8th grade advances to ASGR Hoopfest final, fall to iExcel

Firecrackers turn heads while playing in 9th grade division of Northeast’s top event

From Coach Brian Clement,

Day 1 – Firecrackers Advance

Today the Maine Firecrackers 8th grade team took advantage of an invitation to play in the 9th grade division of the prestigious ASGR April Boston Showcase. With a young group playing against some

of the best teams from Maryland to Massachusetts Coaches Clement and Whitmore knew it would be a challenging weekend but also an opportunity to get battle tested against older and stronger competition to prepare for the future.

Round 1 against the 9th Grade Boston Showstoppers didn’t prove to be the battle the Mainers were geared up for as the Firecrackers had a sense of what General Patton felt like when he was held back from attacking in Italy. The Mainers advanced in a forfeit due to the Showstoppers arriving with only 3 players.

To make up for the missed game the ASGR director scheduled an exhibition game (that wouldn’t count) in the 15u division against the Mass Huskies. The Huskies drained 3’s in their first 2 possessions in a sign of things to come. Jackie Hamilton broke the ice with a nice power layup off a nifty Julz Colby feed. After a Huskies basket Serena Mower got into the act with a top of the key trey before Gabrielle Wener drained a corner 3 of her own to make the score

13-8. Stoic and talented Maggie Whitmore hit a short jump shot before Camille Clement entered the game and quickly got on the board with a backdoor layup courtesy of another Colby assist and followed that up with a long 3 and the Firecrackers were down 21-15 at halftime.

The Huskies size and ability to hit long range shots proved problematic in the second half as the Mainers gave up 27 points while turning the ball over far too much. After ballooning to a 14 point deficit the Firecrackers cut the lead to 7 with strong overall play from Madison Blanche, Brooke Obar, Hope Olson, and Emily Huntington, but the hole was too big and the Firecrackers fell 48-35.

Balanced scoring was led by Camille Clement (8 pts), Gabrielle Wener (7 pts), and Serena Mower with 6. Jackie Hamilton also finished with 6 (5 rebounds) Maggie Whitmore was held to single digits (4) for the first time this season, Colby added 2 pts (4 assists and 5 rebounds), and Huntington added a long 2. Blanche was fearless as always with 4 rebounds and strong defense, Olson showed glimpses of excellence, and Brooke Obar was limited in minutes as she continues to recover from an ankle injury.

After takeout from Bertucci’s and a swim, graders have an early wake up call for an 8 AM re-match against Mass powerhouse NEX Bball in the morning.

Day 2 – Firecrackers Win 2 More to Make Finals

Day 2 at ASGR Hoopfest Boston featured an early wake up call for and 8 AM quarterfinal against Mass powerhouse NEX Elite, considered by many the second best 8th grade team in Massachusetts and also playing up in the 14u division.

The Firecrackers came out of the gate strong when Brooke Obar led Maggie Whitmore with a precision pass set up by a solid screen from Serena Mower followed by a Jackie Hamilton put back and the Mainers jumped ahead 4-0. Obar shook off her rust from yesterday and hit her first 3 shots while Madison Blanche added a beautiful mid- range jumper and the lead was extended to 12-5. Gabrielle Wener cashed in on another Obar assist before Camille Clement knocked in a triple from the left wing to make the lead 17-10 with 6 minutes remaining in the half. As the half wound down the Firecrackers displayed unselfish and precise ball movement leading to two more baskets from Maggie Whitmore and a three from Obar. With 5 seconds remaining in the half Serena Mower fired a rocket to Obar, who made the last second extra pass to Jackie Hamilton, who calmly sank a 12 footer at the buzzer to extend the lead to 31-12.

The women in orange lost some momentum in the second half to the athletic and tenacious NEX Elite squad but were able to close out the game with maturity and a 47-35 victory. Brooke Obar led the scoring parade with 11 pts (5 assists), Maggie Whitmore continued her impressive play with 10 pts (4 assists), Gabrielle Wener, Serena Mower (3 assists) and Jackie Hamilton (4 rebounds) finished with 6, Camille Clement 4, with steady and tough Madison Blanche and Julz Colby each adding a bucket. Olson and Huntington didn’t score but both contributed key and efficient minutes.

Next up was a 3:30 semi-final showdown with the Mass Rivals, another quality NE program run by former UConn and URI great Scott Hazelton. Once again the dirt farmers from Maine got out to a good start courtesy of a Maggie Whitmore basket from Brooke Obar followed by a spectacular spin move from Julz Colby, a sign of things to come from the stand out from Oxford Hills. Back to back 3’s from Camille Clement and Gabrielle Wener stretched the lead to 10-5 before Obar warned up with two jump shots and a nifty feed to a streaking Whitmore. Wener added a basket with 30 seconds left in the half before a Serena Mower steal led to “Runaway Horse Whitmore” getting pounded on a drive where she coolly knocked down both foul shots for a 31-17 halftime lead.

In the second half Whitmore and Obar both scored quickly before Camille Clement hit her second 3 of the game as the Firecrackers proved judicious in their decision making against the extended 1-2-2 zone leading to good shots on nearly every possession. Whitmore and Obar scored short jumpers again before Julz Colby wowed the crowd with a terrific slithering move and spinning finish between 2 tall Rivals defenders leading to a fist pump between the normally stoic Coach Whitmore and Coach Clement. Colby followed up her highlight move with an fortunate pass to Whitmore that had miraculously gone through the hands of Obar first.

Though it was a true team effort with contributions from all ten players, Maggie Whitmore showed why she is a special talent by dropping 18 points and gathering 6 rebounds and Obar had her second stellar game of the day with 12 points and 5 assists. As good as those two were, however, Colby was outstanding with her breakout game netting 12 points (3 spectacular plays) and dishing out 3 assists. Camille Clement continued to shoot the 3 well adding 2 more for 6 points, and Gabrielle Wener added her own 3 and a beautiful 2 for 5 points. Mower once again was assigned the opponents top player and yet again did a bang up job on that side of the ball while Madison Blanche played a solid and smart complete game with lots of contributions. Emily Huntington is gaining confidence after missing most of the season with a broken hand and contributed key minutes as well. Hope Olson was active keeping balls alive and using her length/athleticism well on the defensive end.

Day 3- Firecrackers Run Out of Gas in Championship

The Maine coaches entered this tournament hoping the 8^th graders (and one 7^th) would gain valuable experience against older, faster, and more physical competition so getting to the championship game exceeded expectations. The Firecrackers got off to a decent start with two quick baskets from Gabrielle Wener but trailed 11-5 after 6 minutes. Obar hit a 3 and Whitmore contributed a basket and a foul shot to go along with a Hope Olson foul shot after a strong offensive rebound and the girls from Maine trailed 19-12. Unfortunately in the second half iExcel got hot and the lead swelled as the Firecrackers hoop appeared sealed for 8 minutes with only Camille Clement hitting a deep 3 and Maggie Whitmore a power layup and the New Yorkers cruised to victory.

Not the ending the Firecrackers hoped for but a wonderful experience for battles that lie ahead and an accomplishment to get to the final.

Thanks to all the coaches that supported all 3 of our teams this weekend. Our 15u team competed well and went 2-2 while our 16u team went 4-0 to win the 16u Championship.