flash to the top of the free-throw line by Daniel O’Toole drew multiple defenders before he dished it off perfectly to set up Smyth for a thunderous slam dunk over two defenders. Just a few possessions later, Smyth rose again for another dunk after a sneaky no-look bounce pass from Grespan that sliced through Declans’ defence.
Trinity’s lead grew to as many as 33 points midway through the second half, with the offensive load shared across the team. Declans’ big man Samuel Emmanuel tried to spark a comeback, using his strength and height to score repeatedly under the basket. In the end, a dagger three-pointer from Julien Conway ended any hopes of a comeback as Trinity advanced to the BIDL playoff quarterfinals with a convincing victory.
As the Men’s club team awaits their quarterfinal matchup in March, they will return to the Sports Centre on Friday, February 27th, to host Killester in DMBB D2 League at 7.45pm.
Trinity Meteors 94–97 UCC Glanmire
Facing a highly in-form UCC Glanmire side, Trinity Meteors found themselves chasing the game throughout. The Cork side got off to a hot start, nailing six three-pointers in the first half alone. The disparity in three-point shooting had a huge impact on the game, with Meteors struggling from beyond the arc, making just one of their twenty attempts. This forced Trinity to attack the basket more frequently. Early on, Meteors moved the ball well and looked to feed Ava Learn in the post. However, some sloppy turnovers and unnecessary fouls allowed Glanmire to build a double-digit lead in the second quarter. Jewel Watkins proved unstoppable for UCC, as the American wing poured in 16 points in the second quarter alone. Aisling Moran tried to swing the momentum in Trinity’s favour, driving aggressively to the basket on multiple occasions, but it was Glanmire who went into the break with a 10-point lead.
Jewel Watkins continued to pose a difficult challenge for Meteors’ defence, scoring a further 12 points in the third quarter. Her intelligence and aggressiveness were rewarded with constant trips to the free-throw line, as she attempted a total of 25 during the game. Despite struggling to contain Glanmire’s high-scoring offence, Trinity responded with an even stronger offensive quarter, putting up 28 points in the third alone. Hazel Finn was the engine of the Meteors’ offence, using her speed to beat her defenders to the basket on multiple occasions. The Mayo point guard also helped swing momentum in Trinity’s favour by involving her teammates, racking up a season-high 11 assists. Heading into the final quarter, Meteors found themselves down seven points.
Finn found Ciara Mulligan wide open under the basket with a beautiful lob pass to begin the fourth quarter. Franciska Treiliha then weaved her way through Glanmire’s defence for an extraordinary coast-to-coast finish as the Cork side’s lead slowly began to diminish. Both Kylie Horstmeyer and Ava Learn, with 23 and 20 points respectively, were major factors in Meteors’ inspiring comeback. A key factor of that comeback was Trinity’s defence, which stepped up massively in the final quarter, holding UCC to just 14 points. As defensive chants grew louder in the Sports Centre, Trinity Meteors’ players fed off the energy. A huge three-pointer from Learn and a layup from Horstmeyer put Meteors ahead with just one minute remaining. Down by two points with less than 30 seconds left to play, Glanmire’s star-player Watkins responded with an acrobatic finish to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, Glanmire dominated early, building a commanding eight-point lead. Kylie Horstmeyer kept Trinity afloat with five points in the extra period. With Meteors’ defensive anchor, Learn, fouling out, Trinity’s hopes of completing another comeback faded. Watkins finished with an outstanding 42 points as Glanmire escaped with a narrow three-point overtime win. Trinity Meteors now currently sit sixth in the Women’s Super League with just two games remaining before the playoffs. Two huge clashes against Brunell BC and Portlaoise Panthers will determine the squad’s playoff opponent.
