16-UNDER AAU NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2008
DISNEY WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
WOLVERINES ELITE 16-U TEAM PLACES 9TH
THE WOLVERINES ELITE TEAM FINISHED WITH A 5-2 RECORD ON ITS WAY TO A 9TH PLACE FINISH OUT OF A FIELD OF 74 TEAMS. COMPETING AGAINST THE COUNTRIES BEST COMPETITION, THE WOLVERINES ELITE TEAM STARTED BY FINISHING 4-1 IN POOL PLAY. THIER ONLY LOSS COMING TO THE CONNECTICUT BREEZE, 4TH PLACE FINISHERS LAST YEAR. THE TEAM DEFEATED THE THE GEORGIA PEARLS ELITE 73-61 ( KERSTEN MAGRUM 16 PTS 9 RB-KAILA TURNER 15 PTS 7 ASST.-CICI SHANNON 13 RB 5 BLOCKED SHOTS-VAL FINNIN 9 PTS-MARISSA DRAPER 9 PTS 3 ASST.-MALLORY EGGERT 8 PTS 8 RB-KAITLYN RAY 5 PTS 4 RB-ALYSSA CARLSON 8 PTS 4 ASST-KATY HANNEMANN 4 PTS 9 RB) THE ORLANDO COMETS 76-46 (MAGRUM 23 PTS 8 RB-TURNER 15 PTS 11 ASST-SHANNON 10 PTS 12 RB-CARLSON 9 PTS 5 ASST-DRAPER 7 PTS 7 RB-FINNIN 7 PTS 4 ASST-RAY 5 PTS 4 ASST-HANNEMANN 9 RB-EGGERT 11 RB), THE LOUISIANA ROCKETS 82-63 AND THE OHIO CBC NEXT LEVEL 80-69. THE WOLVERINES THEN ADVANCED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET AND THE FINAL 32 TO FACE THE JAMES RIVER BLAZE OF VIRGINIA. THE GAME WAS A SEE-SAW BATTLE FEATURING MANY LEAD CHANGES, THE WOLVERINES HAD TO BATTLE BACK TWICE FROM SIZEABLE DEFICITS AND ENDED UP PULLING OUT THE VICTORY BY A SCORE OF 78-70. THE TEAM THEN ADVANCED TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR (TURNER 20 PTS 7 ASST-MAGRUM 21 PTS 12 RB-FINNIN 24 PTS SEVEN THREE'S-EGGERT 10 PTS-RAY 8 PTS 4 ASST-DRAPER 7 RB-HANNEMANN 8 RB-SHANNON 7 RB 6 BLOCKED SHOTS, FACING A TOUGH TASK GOING AGAINST LAST YEARS DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS THE NEW YORK SILVER BULLETS. BOASTING TWO 6'5 POST PLAYERS AND THE NUMBER ONE SEED THE WOLVERINES KNEW THEY WERE IN FOR A BATTLE. AFTER SEVERAL LEAD CHANGES THE TEAM FOUND THEMSELVES DOWN BY TWO POINTS WITH THE NEW YORK TEAM SHOOTING THE FRONT END OF A ONE ON ONE. THE FREE THROW WAS MISSED AND KERSTEN MAGRUM REBOUNDED THE BALL WITH 9.4 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK, SHE DROVE THE LENGTH OF THE COURT AND WITH PRESSURE FROM BOTH SIDES PULLED UP AND HIT WHAT APPEARED T O BE THE GAME TYING SHOT, ALL GIRLS WENT CRASHING TO THE GROUND. THE TOP OFFICIAL CALLED THE BASKET GOOD AND SIGNIFIED A DEFENSIVE FOUL, THE BOTTOM OFFICIAL BLEW HIS WHISTLE AND AFTER A BRIEF EXCHANGE OF SIGNALS THE BOTTOM OFFICIAL CALLED AN OFFENSIVE FOUL ON MAGRUM. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE BASKET WAS WAIVED OFF AND THE TEAM HAD LOST THE GAME 56-54 (TURNER 22 PTS 6 ASST-MAGRUM 20 PTS 13 RB. "IT WAS THE MOST HEARTBREAKING LOSS I HAVE EVER BEEN INVOLVED IN ALL OF THESE YEARS COACHING, KERSTEN MADE THE HARD SHOT AND THE CALL JUST DIDNT GO OUR WAY. I TOLD THE GIRLS THEY HAVE NOTHING THE BE ASHAMED OF, THEY PLAYED THIER HEARTS OUT AND MADE THE ILLINOIS WOLVERINES, MYSELF AND THIER PARENTS VERY PROUD! NOT TO MENTION THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF COLLEGE COACHES IN ATTENDANCE AT EACH AND EVERY GAME, THE GIRLS HELPED THIER STOCK RISE EVEN MORE! WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THE RESPECT AND ADMIRATION I HAVE FOR THESE GIRLS, THEY WERE SIMPLY AWESOME. THE WOLVERINES ELITE TEAM FINISHES WITH THE 9TH PLACE FINISH OVERALL FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR. THE TEAM NOW MOVES ON TO PLAY IN THE BEST OF THE MIDWEST NCAA OBSERVATION TOURNAMENT AND THE US JUNIOR NATIONAL TOURNAMENT NEXT WEEK TO FINISH OFF THE SUMMER.
WOLVERINES 16-U ELITE ROSTER
ALYSSA CARLSON
MARISSA DRAPER
MALLORY EGGERT
VALERIE FINNIN
KATY HANNEMANN
KERSTEN MAGRUM
KAITLYN RAY
CICI SHANNON
KAILA TURNER
CONGRATULATIONS WOLVERINES ELITE!
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