Lindsey Nichols about to run her defender into a pick being set by Alyssa Cuomo.

 

Considering all the AAU clubs registered in the Diamond State, it was somewhat surprising that just two of them sent teams to the AAU 14U Regionals at West Chester University.

 

While both of the participating Delaware teams – the Tigers and Wildcats – are quality, competitive teams (Tigers coming in 14 – 3; Wildcats with only 1 or 2 losses on the year), there was no question by the end of the weekend just who could lay claim to the title, Best 14U Team from Delaware.  Besides comparing the win-loss record over the course of the tournament, there was the bonus treat of actually having a scheduled head-to-head game on Saturday morning, as both teams were playing in the same pool.  But, before the “Battle of Delaware” contest, there was the matter of a Friday night opening match-up featuring the Tigers against the West Chester Sparks.

 

 

Sparks Over the Tigers by Thirteen, 48 – 35

 

The game started promptly at 6:00 PM, but someone forgot to tell the Tiger offense.  The Orange and Black just could not get anything going for the longest time.  Regional games are played utilizing 18-minute halves.  The Tigers would not score a point until Marianna Gallo made a bucket with 13:10 left in the half – a scoreless drought of 4:50 to begin the game.

 

As disappointing as the Tigers were with the ball, the defense was actually hanging in there and making sure that the hometown Sparks didn’t get out to too big a lead.  In fact, the score was 6 – 2, Sparks, even with 10:35 left in the half!  After this point, however, things started loosening up for both squads.

 

A small band of Tigers began putting the ball in the hoop, including a nice momentum-swinging three-pointer by Maria Talarowski, who would drain two more treys by the final buzzer.

 

At the break, the Sparks were holding onto a slim 17 – 15 lead.  Still, the score was deceiving.  The Sparks were playing aggressively and with confidence at both ends.  For the Wilmingtonians, it seemed that only two or three girls showed up in the right frame of mind to play in a National Qualifier game.  At the top of this exclusive list were Allison Zimny (5 points), who was fighting hard for rebounds and generally trying her level best to sabotage the Sparks’ offense, and the aforementioned Gallo (9 points) and Talarowski (team-leading 12 points), who were doing for the Tiger offense what Zimny was for the defense.

 

In the second frame, the Tigers just could not keep pace with their opponents.  While the Striped Ones would come up with 20 points in the last 18 minutes, the Sparks would counter with 31 of their own, good for a final tally of 48 – 35.  This opening game loss would put the Tigers’ backs to the wall, if they hoped to advance out of pool play.  And adding to that pressure, the intra-State rivalry game against the Wildcats was coming up next.

 

 

Wildcats Toast Tigers, 68 – 57

 

If it was Saturday morning in West Chester, then the place to be was Court #4 for the all-Delaware match-up of the Delaware PAL Wildcats and the Wilmington Tigers.  The game would be the second contest of the tourney for the Tigers, but only the first for the Wildcats.  For many of the players on both sides, this was the big game.  If you’re a player for either of these rosters, State bragging rights are nearly every bit as important as going to Nationals.

 

From the opening tip-off, offensive troubles nagged the Tigers, just as they had in their prior game.  Lacking both an “A”-line, dominant big girl and a true “wartime” point guard may not be fatal deficiencies in a regular AAU tournament, where such teams can fall back on other strengths, but in high-intensity events like Regionals, where the best teams in the Middle Atlantic District come a-knockin', a complete lineup is essential.

 

By halftime, the Cats Who Are Wild were up, 36 – 21.

 

The Tigers would actually come back and “win” the second frame, 36 – 32, but the damage that occurred in the first half was too much to overcome.  Final score:  68 – 57, Wildcats.

 

The two big stories to emerge from the game were Marianna Gallo and Sam Bonvetti.  The former for her stunning, out-of-nowhere 23-point scoring performance – her best-ever single-game tally, anywhere, and the latter for suffering a knee injury very late in the game arising out of a collision with a Tiger player under the basket.  This would put Bonvetti on the shelf for the remainder of the tournament and test the depth of the Wildcat roster.

 

In the end, the Wildcats had proven themselves the better team.  But the Tigers could take solace in the fact that the game was not a blowout by any means, and that they hung with the PALsters, basket-for-basket, in the second half.  For the victors, it was a great way to open the three-game pool play schedule where only pool winners advance.

 

Offensively for the Tigers, aside from Gallo’s 23 points (including 11-for-15 from the line), Maria Talarowski chipped in yet another 12 to match her output in Game 1.  Tori “The Tiger” Casper contributed a strong 10 to the effort.

 

For the Wildcats, Alyssa Cuomo kicked off what would be a great tournament for the versatile veteran by leading the way with 16 points (6-for-7 from the line).  Helping out big time were point guard Paige Davis with 12, MV Barr with 11, and Shakeera Wooten with 10.

