National Champs! Firecrackers beat Pumas, 49-39, for third AAU title

14u runs off seven straight wins to repeat Division II championship performance of 2014

From 14u Coach Don Briggs:

We played this game at 10:40am … It was over at 11:45am. A few pictures, and families disperse to the airport to travel home. I am now sitting in the DC airport with a 4 hour layover. Time to reflect …

This group of girls hadn’t played together before March. Emme Poulin and Mackenzie Holmes joined the Firecracker program. I moved Anna DeWolfe and Faith Blethen up from our 8th grade team to the 9th grade team … And the four of them joined Sophie Glidden, Alex Hart, Alex Goodman, Eva Mazur, Ally Turner, and Grace Soucy. They all, except for Mackenzie had played minimally for me prior to this year. The joy of coaching is having a blank canvas … Knowing the journey ahead … And seeing if you get kids to commit to each other and the process. That’s the juice for me anyway.

We challenged ourselves throughout the season … Played up in age group at the NE Elite in RI (3-1), went to Deep South in NC and played at the 15u National level (2-2), Maine State Tournament Champs, Mothers Day Showcase at St. Anselm (3-1), back to RI for Commotion by the Ocean (4-0), Bay State Magic Elite Showcase at Wheaton College (1-1) and last … GymRat CHALLENGE (5-1), and lost in the championship game. The kids go away for a couple of weeks and play with their high school teams before we leave for Orlando.

The game … The final game, like the game before (semi-final) would be a challenge. We talked before the game … I asked the kids if they were nervous … The response was innocent and honest – Yes. Good … Glad to know this is important to you. Now sit down and let’s talk about how we are going to win this game. All 10 kids looking at me waiting for the years of wisdom to come flowing out … We are going to beat them with our mind. That’s it … That’s what I wowed them with. Ladies … They will be so amped up … Patience, confidence, and a ball fake against their vaunted pressure will allow us to have success today. Let’s talk about what they want to do … Run baby run. Well we are going take it right at them … Play their game on offense. But defensively we are going to make them execute in the half court … Discipline.

I surprised the girls in the pre-game huddle by announcing Grace Soucy would be in the starting line-up. As you know Grace tore her ACL back in March and has been working hard on her recovery. She and her family are committed to the team (and program) and invested in her to have this AAU Nationals experience, even though she wouldn’t step on the floor. I set it up before the game with AAU officials and the Pumas coach. It was a very special moment for Grace, her family, but more importantly her teammates. They were all crying. Sports can bring out emotions like nothing else. As this was all going down … I am thinking … Great way to fire them up coach … They are emotional wrecks now. But true to form and the mental toughness they have displayed all season. They came out and competed at the opening tip.

In many ways the game becomes irrelevant because the outcome is already known. The journey, the friendships, the opportunity to compete on that stage, and the fact that no one can ever take this away from them … Memories is the more important story line. To care about others, to sacrifice playing time, scoring, and being willing to accept a lesser role for the greater good … That’s how a group of individuals in March became a team in July!

Specific to the game … We were up 12 points at halftime (25-13). Hart and DeWolfe shredded their pressure the entire game … They had no answer. At one point in the first half their coach yells out it’s a 1-3-1 … I have never played zone in my life … Straight up man to man. I knew at that point we had the mental advantage.

The second half we got a little loose with the ball and made some bad decisions … Fatigue was creeping in. Our lead was cut to 4 points. I called a timeout and we regrouped. We built the lead back up to 12 and we won by 10. Hart went 6-6 (finished with 10 points) from the foul line to close out the game. Holmes had a triple double (10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks), Blethen hit a big three, coming out of a timeout, to extend our lead to 7 points, DeWolfe played like a city kid with a variety behind the back passes, lobs, pull up jumpers and attacking the rim (14 points, 6 assists) and Sophie Glidden (2 points), Ally Turner, and Emme Poulin all took turns competing and contributing critical minutes throughout the game. Alex Goodman did everything she could to try and get healthy after badly spraining her ankle in our first game, and was able to play as well.

While everyone had moments of success, and I have documented that throughout the tournament, I would have to say Alex Hart was the most consistent player over the 7 games. Her defensive pressure was tremendous and set the tone for how we competed every game. She got her 6-8 points and no turnovers. Sometimes we have a tendency to focus on how many points someone scores and that defines if they are a good player or not … But from this observers perspective the impact she had each game made her our most valuable player. I typically don’t call these things out as it is a team sport and requires everyone working together. But given her impact was primarily on defense … I feel very comfortable stating how important her effort was.

So, we now return home as AAU Division II National Champions. I could not be more proud of a group of young ladies and their parents … These are people that cheer for every kid like they are their own. They raise their hand to do whatever they can to support the program. As a coach, it makes my job a whole lot easier to just worry about what we do on the court. Thank you for the opportunity to coach your daughters.

Thank you to Frank DeWolfe … Who has been on the bench with me all year. It has been a pleasure to work with you and talk hoops every day. The fact I could have my daughter Ashley with me one more time before she heads off to college … Priceless. Coach Blethen, stepping in for the week and keeping the book … You’re the best. And to Brian Clement for being such a good friend, coach, and leader. We wouldn’t be able to do the things we do without all of you.

Lastly, Tom Nolette, Jon Gilson, and MBR. You have provided an outlet to recognize young athletes throughout the state in all sports. Keep doing what you do! And a big shout out to the MBR team that finished 2nd in the 15u D3 Nationals!

Your support has been humbling and the girls fly home today knowing people in Maine, beyond their family members are very proud of what they accomplished.