Shenendehowa High School’s Marissa Ray has decided to attend Union College this fall. The 6’0” guard will be playing basketball for the Dutchman next season and is looking forward to playing college ball in front of the home crowd. While long time Sparks teammate and Niskayuna center Katie Cocca will be packing her bags and heading off to play basketball for the College of Saint Benedict in St. John’s Minnesota.

The dynamic duo have played together with the Sparks since the 5th grade and they have clearly hit the books, both attending fine institutions with great reputations for academics.

We wish Marissa, Katie and their families the best of luck and thank them for their contributions to the program.

Tags: Marissa Ray Katie Cooca Union College Saint Benedict

Long time Saratoga Spark Kayla Wheeler will be playing college basketball at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The 5’11” forward graduated from Shenendehowa High School with grades that placed her at the top of her class. Her college choice was very simple, “All I want to do is get a great education and continue to wear the colors that have helped me become a better player, teammate and citizen” shared the lanky soon to be college freshman. Kayla will soon be starting her college career wearing Sparks orange for the TIgers of RIT.

Local fans and family where thrilled to learn that RIT will soon be competing in the Liberty League against local power houses RPI, Union and Skidmore.

Not only did Kayla play six seasons with the Saratoga Sparks, but she also spent her senior year as an assistant coach, helping the Sparks 16U team to a very successful season. We wish Kayla and her family the very best and look forward to rooting for RIT when they are in the area.

Tags: Kayla Wheeler Rochester Institute of Technology RIT

The Saratoga Sparks 16U team traveled to State College PA this past week and finished up their 2010 campaign by finishing 11th out of the 64 teams in the Southern Bracket of the Bluechip USA Invitational Tournament. The Sparks finished with a 4-2 record while turning the heads of many college coaches.

Niskayuna’s Ashley McCaughan, Shenendehowa’s Megan Rogers and Mandi Edick and Queensbury’s Alexis Perryman were all named game MVP’s.

The week was terrific for the Sparks who spent much of the season being haunted by their coach about the importance of winning the first game of the tournament. Pressure was applied at every practice and a website was created as a constant reminder that winning the first game at Penn State would split the tournament field in half, assuring the Sparks games against the best competition in their bracket.

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Tags: Penn State Mandy Edick Megan Rogers Alexis Perryman Ashley McCaughan

The Saratoga Sparks 14U basketball team took sixth place in the 2010 AAU Girls Basketball National Championship Tournament held July 6-10 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. The team is comprised of Section II freshmen players who finished their regular AAU season undefeated with 30 wins. At the National Tournament, the Sparks were 5 and 3 against a field of 40 of the best teams in the United States. The Sparks are the first local team in recent memory to finish this high in the AAU National Championship Tournament. The Sparks advanced all the way to the Elite Eight round.

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Tags: Nationals Ailaiya Demand Cassie Broadhead Madison Rowland Sydney Rosales AAU Girls Basketball National Championship