Sparks 14’s Finish 6th at the AAU Nationals
Saturday, July 24, 2010 Tournaments
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.
The Sparks had qualified for the Nationals by winning a Super Regional tournament and became one of only two local girls AAU team to ever win the prestigious GymRat tournament held earlier in the year.
The Sparks beat teams from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and two from Pennsylvania. Outstanding players at the tournament were; Sydney Rosales and Madison Rowland, who scored a total of 87 and 83 points respectively; Madison Rowland who had 39 steals, Cassie Broadhead with 42 rebounds, and Ailaiya Demand who had a team high 25 assists; and, whose two free throws with .8 seconds left gave the Sparks a one point victory.
The trip to the Nationals was made possible in large part by contributions by area residents and businesses. More information on the National Tournament can be found at http://aaugirlsbasketball.org.
Also posted on the Times Union website on August 4th. http://blog.timesunion.com/youthsports/sparks-6th-in-national-tournament/1712/
The Sparks beat teams from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and two from Pennsylvania. Outstanding players at the tournament were; Sydney Rosales and Madison Rowland, who scored a total of 87 and 83 points respectively; Madison Rowland who had 39 steals, Cassie Broadhead with 42 rebounds, and Ailaiya Demand who had a team high 25 assists; and, whose two free throws with .8 seconds left gave the Sparks a one point victory.
The trip to the Nationals was made possible in large part by contributions by area residents and businesses. More information on the National Tournament can be found at http://aaugirlsbasketball.org.
Also posted on the Times Union website on August 4th. http://blog.timesunion.com/youthsports/sparks-6th-in-national-tournament/1712/