Firecrackers Capture Three AAU Maine State Titles

This past weekend, May 2nd and 3rd, marked the annual Maine State AAU Championships held primarily at USM in Gorham. The Firecrackers entered 6 teams in the tournament and ended up with State Championships from the 6th Grade (Huntington), 7th Grade (DeWolfe), and 8th Grade (Soucy). The 9th grade (Briggs) team finished second after a heartbreaking loss on a buzzer-beating 3 pointer. The 4th (Shibles)  and 5th (Blethen) graders represented the program well but didn’t advance to the finals. The Firecrackers were the only girls program to capture three titles.

Coach Huntington’s 6th grade team defeated the Southern Maine Bearcats 40-28 in their final, Coach DeWolfe’s 7th grade team beat Blue Wave 45-29, and Coach Soucy’s 8th grade team bested the Maine Ice Breakers 49-25.

Support from teammates, parents, friends, and members of other Firecracker teams over the weekend was outstanding and the family feel of the program stood out.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE FIRECRACKER TEAMS ON A GREAT WEEKEND!

Here is a summary from Coach Huntington concerning his team’s road to victory:

The 6th grade girls won their 3rd straight Maine State AAU Championship on Sunday.  Behind a stifling team defensive effort and unselfish transition offense, Coach Huntington’s team posted victories against Blue Wave Aceto, Southern Maine Bearcats, Maine Hoops Hoosiers and Southern Maine Bearcats again in the championship game on Sunday.  The Firecrackers held their opponents to 21 points per game – ranking them #1 in the tournament.  In the Semi-Final, the Firecrackers finished off a very aggressive Hoosiers team with a 26-4 run in the final 6 minutes to earn the right to play the Bearcats for the Championship.  With a mixture of full court pressure and half-court defense, the Firecrackers controlled the Bearcats ball handlers and dominated the paint to go on to a 40-28 victory.

Above is a photo of Abby Hamilton helping Coach Huntington rally the troops before the 6th grade State Championship game.

Victorious Team Huntington

Victorious Team Soucy

Victorious Team DeWolfe