Firecrackers Excel at the Commotion By the Ocean

The 14U and 15U Firecracker teams traveled to the Ocean City (Rhode Island) to participate in one of the most heavily attended showcases on the East Coast – there were between 60-75 D2 and D3 college coaches in attendance and they were not disappointed. The level of play and the skills being displayed was outstanding. Bill Coughlin, the Tournament Director and owner of the Rhode Island Breakers AAU program was very kind to his “friends” from Maine. The schedule times were excellent and the competition was second to none.

The 14U team played “up” in the 15U age bracket and went 4-0 for the weekend. The 15U team also played “up” in the 16U age group and went 3-1. The story line about this weekend, while successful from a win/loss perspective, was more about the players, parents, and coaches all working together to make what happened on the basketball court a reality. Between injuries and absences players were shuffled from the 14U team to the 15U team for each game. They did so with great energy and enthusiasm and the coaches could not be more proud of the sacrifices the players and parents made for our 15U team.

With both teams done with their games by 2pm Saturday, we were able to enjoy some burgers, dogs, and chicken on the grill, taking advantage of the great weather (85 degrees and sunny). A great afternoon/early evening was followed by watching Game 7 of the Celtics/Sixers .

Special thanks to all the 14U parents for moving your daughters around to different venues, allowing them to play on both teams, and for coordinating the food (14U/15U) for our meal Saturday evening. Success requires all parties pulling together, and it was on full display this weekend.

14U Recaps

The 14u Firecrackers challenge was made more formidable as not only were the Maine girls playing up an age division, but they were also missing 6’2″ starter, Ashley Storey.

Game 1

The Firecrackers jumped out to a 26-18 halftime lead thanks to solid team defense and patient offense against the 2-3 zone of the Shelton (CT) Spiders, but the opposition caught fire in the second half while the Firecrackers cooled off. A late basket by Bailey Adams on a pass from Katie McCrum sealed the 39-36 Firecracker win. Sarah Clement led all scorers with 15 points while Abby Hamilton had 2 three point bombs for six points. Victoria Lux and Katie McCrum combined for 13 rebounds.

Game 2

In the second game the Firecrackers were matched against the Connecticut Cobras and their full court press. After a slow start the girls in orange pulled away to a 22-15 halftime lead and contained the Cobra’s in the second half for a 44-37 win. Victoria Lux led the Firecrackers with 13 points, Sarah Clement added 10, and Jess Willerson chipped in 7. Casey “the Human Missile” Simpson played with outstanding energy and wreaked havoc on the defense end while gathering 5 rebounds and 3 floor burns.

Game 3

The Maine girls next found themselves in an ironic contest against the Vermont Elite led by Coach Palumbo, but fortunately it was a different Coach Palombo! Vermont confused the Firecrackers with a 1-3-1 zone but after some adjustments the local girls secured a 40-30 win. This game featured the teams versatility with the outside shooting of Sarah Clement (15 points) and Bailey Adams (8 points), and strong post play from Victoria Lux (9 points and 10 rebounds). Elizabeth Donato played stellar defense (causing 3 consecutive turnovers at one point) and added two key baskets while Jess Willerson and Abby Hamilton each added 4.

Game 4

Game Four pitted the weary Firecrackers against the Whipple City Magic from the Saratoga NY area. This game was physical and at times ugly, but Olivia Dalphonse and Jess Willerson each played their best games of the weekend when they were most needed. After finding themselves in an 11-2 hole early, the Maine kids battled back to 19-19 tie at halftime. With 2 minutes left in the game and clinging to a 2 point lead, Abby Hamilton stepped up and sacrificed her body to take an offensive charge and added a free throw after a technical foul called due to the use of a word not allowed for print in Webster’s Dictionary. Katie “Ironwoman” McCrum knocked down 4 consecutive free throws late and Dalphonse made both ends of a one and one to seal the victory. Dalphonse led the team with 11 points and also dished out 4 assists. Jess Willerson added 7, including a huge rebound and put back to advance the Firecracker lead while being a strong presence in the post the whole game.

Coach Clement was very proud of the heart and character his kids displayed to overcome a short bench and playing older kids to represent Maine well with a 4-0 record against good competition.

The Firecrackers will be local for the next two weekends before heading to Albany NY for the Gym Rat challenge.

15 U Recaps

“There are times when I sit back and have time to reflect on what these young ladies have accomplished throughout their AAU years and am just in awe. This weekend was another one of those times.” (Coach Briggs on the weekend)

One of the challenges the 15U Firecrackers team has had this year, is not playing every weekend. In an effort to control costs and recognizing there is a lot of basketball over the next two months, working non-playing weekends into the schedule was the plan. But, it has hurt the team from the consistency side of the equation. It has been frustrating for both the players and coaches that the team has not played at its best, but they make no excuses and keep working to improve.

Once again, the team did not play its best basketball over the weekend. What it did do was show tremendous heart and courage in light of the circumstances. The players and coaches knew going in that it would be a challenge; playing up in an event like this only means the competition will be that much better. Going into the event with 7 players, still missing Brianne Maloney with the lingering effects of her concussion,  made it more of a challenge. Then to wake up on game day and receive a text message that Sam Frost  is going to the emergency room, now there are just 6 players!

