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(KB - 07/17/05) The
Orlando Comets Red 15U team completed their AAU odyssey this evening by
finishing fourth in the nation in the 16U bracket.
It was an amazing finish for a team that had never finished higher than
fifth in their own age group. The experience
gained here should help the team when they attend this same tournament next
summer. The Comets opened the
day with a strong defensive performance against the WPA Hoopstars in the
Elite Eight. After the Hoopstars took a 24-15 midway thru the
first half, the Comets went on a 27-10 run that produced a 42-34
lead. The Comets held the Hoopstars scoreless for six
minutes in the first half as they took control of this game. And
despite shooting woes from the field and from the foul line, the Comets'
defense and offensive rebounding won this game. The Comets
had up to five offensive rebounds on four consecutive possessions, resetting
the 30 second clock each time and frustrating the Hoopstars with their
inability to run their offense. Each time the Comets grabbed an
offensive rebound or made a steal, the Hoopstars sank a little bit further. The
Hoopstars made a mini run midway thru the second half and drew within two
points, but the Comets withstood the storm and put this game away, winning
by a score of 61-44. In
their Final Four game against the Philadelphia Belles, however, the tables
were turned. The Belles are big and fast and very
fundamental. After taking the lead at 13-11 five minutes into
the game, the Belles never trailed. They played an
intimidating defense that had the Comets' shooters always looking over their
shoulders for the next blocked shot. The Comets missed 13
open layups in the face of the Belles' pressure defense. The
Comets had a chance in this game. With 5:48 to play, the Comets
succeeded at drawing within six points of the Belles,
53-47. But Briyanna Blair fouled out and the Belles
subsequently went on a 6-0 run to put this game away. From there they
worked the clock patiently and eventually won, 66-54. This
loss sent the Comets into the third place consolation game against the
Kansas City Keys, who lost their semi-final matchup against the Georgia
Metro Nike team. Having lost in the
semi-final, the Comets decided to play all their players equally in the
consolation game. The Keys came out
resolutely and came away with a 77-66 win. The
Comets now prepare for their season ending trip to Nike's Basketball
on the Bayou in New Orleans. Great
job, girls!!!
2005 AAU 16U Bracket Play Scores
| Date |
Home |
Score |
Away |
Score |
Summary |
| 07/15/05 |
E. Carolina Storm |
39 |
Comets Red |
81 |
|
| 07/15/05 |
Comets Red |
70 |
CN Starters |
56 |
|
| 07/16/05 |
Comets Red |
79 |
OH SMAC Ballers |
57 |
|
| 07/16/05 |
Dayton Lady
Hoopstars |
66 |
Comets Red |
79 |
Krystal
Thomas 28 pts. Stephanie Thomas 13 pts |
| 07/17/05 |
WPA Hoopstars |
44 |
Comets Red |
61 |
Deluzio
21 pts.; K. Thomas 18 pts |
| 07/17/05 |
Comets Red |
54 |
Philadelphia
Belles |
66 |
|
| 07/17/05 |
Comets Red |
66 |
KC Keys |
76 |
|
Comets Blue Win Opening
Bracket Game (KB -
07/17/05) The Comets Blue team continued their rampage thru the D2 ranks
with a 78-35 win over South Jersey GBC. The Blue
team never was in trouble in this game, using their press to make steals and
generate easy buckets. The
Blue team is undefeated in pool and bracket
play so far. They square off against the South Carolina Heat
on Monday morning. 2005 AAU
15U D2 Bracket Play Scores
| Date |
Home |
Score |
Away |
Score |
Summary |
| 07/14/05 |
Comets Blue |
78 |
South Jersey GBC |
35 |
|
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