The first half was like you might have expected.
The MBR 10th grade girls’ basketball team looked like they had just arrived, hesitant, unsure of themselves and not playing up to their full potential.
They were still getting used to the new surroundings and settling in to new territory. It was their first game of the AAU National Tournament at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., last Thursday. The team started slowly in its first outing, but were still in the game.
“It was really a huge confidence thing,” Lewiston High School’s Morgan Eliasen said. “That first game, our shots weren’t really falling. We weren’t playing that well, but we were still in the game. It kind of opened our eyes that we could do this.”
The team broke the game open in the second half and continued getting better. The squad advanced all the way to Monday morning’s championship game, losing to a quality club from Rhode Island.
“At halftime (of that first game), we figured out we could compete down there,” said coach Andrew Morong, who is the women’s basketball coach at Central Maine Community College. “We were like, ‘Let’s do this. Let’s go for it.’ From that point on, we really did that. We built a 19-point lead in the second half of our first game and really didn’t look back.”
The team featured a number of players from local high school teams, including Lewiston’s Eliasen, Alex Bessey from Spruce Mountain and Erin Morton, Sophia Hanscom and Erin Eastman from Oxford Hills. The roster also featured Boothbay’s Kate Friant, Thornton’s Bella Robinson and Lake Region’s Kristen Huntress. Lewiston’s Victoria Harris and Lake Region’s Chandler True are also on the team, but did not make the trip.
The team was one of two MBR AAU teams to compete at tournaments at the Wide World of Sports Complex this past weekend. The Firecrackers, an AAU ninth grade team, won the championship in their tournament. That squad featured players from Messalonskee, Scarborough, Pine Tree, McAuley, Thornton, Gorham, Cheverus, Boothbay and Greely.
“It was just a really good experience,” Eliasen said. “Going into the tournament, we didn’t really think we’d get that far. We didn’t think we’d even win one game. It was a, ‘We’re just a team from Maine,’ type thing. Once we started winning games, it really lifted our confidence. I think that really helped us get to the championship game.”
It was the first season Morong has coached this group of girls. He estimates they’ve played about 30 games together while also practicing twice a week. He says the focus has been on building fundamentals and skill development. After finishing third in the state tournament, the team qualified for this weekend’s tourney in Orlando.
“It was a tremendous experience,” Morong said. “Just being down there in that environment is one thing but then to kind of unexpectedly compete at a higher level than we essentially thought going in, made it even that much better.”
Huntress led the team in scoring with 12 points per game while Bessey averaged 10 points and scored 17 points in the championship loss. Eliasen averaged nine points while Morton and Robinson chipped in eight each. Eastman averaged five points per outing despite battling a knee injury for much of the tourney.
“We worked together really well,” Bessey said. “Everyone has a position that they do well. Everyone can shoot. So we always had shooters at the 3-point line that could help us out.”
The team arrived for its first game last Thursday not really knowing what to expect. Morong has coached in national tournament games at the college level at CMCC but what kind of field his team might see this past weekend was a mystery.
“We really had no idea what to expect, ” Morong said. “This is the first time our program has been selected for an AAU National Tournament. Even though I’ve coached in a college national tournament a couple of times, there’s a lot of unknowns. There’s a lot of teams coming from all over the country and they play at different levels. Some are playing up and some a playing down. We had no idea what to expect. We were going down without two players, two major contributors. So we were just going down there to compete as hard as we could and have a lot of fun.”
The team played seven games over the span of the weekend and managed to include visits to many of the area attractions as well. They’d often play in the morning and then have the rest of the day free.
“It was a good experience, Bessey said. “Even if we were up by 20 it didn’t seem like we were up by 20. We had a competition the whole game.”
The team went 4-0 in its pool play and earned a No. 1 seed. It defeated a pair of teams from Florida, one from Alaska and another from Tennessee. Morong’s squad played a similar style to what his Mustangs play at CMCC. They play with a defensive intensity at a fast pace. They also had some hot-shooting hands. The team averaged seven 3s per game and even hit 10 in one game during the tourney. Many of the girls’ on the squad play for traditionally strong defensive-minded teams like Oxford Hills, Spruce Mountain and Lake Region. The way this group bonded and played together served as a model for other teams.
“You have to work together and have everyone on the bench excited and everyone on the court excited, “Bessey said. “The bench has to be involved with the team on the court. You definitely have to work as a team to be successful. “
The team advanced with a win over the Basketball Club of Florida and then topped the North Carolina Mt. Holly Stars. That put them into the championship game against a much bigger Rhode Island Basketball Club. Morong’s team fell behind early but were within a basket at halftime. Rhode Island opened the lead again in the second half and held on for a 51-41 win.
“They definitely had a size advantage,” said Eliasen, who was still travelling back from Florida with her family Tuesday. “We were definitely a little nervous going into the game. I think that played a part in a slow start. It’s not like we expected to lose, but we weren’t expecting to win either. It was kind of like going in and hoping for the best.”
Despite the loss, it was still a great experience for this group. Many of them have played some tournament games in Maine but these were likely some of the biggest games they’ve participated in.
“It was really fun,” Eliasen said. “Even with my teammates out on the court and stuff, everyone is laughing and smiling and having fun. It was just a good experience all around.”
It will be something many of these players carry forward into the winter season with their respective high school teams.
“I think the experience and playing in such a high-stakes game will help me with my regular season games,” Eliasen said. “Playing with this group of girls, it’s a great group of girls. We all get long with each other. It will be nice to bring that to my own team.”
Being a team that includes just rising freshmen and sophomores, Morong hopes to keep this group together in future summers. Many of Eastern A’s top players have played for him on previous AAU team’s including Oxford Hills Anna Winslow and Tianna Sugars, Mt. Blue’s Addie Brinkman and Brunswick’s Julia Champagne. Winslow will be playing for Morong again this season at CMCC.
“These young ladies are so high-quality,” Morong said. “They truly embody what athletes are. They’re hungry. They do the little things. They’re selfless. They’re intelligent. They play for one another. Who wouldn’t want to coach a group like that. It was such a refreshing and certainly a worthwhile experience.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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