16 Blue opened up at the College Showcase in Rhode Island against fellow in state squad Team CT. With only 1 substitute on our bench, we were in for a long-winded game against a good team. All 6 players played aggressive and the first half was highlighted with us hitting the defensive boards. Down 28-15 at the half, we came out to play our hardest, but defensively we were a step behind and couldn’t contain guard penetration in the lane. Lindsey Henry and Ellen Donohue were our leading scorers with 8 and 7 points. The final score was 60-28.
       Game #2, we got some help from our 15 Red players and now had a bench. We got off to a sluggish start on the defensive end giving up 35 points in the first half. In the first half though, Alexis Marek was all over the court, making hustle plays and grabbing rebounds. We outscored our opponent in the second half 26-25, with offensive contributions from Ashley Jordan (8), Kelly Riddle (11), and Alexis Marek (8). Overall, despite struggling a little to execute offensively, we shot 80% from the free throw line. The final score was 60-43.
       Game #3, we had 7 players to rotate in and out. We allowed the Mass. Frenzy to score 34 points in the first half, with us scoring 16. In the second half, the 16 Blue came out and showed they were relentless. Defensively we held the Frenzy to 21 points, adjusting our communication and keeping them off the boards. Offensively, we were able to get into a groove, where players were being aggressive going to the basket and setting each other up. Maura Hall and Mariah Berry (6 pts each) stepped up for us offensively. Guards Ashley Jordan, Ellen Donahue, and Kelly Riddle were key in our 1-3-1 defense that led to the Frenzy turning the ball over. The final score was 55-39.
       Our final game of the weekend ended with a close loss to the RI Breakers. The 16 Blue refused to finish the weekend without one last fight, coming out and playing a great game both offensively and defensively. The score was 22-20 at the half and we came out in the second half and continued playing well as a team. With a lapse on defense for about 3 minutes and unable to find a bucket for several possessions, we ended up getting outscored 25-19, losing the game by 6. The good thing was the energy we played with, despite having a low number of players the entire long weekend. Ashley Jordan stepped up and was able to drive and dish to teammates who were able to knock down open shots. Lindsey Henry led all scorers with 14 points (two 3 pointers) and Mariah Berry and Alexis Marek were big on the boards, both ripping down 6 and 7 rebounds. The final score was 47-39.

       The 15 Red took the floor in Rhode Island Friday morning against the Bay State Elite. The Starters came out to a very slow start and found themselves down by 4 points at the half, 21-25. The second half did not start any better for 15 Red. Within a few nmiutes the Starters were down ten points. Time out was called. At that point, the Starters decided to play defense and chipped away point by point to regain the lead. Sarah Benedetti (9 rebounds) led the scoring with 22 points and Loren Pachesa scored 10 points going 6-6 from the free throw line. Megan Roux had three steals in the last two minutes and four points. The game was tied and the Starters came down and scored to put them up two. There were three seconds left on the clock andthe opponent had the ball. All the Starters had to do was play defense and the victory would be theirs. The ball was inbounded and Bay State shot from about six feet behind the three point line and the Starters lose by one point, 50-51. It was a heartbreaker for the Starters, but a well fought comeback.
       Our second game was against the CT Shamrocks. The Starters came out strong defensively shutting down any offense the Shamrocks tried to execute. As a team the Starters had 17 rebounds and 10 steals at the half. The score was 34-13 at the half with the Starters in control. Not much changed for the Shamrocks in the secoond half because the Starters did not let up. Sarah Benedetti led all scoring with 18 points and Kerri Stolle chipped in with 11 points. Ali Berman cashed in for ten points and Sarah Raftery pulled down 6 defensive rebounds and had three steals. The final score was 56-31 with a 1-1 record for the day.
       Saturday morning started with a tough battle against the South Central Sharks. They were the biggest team the Starters had faced this year and that was a challenge for 15 Red. The Starters found themselves up 9 points at the half and out rebounding the opponent. The second half was a defensive battle between the two teams. Caycee Williams came up big on the defensive boards with 6 and four on the offensive end. Jessica Frawley stepped up offensively and led the team in assists with 6 and Ashley Kinney had a huge steal and basket which really seemed to be the turning point of the game for the Starters. From that point on the 15 Red held control and won the game 55-49. This game was a real team effort and the girls really worked well together.
       The final game of our holiday weekend was against the reputable Exodus. But the Starters were not about to end the weekend anything less than 3-1. The Starters came out in the first half ready to play and outscored their opponent 27-18 at the half. Several kids did a great job on the boards especially Sarah Benedetti, Loren Pachesa, and Taryn Roy who had 9, 8, and 7 respectively. Ashley Kinney had a great game with 6 points and three offensive rebounds. Loren Pachesa and Tara Higgins got the job done defensively with 5 steals a piece and Sarah Raftery had four. The final score was 44-34.
       The weekend was another positive one for the 15 Red with an overall record of 7-1. We had some injuries this weekend that hopefully will heal quickly. It was a great two days and hopefully the progress will continue. Practice this week will be Tuesday and remember to do some work on your own. Have a great week and I will be thinking of you all from the sunshine state!!! Good luck next weekend--play hard!

