Firecrackers sweep East Coast Championship in Connecticut

Published May 18, 2011 | By Firecrackers
u14 

The Firecrackers 14U dominated the opposition, posting a 5-0 record to win the East Coast Regional Championship

 

The Maine Firecrackers sent three teams (11U, 13U, and 14U) to Windsor CT to play in the East Coast Championship tournament this weekend. The combined record of the 3 teams was 13 – 0. Many compliments were received from the parents of other teams, college and prep school coaches, etc. about the quality of basketball being played in Maine.

The scores and the summary for each team is given below

11U:  5 – 0

Pool Play:  vs. Mass Frenzy score 35-11

Pool Play:  vs. Connecticut Shamrocks score 40-11

Pool Play:  vs. Connecticut Cougars score 51-21

Pool Play:  vs.  RBG (NY) score 45-7

Championship Game:  vs. CT Shamrocks score 41-13

Coaches Hart and Aube team wrapped up their Spring AAU season with a perfect 5 – 0 record at the East Coast Championship Tournament. This Championship closes the season for this talented and hard working group of young ladies as they added more hardware to a very successful season. They also won the Maine AAU State Championship, as well as the inaugural MABA State Championship and remain undefeated against teams in their age-group.

If this group remains humble and stays together they could have a lot of success in the years to come.

13U:  3 – 0

 Pool Play: vs. Springfield Lady Ballers – No Show…won by forfeit

Pool Play: vs. M-Plex Thunder (NY) score 55 – 44

Scoring Leaders: Camille Giardina 14pts Sarah Clement 9pts, Vic Lux 8pts

Pool Play: vs. Connecticut Shamrocks score 35 – 11

Scoring Leaders: Sarah Clement 10pts, Abby Hamilton and Vic Lux 6pts

Championship Game: vs. M-Plex Thunder (NY) score 42 – 37

Scoring Leaders: Sarah Clement 16pts, Vic Lux 9pts, Ashley Storey 6pts

Coaches Clement and Adams team finished a very tough 3 weekend stretch adding an East Coast Championship to the 2 Maine AAU State Championships they had won previously. This team is really starting to hit their stride. Offensively they are getting good post and perimeter play. They play tough, full-court, aggressive defense, and the players now have a better understanding of their individual roles. With a couple more big weekends ahead, the team is well positioned for a competitive run at Nationals.

14U:  5 – 0

Pool Play: vs. Springfield Lady Ballers – No Show…won by forfeit

Pool Play:  vs. Mass Cheetahs score 51 – 12

Scoring leaders: Allie Clement 18pts, Alisha Starbird 17pts

Pool Play:  vs. Albany (NY) Capitals score 67 – 48

Scoring Leaders: Olivia Smith 17pts, Ashley Briggs 13pts, Allie Clement 13pts, Starbird/Davenport 7pts

Pool Play:  vs. Team Mass score 64 – 38

Scoring Leaders: Allie Clement 18pts, Olivia Smith 9pts, Olivia Shaw 9pts, Starbird/Davenport/Briggs 7pts

Semi-Final: vs. Connecticut Shamrocks 60 – 32

Scoring Leaders: Allie Clement 24pts, Nina Davenport 12pts, Frost/Briggs 7pts

Championship Game: vs. Albany (NY) Capitals 54 – 23

Scoring Leaders: Olivia Smith 16pts, Olivia Shaw 12pts, Clement 10pts

After a somewhat disappointing 2nd place finish in the 16U AAU State Tournament, Coach Briggs had some heart-to-heart discussions with the girls in the week leading up to this tournament. To their credit, they came back to practice and made a commitment to each other and re-stated their goals for the remainder of the season. That energy and focus in practice, added to the disappointment from the State Tourney, fueled an intensity and energy level that had them playing well above their competition all weekend.

Overall Comments about the weekend:

  • The kids and parents had a lot of fun. Weekends away are an opportunity for everyone to “hang out” and get to know each other. In a lot of ways the team brings people together that in the normal course of our busy lives would never get the chance to meet.
  • The overall skill set and fundamentals of the kids really stood out – this speaks volumes of where Maine basketball is overall.
  • The “team” first attitude all 3 teams displayed throughout the weekend was really impressive. Cheering for each other, slapping high fives, and generally caring about their teammates.
  • One of the highlights was the team/parent support for the first game (14U) when the bleachers were filled with orange shirts. They got to see Alisha Starbird put on a show, as she came off the bench to light up the scoreboard going 7 for 7 (all jump shots) in the first half!
  • With all three teams, the intensity of the defensive pressure and how hard the girls get “after it” playing man-to-man was very impressive.
  • The results were very positive and it proves once again that if you focus on the details, in the end wins and losses take care of themselves.
  • The Firecracker traditional Funnel Challenge was once again successful. It is hard to believe that there are people out there who have not seen it before, and it is a credit to Coach Briggs showmanship that new volunteers continue to step-forward.