14U Nationals Tournament – Day Five – Firecrackers Win!
The 14U Firecrackers completed a dramatic run through the AAU Nationals Tournament with a 55-48 win over Team Ohio. In the final, they overcame a 6 point half-time deficit with a sparkling second half display at both ends of the floor.
Game 7 Recap: National Championship Won 55-48 vs. Ohio
For those of you that were able to watch the game on ESPN3.com, this note probably won’t do it justice, but instead will try and reflect on an amazing run through the tournament. Already a lot of it is like a blur.
Playing in the Final game of a National Tournament, the media coverage is incredible. It was different to a normal game in so many ways. There were interviews, 20 minutes to warm up, lots of fans, and college coaches everywhere. While this group has played in a lot of big games, this was obviously different.
The game started at 3pm so there was a long time to wait beforehand. Trying to keep to a normal routine was a challenge. The traditional hair braiding started 2 hours before the team was due to leave the house! Bailey Cote’s mom, Crissy, did an awesome job all week braiding the player’s hair – this is important stuff!
Once the team arrived at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, there was immediately staff to greet them. Color commentator Steffi Sorenson mets with Coach Briggs for 10 minutes to discuss the team: players, offensive/defensive philosophy, etc. As the team started warming up, there were camera’s everywhere, music playing, a lot of smiles and nervous energy.
For Coach Briggs there was also a first. He was “miked up” for the game so that viewers could listen in to his timeouts. For those of you that know him, this was a risk. However in the end, it was pretty cool and it worked out. Phew!
Before the start of the game, Coach Briggs reinforced with the girls, “You are a good team, you have played against quality competition all year, and you are prepared for this moment. Have fun and enjoy the spotlight!”
As the game started it became apparent how big and long the Ohio team actually was! They had a front line of 6’2″, 6’1″, and 5’11”, and big as well. The backcourt was 5’6″ and 5’10”. The Firecrackers were outsized across the board, which hadn’t happened all year.
The first half was a bit of a struggle as the girls battled some nerves and adjusted to Ohio’s size. The team had a lot of good opportunities, but just couldn’t get anything going. Consistency was tough all week (especially in the first half of games). One reason for this was the unfamiliarity with the opposition, not knowing their strengths/weaknesses. As the team was grinding their way through the first half certain constants remained. The defense was excellent with good effort and discipline. The perimeter was very well defended and the post-players competed like crazy on the interior with their bags.
At one point Bailey Cote is guarding their post player. She is giving up 5 inches and 75+ lbs., but she never backed down. By pushing and leaning on her, she was making her work for everything she was going to get. That sight is what defined the entire team’s effort for the week.
At the half, the Firecrackers were down 22-16. In fact they had great looks and were getting what they wanted out of their offense, and were only down 6 pts. The feeling was still very good about the second half. Coach Briggs explained to the team that they have been here before, against better teams, and come back. It was going to take a united effort, on every possession, and the team needed to have the courage to go out and win this game.
As the second half began Allie Clement knocked down a jumper from the left wing and the Firecrackers started getting a bounce in their step. The defensive intensity picked up another notch, and while it took the team a while to finally find their rhythm, they got on a roll with about 8 minutes to go in the game. A steal by Sam Frost and a great feed to a streaking Clement produced a lay-up. Another steal, by Olivia Shaw, and a long pass from Clement to Frost, who didn’t hesitate in shooting a three from NBA range (the commentators thought she was almost in the press section). It hit nothing but NET! Ohio called timeout with 6 minutes to play and Firecrackers up six points.
During the time out the Coaches tell the team that from this point on it is all about heart. Six minutes left in the National Championship Game! The Ohio team had a lot of fight left in them and they were a very well coached and confident team. They would not go away, as they matched the Frost 3-pointer with one of their own. What transpired over the remainder of the game speaks volumes about the Firecracker team and why success was achieved.
Clement, who earlier in the tournament had a significant foot injury and missed 2 1/2 games, got us going in the final, leading the team with 17pts. However in the last 5 minutes of the game, she had faith in her teammates as she confidently ran our offensive sets. Olivia Smith had two incredible post moves – one for a lay-up and another for a 3 point play the old fashioned way. On the ensuing possession we ran motion and Olivia Shaw steps off a back screen and in a mini game of HORSE with Frost, hits her own NBA three! The bench goes nuts as we are up 9pts with just over three minutes to play. Still there was no quitting by the Ohio team and they scored on their next possession. As Firecrackers worked through their next offensive possession Ohio did a great job on defense and the play broke down. The shot clock was down to 3 when Ashley Briggs gave a pump fake and went by her defender. She pulled-up and hit an 18′ jumper as the 30 second shot clock sounded!
Ohio comes down and hit another three-pointer, to stay within striking distance, 6 points down. On Firecracker’s offensive turn they ran motion again, trying to take time off the clock and get a good shot as well. It worked to perfection, as Olivia Shaw once again came through, with a foul line jumper. On the same play, there was a foul called, away from the ball on the Ohio team, sending Camille Giardina to the line for a 1 and 1. She hits the first, but missed the second. Firecrackers are up 10 with 40 seconds to play. Ohio hits another 3 to stay alive. Briggs is fouled on the ensuing in-bounds pass, calmly hits two foul shots and puts the Firecrackers back up 9 with 34 seconds remaining. Ohio scored once more as they continued to battle to the end, but they are forced to foul Clement who hits 1 of 2. After a missed shot by the team from Ohio, the Firecrackers run out the clock and the celebrations begin.
In these recaps there is lot of talk about defense, but the reason the Firecrackers won this tournament was because of their defense. To a team, every opposing coach said the Firecrackers held them well below their scoring average for the season and the tournament. The most points given up in any game was in the finals and that was only 48. The players committed to a defensive philosophy, they believed in it, they understood the complexity of it and were able to go out and execute. To be at this level and contain teams from a defensive standpoint is something the coaching staff is very proud off.
Our post players: Olivia Smith (8 pts, 8 rebs), Bailey Cote (3 rebs), Nina Davenport (4pts, 5 rebs), Olivia Shaw (12pts, 4 rebs)and Brianne Maloney (2pts, 4 rebs) put everything on the line and competed physically and emotionally for 36 minutes. They have the bruises to show for it, but their strength mentally kept them locked in.
The guards: Clement (17pts), Briggs (8pts), Frost (3pts), Giardina (1pt), Alisha Starbird, and S. Clement battled on the perimeter and found their range in the second half. Alisha Starbird, who earlier in the tournament dislocated the thumb on her shooting hand, had come back to give us great minutes on both ends of the floor. She re-injured her thumb in the second half and was unable to return.
In the end, a goal set 5 months ago of winning a National Championship became a reality. As Coach Briggs summed up, “It is so hard to put into words about the feeling of joy and accomplishment…you want kids to dream and aspire to great things…the reality of being from Maine and playing against some great teams around the country and winning the finals… is almost unbelievable.”
A lot of thanks go out to a lot of people that participated in this win…for Maine! As was already mentioned our opponents have made us better, made us work harder in practice and prepared us well. To Mark Leclerc thanks for allowing the team to play-up as 7th graders in a JV tournament. To John DeRaps, for encouraging the Firecrackers to play his team again and again, even though they didn’t get much out of our game. To Tom Nolette, for promoting the game in Maine and bringing a basketball community together on the MBR website. The girls deserve all the plaudits they will receive. They represented Maine to the highest standard, won over a few fans in the process and will be coming back to Maine as the Division II AAU National Champions…which is believed to the first ever for Maine.