       The second tournament of the season was held at the lovely complex of Weaver High School! The first game of weekend was against the East Coast Renegades and we got off to a very slow start. The physicality and quickness of the opposition definitely gave the girls some problems. However, we were able to keep the game close and trailed at the half 16-14. In the second half our style of play picked up behind Allie Caponigro (Plainville, 16 points) and Rachel Franzluebbers (East Catholic, 6 pts and 10 rebounds) as we took the lead for the first time of the day. Unfortunately, the constant pressure from the Renegades caused us too many mistakes which ultimately led to our demise. Final Score EC Renegades 34 Starters 29. Brenna Roy (Stafford Springs) chipped in with 4 pts and 4 steals in the loss.
       Later in the day the girls had to face another East Coast Renegades team and it started off the same way as the last game ended. We couldn’t handle their 1-2-1-1 press; giving the Renegades an early 17-2 lead. The girls started to fight back and we managed to cut the lead at the half to 29-16. Megan Schuppe (Avon, 17 pts) and Sara Hubbard (Hartford, 12 pts) stepped up in a big way as they lead the Starters on a 20-3 run to start the half as we tied the game at 36 with under 8 minutes to go! The Renegades answered our run with relentless pressure which was ultimately too much for our girls to overcome yet once again. Dana Queno (Wethersfield) and Paige Young (Berlin) chipped in with 6 pts a piece in the loss. Final Score EC Renegades 59 Starters 47.
       Our Final game of the weekend was against Team Providence. This was our best overall game of the weekend as we started off the game on a 10-0 run behind 1-2-1-1 press! Team Providence eventually made some changes and we started forcing passes and shots which led them to get back into the game. We held a slim 17-9 lead at the half. In the second half we started to play better basketball yet once again behind our defensive leader Sara Hubbard (12 pts, 5 steals) and the “human eraser” Rachel Franzluebbers (8 pts, 4 blocks). We held on to win (3-17 free throw line) , Starters 40 Team Providence 30. Demis Christodlous (Berlin) Megan Schuppe, and Allie Caponigro each chipped in with 6 pts a piece.

       The 12 Red Team had a great showing at the East Coast Renegades Easter Classic at Weaver HS in Hartford, going 3-0! Game 1 saw our girls beating the Springfield, MA Renegades by a score of 42-27. Leading the way was Lily Dolyak who scored 12 points, followed by Missy Bailey with 10 and Caroline Teti and Kelsey Clemens with 7 each. Nikki Nash played strong defensively and came up with a lot of key rebounds.
       Next the 12 Red Team beat the Middletown Bulldogs by a score of 38-8. Missy Bailey led the scoring with 10 points, followed by Lily Dolyak and Alexus Prince with 6 each. Nicki Nash chipped in with 5 and again, pulled in many rebounds for the Reds. Sarah Thompson scored 4 points and played well off the boards.
       Game 3 saw the 12 Red Team beating the Wallingford Ulbrich Team by a score of 34-21. Missy Bailey led the way with 14 points followed by Kelsey Clemens and Alexus Prince with 5 each. Margaret Frawley played a great game at guard with several key assists, while Mika Howard had a good game on the boards.
       In summary, the Starters 12 year old Red Team is 5-2 and off to a fine start implementing the plays and teachings of their coaching staff. After a weekend off, it's on to the State AAU Tournament in New Haven.

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