 

 

Tigers Demolish Delmont by Twenty in Getaway Game, 59 – 39

 

Jumping out-of-sequence, chronologically, before resuming the Wildcats results, the third and final game for the Tigers was actually a nice little win over the Delmont Blaze. 

 

Allison Zimny notched the first two points of the game on a layup.  The Tigers would never surrender the lead from that point forward.  At last, the team was effectively scoring and seemed to be firing on all cylinders, showing the world (and particularly the Blaze) why they were a better-than-respectable 14 – 5 entering the game.

 

Ten of the eleven girls suited for the game scored at least 2 points.  Yet, almost inexplicably, there was just one player in double digits – Tori Casper with 15.  Lining up behind her were Allison Zimny and Victoria Boyd (7 each), Marianna Gallo, Maria Talarowski, Kara Gallagher and Morgan Joyce (5 each).  A real nice team performance.

 

 

Wildcats Blast Blaze, 76 – 65

 

Picking up where we last left the Wildcats.  They prepared to lock horns with the Delmont Blaze.  The game would prove to be an offensive showcase for both teams as 141 points would be registered on the scoreboard by the time the final whistle rang out.  Seventy-six of them would belong to the Cat Crew.  It wasn’t so much that the defenses stayed home.  It was more a tribute to both team’s scoring proficiency.

 

The Wildcats are at their best running in the open court and relying on a shoot-first,-ask-questions-later offensive scheme.  Few lineups can keep up with them.  This is a team that does not do particularly well in a controlled, methodical, multiple-passes type of offensive set.  Or, more accurately, the slower the pace, the better the other team’s chances become.

 

At the forefront of the Wildcats flying feet are guards Paige Davis, Lindsey Nichols, Shakeera Wooten and Sam Bonvetti.  Almost as quick are the swing players – the 2-guards and small forwards like Alyssa Cuomo and Kelly Williams.  If the Wildcats can force their opponents into a track meet, they will win the ballgame. 

 

Coming up big in the win over the Blaze were Alyssa Cuomo (18 points), Lindsey Nichols (17), Kiersten Fauntleroy (11), and Paige Davis (10).

 

 

Wildcats Spank the Sparks, 70 – 55, to Win Their Pool

 

Delaware PAL fans had to like the way the Regionals were shaping up so far in lieu of their fast 2 – 0 start.  Next up would be the West Chester Sparks playing in front of their hometown crowd.

 

The PALians were in a groove and did not let the fact that they were starting their third game in 7 ½ hours disrupt their mindset – or their result.

 

The Cats were up 40 – 29 at the break, on a pace to score 80 points.  Obviously, the rhythm slowed down just a tad in the last half, but not enough to pose any threat to the Wildcats going a clean 3 – 0 in pool play.

 

For the third straight game, Alyssa Cuomo led all Wildcat scorers with 15.  Next in line were Shakeera Wooten and Alex Witt chalking up 12 each.  The irrepressible Lindsey Nichols slapped down 10.  One of the prettiest shots of the entire day came on a great three-pointer by Kat Durbano – eliciting spontaneous yells and cheers from the Wildcat bench.

 

In one day, the Wildcats had won three games over quality competition by a combined score of 214 – 177.  More important, they won their pool outright and a berth in the upcoming winners’ bracket.  Waiting in the wings would be the Lehigh Valley Outcasts.  But before that, the team would be finally allowed to go home and rest.  The Outcasts would have to wait their turn.

 

 

Video of final moments of Sparks game.

 

Wildcats Cast Out The Outcasts, 59 – 43

 

Two words:  Lindsey Nichols.  I’ve seen a lot of great, hall-of-fame performances by point-guards in my time, but I never saw a 1-guard so in control of the game, her own skills, and the basketball court, itself, as Nichols was in the first 7 minutes of this contest.  Now, I’ll admit that maybe, technically, she was playing another position, but in this part of the game, she was at the very least acting like a point-guard.  In any event, Nichols was, for that opening timeframe, the best thing on the court and playing outside herself.  For the rest of the game, she would revert back to just plain old terrific.

 

The actual game?  Well, it looked for awhile that the Outcasts were going to be wholly embarrassed, dismantled and destroyed.  The Wildcats broke out of the gate with a 10 – 0 run.  With 11 minutes left in the half, things were no less one-sided as the Cats were riding atop an 18 – 2 score.

 

Spearheading the frantic pace, as mentioned before, was incredible guard play.  Who is faster than Paige Davis or Shakeera Wooten in the open court?  Who, anywhere this side of the NBA, was playing with more excellence than Lindsey Nichols?  Who works harder at, or is more successful at being, a “complete package” player than MV Barr?  The answer to all these questions was:  Nobody on the Lehigh Valley roster.

