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Delaware Girls Basketball |
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Team Reports June 22, 2009 through July 13, 2009
AAU Reports Prior to June 22, 2009 This page is best viewed with Internet Explorer. Layout may not display properly when viewed with other browsers. |
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12U Angels Wind Up the Season with a Very Impressive Performance at Nationals! Team Finishes 7th in the Nation in D2 (Posted 07-13-09)
The
12U Delaware Angels trekked to Fort Myers, FL to play in the
division II national championship from July 4th through July
8th. It proved to be a very exciting, very eventful, and very
successful trip. Finishing 7th in the nation is quite an
accomplishment, especially for a team that draws its players
from such a small area of Delaware. Without a "formal" tryout,
these girls were handpicked because of their familiarity with
each other and the way they conduct themselves on and off the
court. Character and respect are a big part of this
organization.
Game two against the Coastal Georgia Comets was pretty much the same as all eleven Angels scored to take a 30 point halftime lead and eventually win by a score of 61-34.To go with the balanced scoring, 8 of eleven girls had at least one steal in this game.
Game four matched us against the first of two California opponents we would see. This was a back and forth battle that really tested our team concept as six Angels had 4 fouls each and everyone was called on to contribute. Behind by seven at the half, the Angels traded leads with the Irvine Xcelerators all through the second half before pulling out a 58-56 victory to ensure a spot in the "Sweet Sixteen".Rachel Liszkiewycz, Hannah Schlegel, Laura Hurff, and Claudia Seemans were the main factors in the second half surge. Once again, the opposing coaches and parents were very complimentary and said they liked the way our girls fought to the end and tagged our girls as "street-fighters".
Once in the "Elite Eight", we knew the competition was only going to get tougher and the Minnesota Stars with four 6-footers were as tough as advertised. Most of the first half was close as neither team could mount any serious offensive charge. However, the height of the Stars caused a problem and our girls got into foul trouble. We were never really able to make a serious comeback but our girls don't know the meaning of the word quit so they fought as they usually do but found themselves on the wrong end of a 49-30 score. Nine of eleven Angels scored and had at least one steal and 10 of eleven grabbed rebounds to prove they play as a team in victory as well as defeat. The Stars would eventually go on to the championship game.
On
the final day of this marathon, the Angels were matched up
against the West Coast Ballers from San Jose, CA. It was obvious
that our girls were a little bit worn out from seven games in
five days but they were determined to end the tournament on a
positive note. Once again, our low post players got into foul
trouble but their teammates picked up the slack. With a 20-19
lead at intermission we knew we were in for a tough second half.
Both teams were up for it as the lead see-sawed back and forth
right down to the final seconds and the Angels prevailed 38-36
to take 7th place in a grueling, gut-check type of tournament
that made the Angels' parents as proud as they could possibly
be.  Game #5
Submitted by Mike Hackendorn (All photos in this story courtesy of the Delaware Angels.)
A Player's Point of View
11U Angels Capture Third Place in the Nation! (Posted 07-06-09)
The Delaware Angels 11 Under girls finished THIRD at the Div II Nationals in Westfield, Indiana June 26 - July 1. The Angels won the Mid Atlantic District Div II Qualifier in April in Thorofare, NJ to qualify for Nationals. There were 36 teams entered in the tournament including teams who qualified for the Div 1 Nationals by coming in second through fourth in their combined DI/II District tournaments. More information on the tournament including team lists and scores can be found at http://www.aauresults.org/girlsb/re_nationals.php?lkid=&s 2&y%2009. The facilities in Indiana were out of this world and the girls played most of their games on Court 1, Westfield High School, that several colleges would be envious of.
The Angels quickly became a quick crowd favorite with their overall small size and uniforms. The Angels practiced all year with reversible jerseys which served as game jerseys. As a first year team the emphasis was more on play than show. As the tournament progressed the Angels quickly earned respect from fans, coaches, players, and the tournament directors. They also developed a very popular and entertaining cheer which is hard for me to describe. Perhaps we can produce a video to share.
The Angels started out defeating the Detroit Motor City Heat 54-35. It was a well balanced effort with all the girls scoring with Caroline Davis leading with 16. Alyssa Simmons, a raw talent, had a strong game off the bench with 8 points on 3 for 5 shooting and 2-2 free throws. Claire Igo played excellent defense and handled the ball as she has all season and is instant energy off the bench firing up our team all season long. Claire is tough as nails and played with through some aggravating injuries throughout the year.
In the second game the Angels played the Lady Wolfpack from Salisbury MD and prevailed 57-25. Megan Mallon, of Chip Mallon fame, showed as a fifth grader that she deserved to be playing at this level. She improved throughout the season and has good shooting, ball handling, and defensive skills. Carolanne Deal was a force who's potential is completely untapped. She is a fine shooter with excellent size and is extremely coachable.
