Boo Williams Nike Invitational Tournament Report
Firecrackers Clement 14U
The Maine Firecrackers ( Clement) 14U team jumped out to an 15 -5 lead against Miami based Below The Rim behind 2 Abby Hamilton 3’s, baskets from Ashley Storey and Jess Willerson, and 2 foul shots from Olivia Dalphonse. Sam Sparda was a rebounding and loose ball beast, inspiring her teammates with great intensity. Below the Rim turned some turnovers into points late and the game was deadlocked at 22 at the half. In the second half Ashley Storey came alive with 8 points, while Bailey Adams and Elizabeth Donato added buckets. Elizabeth Donato stood out on the defensive end and Margaret Rigney contributed solid minutes as well. Storey led the team with 12, Hamilton 9 (3 3’s), Dalphonse 6 along with 4 assists, and 8th grader Jess Willerson chipped in 5. The final score was 35-48.
On Day 2, the Firecrackers face two more strong teams- Boo Williams and The Philly Belles, both whom have produced dozens of D1 players for many years. It will be a great opportunity and challenge for us. The team came to get competition and they are getting it!
Firecrackers Briggs 15U
The 15U Maine Firecrackers kicked off pool play this afternoon at the Boo Williams Invitational. Their first game was against a team from Phoenix Arizona. As is likely in every game, full court pressure was applied from the opening tip and didn’t end until the final whistle. The team, after falling behind 7-0, adjusted to the speed and athleticism of the Phoenix Ballers, settled down, and played aggressively on both ends of the floor closing out the first half with a 21-9 lead.
The best part of the first 16 minutes, Clement and Smith had two points each and the team were still up 12pts. It was a total team effort with great energy and production off the bench from Brianne Maloney – scoring 6pts (9 for the game) which was easily her best effort of the young season.
The trademark of this team has been on the defensive end and the effort this afternoon was reminiscent of our National tournament run last summer. Between last weekend and practice this week, the team are starting to get their defensive focus back, holding this very athletic team to just 27pts for the game.
Offensively the Firecrackers were led by Olivia Smith (14pts 8 Rebs), Ashley Briggs (11pts, 2 three’s, and 4 assists) and Allie Clement (10pts, 5rebs, 5 assists). Nina Davenport played her consistent floor game setting the tone for our defense with 7 rebs and 4 pts, Alisha Starbird chipped in 5 points and Sam Frost sacrificed her offense by chasing down the other teams best player.
The Firecrackers have two pool play games tomorrow and if they are fortunate to advance they will play the first championship round game tomorrow evening. It cannot be overstated how well the team competed against a much faster and athletic opponent. Both Clement and Briggs managed the pace of the game from the point and were not impacted by the relentless pressure. With only 7 players (Olivia Shaw is on a family vacation), conditioning and depth will be a deciding factor at some point this weekend.
The Firecrackers won their second game against Team Freckles by 38-28. This set-up a winner takes all game against the Alabama Tar Heels
This game started the same way as the prior two games, with intense full court pressure. Once again the Firecrackers were able to respond in a positive way, building an early 10 point lead. After an Alabama timeout, the momentum turned and the early lead was quickly erased. The Firecrackers found themselves in a 2 point deficit at half-time. This shift in momentum was directly attributed to the Tar Heel’s switch from man-to-man full court pressure to a variety of zone defenses. Usually the Firecrackers respond in a positive manner to defensive adjustments, but on this day we did not handle pressure very well.
The team was clearly struggling offensively, but again their defense was outstanding. This was a 6-8pt game throughout most of the second half. In the closing minutes the Firecrackers. Alabama scored the final 9 points of the game from the foul line.
Overall this was a great experience. Now many of the things that are discussed and worked on in practice, will have greater importance as there are now “live” examples of why we do the things we do. Conditioning, both physical and cardio was an area that ultimately caught up to the team. The Firecrackers do a ton of both, but at this level having 7 players (and in game #3 having one player leave due to sickness) really caught up with them. The speed of the game, the athleticism of the teams that they played, and their ability to compete against the best teams in the country made this trip worthwhile.