AAU state tourney

By Alexa Doyer

Elm Street School

A long drive lays before the Sparks basketball team as they travel on up to Howard Sports Center in Saco. It is about 3:45 on Friday April 23. This is the final tournament that the Sparks will play in for this season. Armed with ambition they take the court for their first game. In the first game the Sparks played Maine Hoops. A well put together team but the Sparks made them earn every basket. In this game number eleven, Becky Brown, took a fall and sprained her ankle. Now, the Sparks only had one substitution. They still gave it all that they had but in the end Maine Hoops prevailed. At 6:30 the same night the Sparks played the Waterboro team. It was an exciting game all through the first and second quarter but again the Sharks were shut down and Waterboro took the win.

On Sat. the Sparks had a game against their rivals the Poland Netburners, their other u-13 team. The tip-off, Netburner’s ball, but than the Sparks score a lay-up but here comes a shot from the Netburners and there it goes, back and forth the score raged. Two to two, four to four, eight to ten, all very close. The Sparks entered the second half only trailing but a few easy points but then the Netburners lived up to their name and sank almost every shot they threw up. The Sparks came out on the bottom but what a great game it was.

On Sunday the Sparks drove over to Deering High School in Portland for their final game at 11 a.m. The Sparks were to play the Eagles for fifth place. Coach Doug Bowie of the Sparks was unable to attend so Rodney Wright stepped in to help them out. The whole game the Sparks were trailing by five points or less. Basket for the Eagles, basket for the Sparks, then, the fourth quarter was coming to a close. Fouls left and right, dives, drives, power moves, the roughest few minutes of basketball I had seen in a long time. Finally at the end the Eagles pulled out for the win. The Sparks were disappointed but it was one of their closest games all year and something they should all be proud of. Even the Sparks didn’t exactly have a winning season, they should be proud of their accomplishments and gains in basketball because, “winning isn’t everything, attitude is.”