Moving on! 8th-graders remain unbeaten, advance to quarterfinals
Firecrackers face Full Package Athletics, of Chicago, on Tuesday morning
The 8th-grade Maine Firecrackers moved to 4-0, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the AAU National Championships, after winning an 8 AM showdown with Team Providence (RI). “Shirtless” Justin Wener (11u and 9u coach) led the caravan out of Emerald Isle and took a dirt road shortcut in hopes of finding a Florida Mule Deer for the game pole this evening. In rental house #2 Jen and Serena danced to “This is what you came for” to the amusement of Erica Olson. A lively crowd of family dressed in orange awaited the 8th-graders for warmups while Cim Colby’s stomach churned like an antique butter maker.
After 3 previous slow starts, the Firecrackers got out of the gate like American Pharaoh beginning with a defensive stop against one of the beefy and physical Providence posts. On the ensuing possession Brooke Obar stole a pass and hit Maggie Whitmore in the middle, who in turn fed Julz Colby for the games first basket. In a sign of her great game to come, Whitmore then finished on a nice Wener feed for a 4-0 lead. A second Obar steal led to a Serena Mower layup and Whitmore set up Wener after patient ball movement against the zone and Providence was forced to call timeout down 8-0. Rhode Island got on the board with two strong moves from their talented post player but Colby and Whitmore each scored again for a 12-6 lead. After a Providence 3 cut the lead to 12-9 Camille Clement drained her own 3 to extend the lead to 15-9. Wener then set up Whitmore for another hoop before Maggie went from provider to playmaker with a long pass to Colby, who finished left and was fouled for an old fashioned 3 point play and the Firecrackers led 22-12 at the end of one.
The three quarter court 1-3-1 Providence defense caused some problems in the beginning of the second quarter but the Maine pressure was also forcing turnovers that led to baskets by Colby and Wener, who covered three quarters of the court on a steal taking only 3 dribbles with extraordinarily long and fast strides while fans and coaches marveled. After Obar hit a runner late in the second quarter the Firecracker lead extended to 38-22.
The third quarter featured excellent patience and ball movement against the Providence zone as the Windshield Wipers (Whitmore and Wener) put on an impressive display of scoring against zone offense with lots of help from Brooke Obar, who had a sensational pass to Whitmore, who calmly drained a 9 footer to the delight of the Firecracker faithful and bench.
The Mainers extended the lead to 24 before getting sloppy with the Providence full court press and the lead shrunk to 14 at one point before composure was restored and the girls in Orange finished with a 62-44 win to advance to the quarterfinals.
Maggie Whitmore was simply outstanding in this one despite being less than 100% with a nagging heel injury. She finished with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists and put on display a basketball IQ well beyond her years. Considered by some the top incoming freshman in the state, those in Southern Maine will enjoy watching her for the next four years because she is unique. Gabrielle Wener also had an outstanding outing with 14 points and 5 rebounds and put her versatility on display with her look-alike little sisters (promising Firecrackers also) proudly cheering. Julz Colby continued her impressive play again today with 13 points (3 assists/ 2 steals), Mower had another strong all around game with 5 pts, 6 rebounds and 3 steals, Obar (6 assists/3 steals) and Clement (5 rebounds/3 assists) each scored 4. Blanche played great defense again and contributed 5 rebounds while Emily Huntingon gave solid minutes garnering 2 rebounds and a steal. Hamilton and Olson were both active and energetic as they defended the talented physical and talented Providence post players. The combination of Whitmore, Hamilton, and Olson limited the Wayman Tisdale-like standout to just 4 points.
The Firecrackers only shot 3-12 from 3 but were 20-41 from inside the paint thanks to good ball movement against the Providence zone and pressure defense leading to transition offense.
Today’s win sets up a quarterfinal showdown with Full Package of Chicago, who have a Division I prospect that is arguably the most impressive guard in the entire 13u Division. She is extremely fast, strong, and finishes well while also being a good outside shooter. Package also has a 6’3, physical, post player and strong guard play so the girls from Maine will have a monumental task ahead. Game time is 10:50 Tuesday morning with a trip to the semi-finals at stake.
Congratulations to Yes! For going 2-1 in pool play and advancing to the playoffs as the #2 seed in their pool.