Meteors are BIDL Women’s champions following 84-54 win over St. Mary’s Castleisland

Meteors are the BIDL Women’s champions, following an 84-54 victory over St. Mary’s Castleisland at the National Basketball Arena on Friday. The Dublin club had a host of Ireland underage internationals who shone, chief among them was Helena Keane who finished with a game-high 26 points on her way to claiming the MVP.

Kira Lynch made an electric start for Meteors, landing back-to-back three’s within 20 seconds of each other, to put the Dublin club into an early 6-2 lead. There was more to come from the Ireland U16 and U18 international - she’d have 19 points by half-time.

Meteors opened up a 17-8 lead following Freya Blennerhasset’s basket with three minutes to go. St. Mary’s Castleisland were back within two, 17-15, following free throws by Clodagh Coffey and Kate O’Connnor, however Meteors would lead 22-17 by the end of the first.

Five early points from Lynch put Meteors 27-19 up after the opening minute of the second quarter. St. Mary’s Castleisland trailed by a point, 34-33, with four minutes to go in the quarter, thanks to Clodagh Coffey’s three and Roisin Casey’s jump shot. Meteors would finish stronger, a three from Aisling Moran – who made her senior debut for Ireland last November in a FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025 Qualifier and was recently named in the extended Ireland U20 squad ahead of this summer FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket – helped hand them a 42-33 advantage at half-time.

Meteors continued to pull clear, Keane, who’d scored nine points in the opening half, began with a layup and two point jump shot in the opening exchanges of the third and would finish with 13 points in the quarter, including her fourth from the three-point line with three minutes to go, to put Meteors 61-43 up. Another three from Kira Lynch – her fifth - was the final score of the quarter, Meteors were 64-45 ahead.

It left St. Mary’s Castleisland too much to do in the final quarter to rescue things,  a layup by Moran made it 80-54 with two and a half minutes to go and further scores from Blennerhasset and Kate Donnelly completed the 84-54 win for Meteors.

Quarter Scores:

Q1: 22-17, Q2: 20-16 Q3: 22-12, Q4: 20-9

Game Scores:

Q1: 22-17, Q2: 42-33, Q3: 64-45, Q4: 84-54

Meteors :

Kira Lynch (22), Freya Blennerhasset (14), Jodi Geaney (0), Aisling Moran (14), Tara Grealy (DNP), Riona Grealy (0), Riodhna McGrath (4), Sinead Keane (2), Helena Keane (26), Kate Donnelly (2), Sarah Donnelly (0)

St. Mary’s Castleisland:

Shauna Ahern (10), Suzanne Large (3), Keeva Ahern (0), Roisin Casey (2), Miriam Leane (6), Clodagh Coffey (10), Seodhna O’Donoghue (6), Emma Buckley (12), Amy Curtin (0), Erin O’Connor (0), Kate O’Connor (1), Fiona Nelligan McGuire (4)