In the third game the Angels raised eyebrows by defeating the previously undefeated Indiana Flight thus winning our pool and qualifying for the Championship Bracket. Renada L'Italien punished the Flight for playing a box in one defense by knocking down 5 three pointers on her way to 23 points. Renada has become one of the best three point shooters around but also has a good mid range shot and drive. The versatile Micah Morgan played both ends of the floor inside and out and was a strong contributor, especially in shutting down our opponents fast break opportunities. You will hear a lot from Micah in years to come.
In the first game of the Championship Bracket the Angels played the St Louis Warriors, an extremely athletic and well coached team who had won all their games by wide margins. The Angels fought out a hard earned 33-29 victory. Adrianna Hahn handled a hard double teaming press very well creating opportunities for the girls who had balance scoring. The overall team defense was excellent as the Warriors had been putting up big numbers. Our girls ended bonding with the Warriors throughout the rest of the tourney.
Moving on the Angels faced Team Ohio, a D I qualifier with intimidating size and depth. The Angels prevailed 51-45. Courtney Wallace, perhaps the number 1 crowd favorite of the tournament, sealed the game down the stretch under pressure by hitting 7-8 free throws. Courtney proves time after the time that it's not the size of the player but the size of the heart that matters. She has an excellent shot and has great speed. Adrianna scored 19, Renada 12, and Caroline was our much needed inside presence under tough odds.
In the Final Four the Angels played Cincinnati Heat Premier Gold, a second place D I qualifier and eventual tournament champion. With a strong backing from several other teams watching in attendance the Angels jumped to a quick lead which they relinquished by halftime and then contested in a 4-6 point game until falling by 10 in the last minute with late free throws. We had a hard time containing a 6'3" girl underneath who ended up scoring 16 points all on short put backs. The Angels learned a strong lesson regarding the need to play to win versus playing not to lose. Despite the loss the opposing team's coach complimented our team and effort and particularly complimented Adrianna whom he called the best guard their team had faced all year in either D I or II.
In the third place game the Angels played the deadly 3 pt shooting Red Heat from Kentucky. Shannon Tobin, sparked the team who was playing uninspired in the first half, by coming in with red hot shooting and netting 10 points. Shannon, who was injured in the early part of the season, came back to strong form and is an extremely hard worker. Shannon is a girl that any coach would want with her basketball and personal qualities. Caroline Davis led with 17 points. Caroline is a very, very special player who plays well above her years and is a star in the making. She has an excellent drive, good outside shooting touch, and is a serious shot blocker.
Overall the team and parents had an phenomenal experience - the parents also put on a good show particularly with our friends from Asheville NC (the Lady Royals) and Western PA (the Wildcats). The Angels organization received compliments from the AAU directors for their sportsmanship and camaraderie. Third place in the D II Nationals is not a bad way to end the season. The Angels showed they would be very competitive at the DI level by having success against D I teams throughout the year. They finished 6 - 1 at Nationals, and 36 - 3 on the season.
Submitted by Simeon Hahn (All photos in this story courtesy of the Delaware Angels)
Wildcats 10U Team Plays for Julie (Posted 6-22-09)
Photos courtesy Delaware PAL Wildcats 10U Team.
Hi Jim, how are you? I wanted to let you know that my girls played very hard for Julie this weekend at the Fencor Summer Classic. When I told them we were going to play for Julie, they all asked questions about her and I explained that her life was taken by someone. Each girl said, "We must play hard for Julie." I found out during this particular practice that my Assistant Coach's daughter went to school with Julie at Padua, so this senseless act of violence had touched our team. Prior to our games and after timeouts, the girls would count 1, 2, 3 and yell Julie's name. My thought process behind bringing this to my team's attention, even though they are very young, is that they should remember they are just playing a game and to enjoy what they have. On Saturday, we played two very talented and tall teams and lost 32 - 14 and 33 - 7; however, my team never gave up and played hard to the final horn. On Sunday, I reminded them about Julie and for them to enjoy being on the court and they went out and won both games, 14 - 6 and 26 - 15. When we talked after the games, a few players said, "Those wins were for Julie." As a coach, I watched how they played and I know they played all four games hard for Julie, regardless of the outcome. I am very proud of my team and I hope Julie was looking down and cheering us on :) Submitted by Tom Starr
Angels 11U Perfect Streak Comes to an End (Posted 6-22-09)
The Angels 11s played in an invitational round robin hosted by the Mid Atlantic Magic this weekend. It was a great event and well hosted. The Angels lost their first game by 4 to the Tri State Tarheels after leading for a large part of the game. In the second game the Angels beat the host Mid Atlantic Magic by 4 after being behind most of the game. In the final game the Angels lost to the Comets "A" after leading the whole first half until being tied on a basket in the last seconds. The Comets pulled away in the second half with the Angels ultimately losing by double figures. The Angels showed a little rust and fatigue after not playing or practicing for over a week but overall hung in with three good teams who finished 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the Mid Atlantic Div 1 Distric Qualifier so it was a great warm up for our trip to Div II Nationals this week in Indiana.
Submitted by Simeon Hahn
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