Firecracker 16u Wins US Junior National Silver Division

Published July 28, 2014 | By Firecrackers

The 16u Maine Firecrackers finished their careers Friday evening by capturing the US Junior National (USJN) DC Silver Division Championship over the Illinois Pizzaz 46-35 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC. Seniors Olivia Dalphonse, Katie McCrum, Ashley Storey, Victoria Lux, Mary Butler, and Hannah Graham closed out their AAU careers with impressive resolve and determination by outlasting a field of 48 teams from around the country.

Playing their eighth game in 4 days, the Firecrackers jumped out to an early lead on 3 baskets by Ashley Storey courtesy of feeds from Victoria Lux(2) and Katie McCrum. Olivia Dalphonse, who (like McCrum) was outstanding all week, added a nifty layup to give the Firecrackers a 13-7 lead but two quick 3’s by the Pizzaz tied the game at 13. Hannah Graham knocked down two long jumpers on feeds from Sierra Tapley before Dalphonse added a short jump shot and then Lux went from passer to finisher via Storey with 2 hoops to put the Firecrackers up 23-15 at half. Once again the FC half court man defense was stingy.

In the second half Hannah Graham nailed a 3 before Sarah Clement (playing limited minutes all week as she recovers from ACL surgery) finished a drive in traffic and then added 2 free throws. Kelsey Shaw and Emily Esposito then found Lux in the paint with her defender pinned deep for 3 contested baskets.

As dominant as Lux and Storey were on the offensive end, Mary Butler may have been better on the defensive end as she totally took the Pizzaz athletic and talented top player out of the game, limiting her to four hard earned points. Butler got some help from Storey and Esposito (who attracted the attention of many D1 coaches) as well. All three (along with Lux) controlled the boards as the Firecrackers had a decided rebounding advantage.

The US Junior Nationals in DC hosted 276 teams in the 16u/17u age group. Because of the sheer number of entrants, the teams are seperated into 8 different divisions depending on the number of Division 1, 2, and 3 players comprising the team.

Throughout the tournament all ten players stepped up to make key contributions and the title was a total team effort. No Firecracker scored over 14 points in any game and the defense held it’s opponents to an average of 32 points per game. Storey and Lux faced other strong post players, but we didn’t face a better combination that worked as well together. Mary Butler rebounded, scored, and set up teammates but her defense against high level players really stood out and was critical. Katie McCrum and Olivia Dalphonse were simply outstanding all week. Both competed every second, took care of the ball against intense pressure, hit timely shots, and changed games because of their defense. Hannah Graham shot the ball well and hit a number of clutch 3’s that were daggers. There were times she took over games with her silky shots. Sarah Clement was limited to 5-6 minutes each game but did a nice job feeding the post while hitting enough 3’s to help open up the paint. Sierra Tapley and Kelsey Shaw were moved up for the tournament and showed they belonged at this level. Both are already attracting the attention of several coaches in the Northeast and have bright futures ahead. Finally, Emily Esposito displayed her athleticism and unique skill set and was often in the games at clutch times as she attracted the interest of many coaches. She competed very well against players that were two years older and had some “wow” moments.

Unfortunately Abby Hamilton (injured), Ashley Briggs (injured) and Jess Willerson (conflict) were not able to attend, but their presence was missed. As a group, the class of 2015 made a huge impact on the Firecracker program and girls basketball in Maine. It is a talented and close group that have bright futures ahead but they will be missed greatly.

Coach Brian Clement