Firecracker Clement at Commotion By the Ocean
The 15u Maine Firecrackers went opposite the prevailing traffic Memorial Day weekend to their destination in Rhode Island and came away with a 4-0 record.
The first game pitted the Maine girls against the Connecticut attack and the Firecrackers came out with a defensive edge that turned into offense as they jumped to a 15-2 lead thanks to steals from Katie McCrum, Olivia Dalphonse, and Sarah Clement leading to 3 quick Clement baskets before the Attack made a run cutting the lead to 26-20. A long 3 from Abby Hamilton was followed by “Instant Offense” Alex Hart hitting her own 3 and the Firecrackers led 34-22 at halftime.
Ashley Storey, Victoria Lux, and Jess Willerson dominated the boards at the beginning of the second half and the Firecrackers rolled to a 49-30 win. Sarah Clement led the scoring parade with 16 points, Storey had 10 (8 rebounds), Hart 7, Willerson and Dalphonse 4 each, Lish Aube had a beautiful put back, Brie Wager played an excellent floor game and added 2, and Victoria Lux only scored a single foul shot but was a rebounding force, finishing with 15.
The second game Saturday was against perennial New England powerhouse Rhode Island Breakers, who are know for their physically and mentally tough style. The game started with a high elbow from 6’4″ 230 pound Breaker center and that was all it took to get Victoria Lux in the mood for a tango. Lux, Ashley Storey, and Jess Willerson worked well in the post with excellent passing and 12 combined first half points while holding the Breaker center to just one foul shot. Sarah Clement hit two early 3’s and Abby Hamilton added her own bomb to stretch the defense and the Firecrackers led 26-16 at halftime. Katie McCrum started the second half with a steal and layup followed by a beautiful pull up jump shot and Olivia Dalphonse had a brilliant assist to Ashley Storey along the baseline. The “Pups”(Aube, Wager, and Hart) didn’t get many minutes in this game but all made a nice impact- Wager hit a downtown 3 off a Hamilton assist and Aube made 2 driving buckets while Hart picked up 2 steals.
The Breakers made a run, but the Firecrackers executed well down the stretch and the 3 headed monster of Lux, Storey, and Willerson proved better in the paint than the Breakers. Clement led a balanced attack with 10 (4 assists) Lux had 9 (14 rebounds), Storey 8 (10 boards), Willerson 6 (7 rebounds), Hamilton 5 (3 assists), McCrum 4 pts (6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists), Aube 4, and Wager 3.
After a fun Sunday evening gathering that included pizza, world famous cupcakes, a hair straightening clinic, and “horseback riding” by Bella and Abby Dalphonse, the girls in orange had to rise early for a 9:00 contest against the NJ Crusaders. Despite sleeping on mattresses that were first used in the Eisenhower administration, Victoria Lux came out of the gate like Secretariat, scoring the first 10 points for the Firecrackers and grabbing 8 rebounds in the first ten minutes of the game. The highlight was when she lifted a defender off her feet while finishing an “and one” much to the joy of the Firecracker bench and fans. Stifling defense by the Firecracker guards (Dalphonse, McCrum, Hamilton, and Clement) and another game of owning the paint( Lux, Willerson, and Storey) proved too much for an athletic Crusader team and the Firecrackers prevailed 45-27. Lux really stood out in this one with 14 points and 17 rebounds, Willerson added 6 on 4-4 from the foul line, Storey had 6 and 10 rebounds, Clement 5 points (4 assists), Aube 5 pts, Dalphonse 4, 4 and 4 (points, steals, and assists), and 7th grader Hart added a foul shot. Hamilton played well again with 5 assists and another good defensive game.
In the final game of the weekend the Firecrakers again jumped out to a quick lead against the very large Hudson River Breeze. This was one of Jess Willersons best games of the year. She had 3 baskets and 7 rebounds in the first half and was a physical force in the middle. The Breeze spread the floor and went 6-9 from downtown but 2 3’s and 10 first half points for Sarah Clement along with outstanding teamwork from Storey and Lux gave the Mainers a 30-25 edge at halftime. The Breeze were athletic and well coached and after a halftime speech heard all around the gym that made Coach Briggs look shy, the Breeze came out with ferocious defensive intensity and they started the half with 2 quick bombs. However Storey elevated her game with two beautiful assists and 3 strong post moves (assisted by Hamilton and Dalphonse) and the Firecrackers held onto a 4 point lead with 5 minutes left. Willerson went 4-6 from the line down the stretch after 3 aggressive drives to the hoop and Abby Hamilton drained a beautiful foul line jumper, over a long defender, that pushed her team up by 8. The game was iced with excellent guard play from McCrum, Dalphonse, and Clement. After taking over a minute off the clock a Dalphonse to Lux power layup sealed the deal and the Firecrackers finished with a 4-0 record. Similar to the first 3 games, this one featured outstanding unselfishness and some terrific team play. Storey and Clement finished with 12 each, Lux added 11, Willerson 10 ( 5 offensive rebounds), while McCrum and Hamilton 4. Dalphonse contributed her normal outstanding defense, passing (5 assists), and a beautiful pull up jump shot. Several coaches in attendance and 2 referees were very complimentary of our team play and anxious to discuss our players. Proving imitation is the best form of flattery, one college coached asked if we’d be willing to share one of our offensive sets with her.