Fortunately, the 14U players were willing to pull double duty as players rotated from their line-up to help cover some holes on the older team. Not only did they help out numerically, but they were huge contributors to the 15U success.

Game 1

The Firecrackers won their first game which was a good old-fashioned slugfest. In typical Firecracker form, it was not pretty, but the girls made enough plays on offense and added to some great defense at the end, enabled the team to pull out the 1 point win (CT Premier).

Game 2

In game two (vs. Hunterdon United – Maryland), Ashley Briggs gets kneed in the quad 30 seconds into the game and is unable to continue, and the 15U team is now down to 5 players. A lesser team could have felt sorry for themselves, gone through the motions, but not this group. They dug down deeper and became more focused. Olivia Dalphonse showed up half way through the first half and gave us the ability to give quick breaks as we went on a 16-0 run. After building on the lead in the second half through a dominating defense and a clinic at the offensive end, the Firecrackers pulled the ball out with 6 minutes to go and tried to conserve energy and not get anyone (else) hurt. They ended up winning by 10pts,  looking forward to bags of ice and the afternoon off.

Game 3

On Sunday vs Lone Wolf (VT), with an 8am start, the kids looked sluggish and it took then a while to get going. Once again, help from Olivia Dalphonse and Casey Simpson allowed us the opportunity to get breaks while competing at a high level. Firecrackers won this game by 24pts, but it could have been more if they had played better defense. The usual focus, energy, and intensity was non-existent, which we discussed after the game.

Game 4

The second game on Sunday, was always going to be the challenge. Both teams were 3-0 going into the game, but the opposition Saratoga Springs wins were by 22pts, 29pts, and 36pts. In speaking with several of the college coaches between games, they were talking about the players on this team (Saratoga Sparks) and how it would be a challenge for the Firecrackers. Coach Briggs agreed as he had seen them play, They were big and physical, with outstanding athletes on the perimeter. The game started out fast for the Sparks as they built an 11pt lead in the first 4 minutes. The Firecrackers had many opportunities to score, but couldn’t get anything going. Nina Davenport drilled a long 2pt shot, which seemed to breathe life into the Firecrackers. Still the team struggled for consistency and found themselves down by 16pts midway through the first half. At that point Coach Briggs called a timeout and asked his team how they wanted this game to go. They could go through the motions (its been a good weekend, short on players, etc) and no one will blame them. The other option was to  individually and collectively play with more emotion…more passion…and more intensity.

Well, as you can imagine the girls responded in a positive manner. They got on a nice roll cutting the lead in half with a minute to go in the first half. However, a couple of missed shots and a turnover and they found themselves down 15pts at the half.

As the second half started, the team played with much more confidence and had a good pace to their game. The positive energy from the first half carried to the second half and the Firecrackers were able to match the Sparks in the early going.

(A side note. At half-time Ashley Briggs went to the parking lot and changed into her uniform. She shows up on the bench wanting to play. After what the trainer told the coaching staff the day before – no way, but what Sarah Starbird told them Saturday afternoon – maybe. The coaches had her run on the baseline and she seemed OK. In the end the decision was made top put her in and if there was any hint of her favoring her leg then she would be taken out. She played the final 12 minutes of the second half. This is something that has become a trademark with this team – Alisha Starbird and Allie Clement in last year’s Nationals…Nina Davenport at Boo Williams after taking a shot to the nose and Olivia Smith and Olivia Shaw getting hammered inside…Sam Frost and Brianne Maloney always playing through the pains of playing at a high level.)

Well, what transpired over the final 8 minutes was classic Firecracker basketball. Starbird was on fire. The basket must have looked like it was the size of the ocean as she had her stroke going. Shaw, Smith, Davenport were wreaking havoc on the defensive end and making them pay at the other end. Clement was her usual self, providing energy and some great break away lay-ups under pressure. Katie McCrum hit a big baseline jumper as we were making our climb back into the game. The Firecrakers we still down 4pts with one minute to play, when Olivia Smith comes up with 2 huge steals, and in the final 12 seconds passes to Briggs who scores a lay-up with 8 seconds to play to tie the game. The game goes to OT

In OT the Firecrackers end up losing by 4 points, but that isn’t the story. The real story is about a group of young ladies that believe in and trust each other, that are willing to lay it all on the line and compete no matter what the situation. It was about the 14U kids willing to help out their older teammates in a time of need.  As Coach Briggs said, “They logged some major minutes through out the weekend and I could be talking about them as much as I am the 15U players. As a coach of this team and co-leader of the program, I walk away from this weekend convinced more than ever in what we do. The parents, the players, and the coaches all pulling together for the greater good. It’s not perfect all the time, we are all flawed in some way, but looking back on how hard the kids competed and how the 14u players stepped up and helped out – Katie McCrum, Olivia Dalphonse, Vic Lux, Casey Simpson, Abby Hamilton…it was very impressive and very humbling.”

Coach Briggs added, “I had the pleasure of talking to a number of college coaches after and between our games. It is amazing the respect that Maine players have throughout New England. There are comments like: Fundamental, Disciplined, Hard-Nosed, Intense, and my favorite comment – they “Never Quit”. To a coach – they could not have been more complimentary of the players.”