AT THE expense of nearby rivals Limerick Sport Huskies, Limerick Celtics are through to the Domino’s Women’s Division One Playoff final.
At a busy Crescent College, Celtics came through this derby semi-final 82-70.
It was one of the more hard-fought fixtures of the weekend, with the lead changing eight times during the game.
Sidney Richards continued to lead Celtics with a 21-point showing; Irish U18 international Laura Buckley continued her stellar shooting form, going 4-5 from three on her way to 18 points, and Sabhbh Edwards-Murphy posted a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.
For Huskies, Clara Gomez left it all on the floor, scoring 32 points and getting 14 rebounds, with Orlaith Woods getting 10 boards in her 15-point showing.
U18 international Meabh Purtill managed to secure an offensive rebound and score the putback on the buzzer to give Celtics a 37-36 lead at half-time.
After the break, both sides came out with shooting struggles, with Huskies shooting 2-14 in the third quarter and Celtics a slightly more positive 6-17 from the field.
In the final quarter, Celtics started to light up the net, shooting 10-12 from the field, with Laura Buckley going 3-3 from three, while Richards led from the front to close the game, shooting a respectable 4-6.
Celtics will face the number one seeds Cleveland Rockets in the final.
In the semi-final of the Men’s Division One, National Cup winners Limerick Sport Eagles posted a quality 88-64 home win against Drogheda Wolves.
Alex Carlisle shone the brightest when it mattered for Eagles, scoring 38 points, accompanied by a season-high 16 points from Seán Ryan in the triumph.
In the final, Eagles will meet Titans.
Both finals, on Saturday, April 11, will be shown live on BITV (Basketball Ireland TV).