Firecrackers win two at NEX Elite Summer Challenge

Whitmore leads balanced scoring effort for 8th graders in Norton, MA

Coming off a 3-1 weekend at Commotion By the Ocean, the 8th grade Firecrackers journeyed to Wheaton College Saturday to participate in the NexBball Challenge. With Gabrielle Wener home sick and three teammate’s less than 100% nursing ankle, foot, and finger injuries, it was destined to be an uphill battle. Jacqui Hamilton moved into the starting spot to add size and physicality to an otherwise smaller lineup.

The first game was against NEX 8th grade, considered by most the second best team in Massachusetts and featuring one of the most dynamic 8th grade guards in New England. The Firecrackers found themselves in a quick 6-0 deficit before Brooke Obar broke the ice with a smooth pull up jump shot and Maggie Whitmore added a foul shot. After a NEX basket made it 8-6 Camille Clement broke out of her shooting slump to make consecutive three’s and the Mainers led 12-8. Maggie Whitmore then heated up with a short jump shot and a highlight worthy reverse layup around the 6’1″ NEX defender before NEX tied the game at 17. Emily Huntington provided an immediate spark off the bench with a steal and long jump shot off an Obar assist. Hope Olson was active in the paint (3 first half rebounds and a blocked shot that would have made Misty Mae Traynor smile) while adding a foul shot to extend the halftime lead to 22-19.

Obar and Julz Colby led the Mainers offensively to start the second half with quick baskets to extend the lead to 28-20 before NEX battled back to tie the game but Madison Blanche turned the tide with a beautiful steal and coast to coast layup. Obar hit Whitmore on a post pattern before adding her own bucket and then Clement found Hamilton running to the rim for 2 more. After another Clement 3 the Firecrackers led 42-36. When NEX pressed full court Obar (6 assists) calmly threw a three quarter court pass with the accuracy of Norm Snead to Julz Colby in stride, who finished beautifully with a NEX defender on her tail for the final nail in the coffin with the scoreboard showing 44-37.

All nine players contributed and all scored in this one. Whitmore and Clement led the team with 11 points each, Obar scored 9 (6 assists, 3 steals), Colby 4 (5 rebounds), while Blanch, Hamilton (4 rebounds), and Huntington added a bucket. Olson scored a foul shot and continued to assert herself with 4 rebounds and more aggressive play. Serena Mower was limited to 2 points but gathered 5 rebounds and did an excellent job as the primary defender of NEX’s top player, who worked hard and took a lot of shots to squeeze out 9 points.

The second game was against MT Elite 9th grade, coached by former UMaine standout Missy Traversi. MT Elite is one of the top programs in the Northeast with several heavily recruited kids on their top teams (Last year’s star went to Holy Cross). This one was a rock fight from the opening tip with each team playing tough defense and neither shooting well offensively. MT Elite alternated between half court zone trap and full court man to man, all leading to numerous turnovers for the Firecrackers but the Firecracker defense also created numerous MT turnovers.

In the middle of the half better ball movement led to buckets from Obar, Whitmore, Mower, and Blance and the Mainers led 8-6 but nothing came easy in the first half for either team until Jacqui Hamilton converted on a dish from Colby to knot the score at 17-17 to end the stanza.

In the second half Colby and Whitmore put the team on their shoulders on the offensive end. Colby converted 2 fast break Layups and the Firecrackers worked the ball on the perimeter to feed Whitmore, who converted on 3 buckets and 4 foul shots in the half.

The girls in orange pulled ahead 33-29 on an Obar 3 before she found Colby beating the pack like Art Monk to provide breathing room and a 35-29 victory.

Whitmore was a workhorse with 14 pts and 7 rebounds while showing once again that she is a special player with outstanding court sense. Colby scored 9, Obar 7, with Mower, Blance, and Hamilton adding hoops.

Next weekend the Firecrackers are off before heading to Gym Rat in Albany the following weekend in an event with most of the top teams in the Northeast and as far South as Maryland. No team from Maine has ever won the event but one Firecracker team has made the Championship game (lost) and one other team made the Final Four. With over 50 teams in each division the tournament can be a war of attrition with as many as 5 potential games on the final day.