O'Loughlin Hotel Portlaoise Panthers were crowned Senior Women’s National Cup champions at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Sunday evening. The Co. Laois side scooped their second title in a row after a phenomenal display in the second half saw them run out winners on a 63 to 48 scoreline over Oblate Dynamos. The opening quarter finished in a leisurely manner despite getting off to a lively start in the opening few minutes with Jennifer Morabita and Catherine O’Sullivan exchanging three pointers to leave the score at 11 to 9 in favour of the Panthers after five minutes. However, the defences stepped up on each side and scores were at a premium for the remainder of the first quarter leaving the score going into the second at 16 to 11 in favour of the Co Laois side. Kelsey Wolfe under pressure during the game. Stars of the opening quarter were Portlaoise’s Tracey Fallon and Morabito of Oblate Dynamos. The second quarter continued in the same vein as Morabito continued to be the shooting star, netting two impressive three-pointers in a row as the quarter got underway. Portlaoise’s Kelsey Wolfe and Sinead Melia kept things ticking over at the other end with Nicola Farrell strong under the boards to give the Panthers the edge at the break, 30 to 23. It was in the second half however when Portlaoise really began to get a handle on the game and with Kelsey Wolfe once more coming to the forefront along with Melia and Deirdre Tomlinson, they opened up a 52-36 point gap going into the last. Kelsey Wolfe in action. At that stage, the result looked to be beyond doubt and despite some strong defence from Oblate Dynamos it just wasn’t enough as the buzzer sounded on a second Cup victory in as many years for Portlaoise Panthers. Sinead Melia was crowned Most Valuable Player for the game as the Panthers fans flocked the court to celebrate another well-deserved victory. The Oblate Dynamos team. Pic via SportsFile.