Firecrackers Knocked Out of TN Tournament

The Maine Firecrackers lost a tough one in the Gold Division playoffs at Battle of the Boro in Tennessee today to A Game 48-44. From the beginning it was clear it was going to be tough for the Maine girls to match the A Game bigs with three strong post moves putting the Firecrackers in a hole before Sarah Clement hit two foul shots to make it 6-2. Katie McCrum connected on a strong drive, Freshman Emily Esposito knocked in 2 baseline jump shots and Margaret Rigney added a nice jumper to tie it at 16-16. Jess Willerson shot very well this game from midrange and led the team with 8 first half points but the Firecrackers were down 24-20 at intermission.

In the second half A Game continued to win the rebounding battle as they substituted 5 fresher players at a time with 4 over 6’0″ and solid as they wore the smaller team down. Allie Clement hit 4 of her patented pull up jump shots to keep it close and Abby Hamilton (showing more amazing grit playing with a painful shoulder injury) drained a 3 to make it 40-36 before A Game scored again on a put back. With 45 seconds left and trailing by six Sarah Clement connected on a 3 to cut the lead to 47-44. A Game then took an ill advised shot but the Firecrackers were unable to garner the rebound and were forced to foul resulting in one made foul shot for a 48-44 final score.

Willerson led the scoring with 14, Allie Clement 10, Sarah Clement 7, Hamilton 5, Esposito 4, and Rigney 2. Olivia Dalphonse once again was a game changer on the defensive end and also dished out 4 assists while handling the A Game pressure well. Among the coaches in attendance were those from Marist, Lehigh, Pepperdine, Bucknell, and the head coach of Louisvile.

The Firecrackers finished 4-1 and won their pool (not an easy task in this tournament) playing in the Showcase (highest) division and showed a lot of heart by competing at a high level, despite missing two special bigs in Lux and Storey, who have an outstanding chemistry together. The absence created opportunities for Abby Hamilton and Sophomore Jess Willerson to move into the starting lineup and they both stepped up with great production. Hamilton frequently defended players 5-6″ taller and gave up 30 lbs, but battled for her teammates and made up for height with heart and basketball IQ, while also shooting the ball very well on the offensive side. Jess Wilerson also took full advantage of her additional minutes and was a strong presence in the post while leading the team in scoring two games. Her improvement had been significant this year and even this week as her role on the team continues to grow. McCrum and Dalphonse got few breaks because they are such complete and unselfish players, both very good at making their teammates better. Rigney also played more minutes than usual and continues to improve while showing flashes of excellence. Sarah Clement didn’t get much rest either and handled frequent pressure well, while leading the team in scoring in 3 of the games. Allie Clement was limited in minutes, as she works back in shape after not playing for nearly four months, but provided valuable offense,and allowed the team depth and needed athleticism in the minutes she got. Finally, freshman Emily Esposito showed why she will have an immediate impact in the SMAA this year. Emily is a gym rat, very athletic, has excellent skills, and best of all is a fierce competitor. She not only provided valuable breaks to the older kids, she was often in games at critical times because she is such a sound all around solid player. She frequently was asked to defend post players 3 years older while giving up 6″ and 40 pounds and she performed at a level beyond her years