 

If the game was played in quarters instead of halves, the second “quarter” was pivotal for the Outcasts.  The Wildcats could not keep up their convincing Boston Celtics impression forever.  In the last 9 minutes of the half, the pace slowed somewhat, presenting the Outcasts with an opening.  Going into the break, the scoreboard read Wildcats 40, Outcasts 15.  As shocking as that score seems, since the 18 – 2 start, the Ladies of the Lehigh Valley had somehow reeled the game back in.  Chop off the first seven minutes, and the Cats were only up 22 – 13.

 

With a fresh 18 minutes put on the clock, the question remained, could the Outcasts get a hold of the game and turn things around?  The answer was yes . . . and no.

 

The Outcasts actually won the second half outright by a 28 – 19 margin.  But guess what?  In determining winners and losers, both halves count.  Advantage Wildcats.  Final score:  59 – 43.

 

The guard tandem of Wooten and Davis combined for 20 points – 10 apiece.  Lindsey Nichols chipped in 8 (including 2 threes), most or all of that in the first, frantic, frenzied seven minutes of the game.  Alyssa Cuomo and MV Barr had 7 each.  As a team, the Wildcats would drain 8 threes in this game.

 

The Wildcat 14U was slicing through the competition.  So far, no team had seriously challenged them.  At this point, unfortunately, DGB.com direct coverage ended.  For a continuation of how everything turned out, check out Coach Rausch’s report to follow.  (Right after the pictures)

 

Regionals Pics

 

Outside shooting specialist, Maria Talarowski, brings up the rock with a West Chester Sparks player in hot pursuit.

 

Marianna Gallo, seen here on defense, had a great tournament, capped off by a career best 23-point performance against the Wildcats.

 

A player I actually coached!  I've never seen a student-athlete go farther from 5th grade to 8th grade like Victoria Boyd.  She will be lending her services to Padua Academy in the fall.

 

Morgan Joyce steps into a pass. 

Morgan is a freshman at the Charter School of Wilmington.

 

Maria T. shows off her long-range bombing skills.

 

Elizabeth Freud at the foul line.  Liz comes all the way up from Dover just to play for the Orange and Black.

 

The WT's faithful with their Tiger mascots.

 

Maria Talarowski for yet a third picture!  Here she is on a nice drive down the lane.  Note the right knee going up with the right elbow -- just like in the "How To" books.  Also, note the elevation of the ball and proper use of the guide hand.  Maria is no chucker.  She works hard on shooting, and it shows.  Twenty-nine points for the 3-game weekend, including 6 threes.

 

The out-of-action Sam Bonvetti can only watch from the sidelines as her teammates take on the Delmont Blaze.

 

Lindsey Nichols uses the ball to show three Blaze players exactly where the hoop is.

 

Shakeera Wooten launches a three.

 

I don't know if Paige Davis likes physical contact, but I do know she never backs away from it.  Here she is driving to the basket.

 

MV Barr, an outstanding player from Pennsylvania who plays for the Wildcats.

 

...And, doing the opposite, here's Ursuline Academy's own Caly Wendel suiting up for the Pennsylvania-based Chester County Wizards.  Come back home, Caly!

 

What a great tourney Alyssa Cuomo had!  I tend to think of her as primarily a defensive standout.  But, after leading her team in scoring all three pool play games, I might have to readjust that estimate.

 

Kat Durbano had 8 points in limited minutes over the first four games of the tournament.  Here she is about to nail a three point shot against the West Chester Sparks.

 

Meet the Wilmington Tigers' newest recruit, Julie Kulesza, Coach John Kulesza's daughter.  Julie's only in kindergarten but can already make 13-foot shots like nobody's business!

 

Your 2008 14U AAU D2 Runner-up Delaware PAL Wildcats!

 

Dear Jim:

 

I just wanted to thank you for dedicating your time to watch four of five games this weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at West Chester University.

 

It is important to note that the Delaware PAL Wildcats 14U always play basketball with a plan.  The plan is to set a goal for each tournament and to achieve the goal.  This weekend our goal was not necessarily to win the Championship, but to go undefeated in pool play.  Setting a goal to earn a guaranteed berth in the National Tournament   motivated us to play with great passion and tenacity.  Needless to say, not only did we meet our goal, we surpassed it!  We ended up playing in the Championship game and took home the Silver Medal.

 

I can not express enough how proud I am of my girls.  They work hard in practice, and are motivated and driven to be successful young women.  I am honored to be a part of there lives, in what I consider, their formative years. 

 

 

Warm Regards,

 

Amy Rausch

 

DelGirlsHoops@aol.com