Maryland Hurricanes AAU Girls Basketball

July 23, 2004
Hurricanes to Host 2005 Maryland State Tournament
The Maryland Hurricanes will serve as the host organization for the 2005 Maryland Association Girls AAU Tournament. The state AAU tournament, which determines Maryland Association qualifiers for AAU Division I and Division II Nationals around the country, is usually held in the greater Baltimore area during the first three weeks of May. The Maryland Association covers all jurisdictions in the state except for Montgomery and Prince George's counties. As the state tournament host club for 2005, the Hurricanes will operate three tournament sites for Pool Play and Championship Bracket games and will stage the championship games in the various age groups. Plans are under way to host the championship games at a Baltimore area college.

July 15, 2004
Hurricanes 12s Tucker in the Mix at the Nationals
The The Hurricanes 12s Tucker team spent a fruitful and competitive week at the AAU Division II Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee, July 3-11. The Hurricanes won two games and lost three. But despite a losing record, the team remained highly competitive throughout the tournament. Two losses were by 1 point and one loss was by 9 points. The 9-point loss was the most the team was down in the whole tournament, and that lead came in the last minute of that game. The team also got two big wins by 40 points and 15 points. The Hurricanes finished Pool Play with a 2-1 record to advance to the Championship Bracket. The team was so competitive that in Pool Play, it wracked up more Pool points 25 to 20 than the team than finished 3-0 in first.

Click here for more details on the games and pictures.

The Hurricanes benefited through the tournament by playing against some really good teams from around the country -- and from seeing how other teams play. Congratulations go out to the Renegades for winning the national championship. The Renegades, who are based in Southampton, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, weren"t the most physically gifted team in the tournament, but showed that teamwork, hustle and shooting can carry you a long way. Some of the other favorite teams we saw play in Nashville included the Burke Jammers from North Carolina, who had only seven players but went deep into the tournament; the Georgia Pistols, who were small but attacked the basket and ran three players at the ball on the press; the Houston Cobras, maybe the most athletic team in the tournament; the Salisbury Magic, one of our competitors in the Maryland Association; the Fairfax Stars from Virginia, who the Hurricanes mingled with at the opening practice, and the Indiana Outlaws, who stayed at the same hotel as the Hurricanes.

July 1, 2004
Hurricanes 12s Tucker Win BNBL League
The Hurricanes 12s Tucker won the 13-under division of this year's Baltimore Neighborhood Basketball League, finishing with an 8-0 record in games played at Edmondson High School in Baltimore. The team joined the league immediately after the Maryland Association AAU Girls State Tournament. While BNBL isn't as competitive today as AAU, the league gave the team an opportunity to play two games a week and run and stay sharp for Nationals. Before everyone started playing AAU and travel ball, BNBL was the summer league of choice in Baltimore for girls and boys. All the great players coming out of Baltimore usually played BNBL.

June 25, 2004

Six Hurricanes 'Graduate' Loyola College Girls Camp
Basketball players practice, play games and go to camp. Six Hurricanes from the 12-Under (Tucker) team spent a grueling but fun-filled four days last week at the Loyola Girl"s Basketball at Loyola College. Loyola Coach Candy Cage commended all the campers for a good job. The overnight camp will help these Hurricanes girls get ready for their trip to the Division II Nationals July 3-11 in Nashville, TN. Pictured from the left are Lauren Carter, Paige Scott, Courtney Feaster, Amirah Tucker, Akilah Sewell (hiding) and Paige Greene -- celebrating the end of camp. The Hurricanes also picked up their share of camp awards Greene and Scott were named to the camp All-Star team; Scott also won a shooting award; Tucker won the camp award for having the best fundamentals, and Sewell helped her team win the championship game.

June 25, 2004
The AAU Nationals get started in the next couple of weeks, and five Hurricanes will be competing for National Championships in Division I and Division II. To read more about the teams listed below, go to the Teams link on our Web site. Here is the schedule for our teams:

Division I Nationals
16-Under Beasley, July 7-13, Chattanooga, TN
13-Under Coughlan, July 7-19, Rochester, MN

Division II Nationals
16-Under Griffith, July 7-16, Orlando, FL
15-Under Cowgill, July 7-16, Orlando, FL
12-Under Tucker, July 3-11, Nashville, TN

Best of luck to our teams competing on the national stage. Check the Hurricanes News Line for details and results of games. Click here to go to the AAU Web site.

June 1, 2004

Hurricanes 16s Beasley Wins Nike Midwest Showdown in Ohio
The Hurricanes 16s Beasley National Team won the 2004 Nike Midwest Showdown in Columbus, Ohio, over the Memorial Day Weekend. The team won seven consecutive games over a field that included the Baystate Magic Elite, All Ohio Red, Forest Hill, Dayton Metro Black, Minnesota Sugar Storm, Alabama Lady Roadrunners, Pittsburgh Nets and SMAC Elite. In the championship game the Hurricanes faced the Nike-sponsored Pennsylvania Rockers, beating the Rockers 62-54. The team was led in the championship game by Xenia Stewart (16 points) and Anatasia Baker and Stacy Hunt (11 points each). Alexandra McGuire fell into early foul trouble in the final game, but had an outstanding tournament despite playing with an injury. Brittany Kelly and Sandy Wasserbach were solid contributors. Stewart was named tournament MVP. Click here for the Nike Midwest Showdown Web site.

May 20, 2004
Hurricanes 16s Beasley Come Back to Win State Title
Everybody was gunning for the Hurricanes 16s, but it was not to be as the team pulled off a stunning 81-80 victory over the Baltimore Cougars May 17 at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore. The day before the Cougars gave the Hurricanes its first loss in the tournament, 80-61, to force the one game championship playoff. The weekend before the Hurricanes topped the Cougars, 72-62. The final game was a pure grudge match in a sweltering gym. The Cougars jumped ahead 39-32 at halftime, but the Hurricanes fought back in the second half to trail by 80-79 with 12 seconds left and the Cougars with the ball. The Hurricanes forced the Cougars into a turnover and came down for the game-winning shot to win 81-80. The win meant the Hurricanes defended its 15-and-under State Championship from 2003. The team already qualified for the Nationals by winning the Dayton Super Regional a few weeks before.

May 20, 2004

Hurricanes 13s Coughlan Win State Title
The Hurricanes 13s coached by Suzanne Coughlan won the 2004 Maryland State Girls AAU championship May 17 at Loch Raven High School in Baltimore in convincing fashion. These Hurricanes were defending the 12-and-under state title they won in 2003 and was the favorite to win again. The Hurricanes beat the Maryland Magic 85-68 in the title game after routing the Magic the day before 72-44. Early in the Championship Bracket the Magic handed the Hurricanes a rare loss, 65-61, forcing the Hurricanes to beat the Magic twice in the final weekend to win the title. In the championship game May 17 the Hurricanes got a number of outstanding performances. Danielle Parker hit for 19 points and set the tone with a strong first half in which the Hurricanes jumped out to a 7-0 lead and led 50-39 at the half. Ayanna Randolph scored 18 points, leading with solid defense and clutch free throw shooting. Kandice Green was strong on the block and finished with 14 points. Destiny Jacobs added 9 points, key rebounds and blocked shots off the bench. Atiya Brown scored 9 points and played her usual stellar defense. Khadija Mitchell scored 7 points and hit a key three pointer. Michaele Dunn added 5 points and Ashley Edwards 3. Jasmine Mitchell had her usual good defensive effort and point guard Brittany Coughlan played a balanced game with her assists and leadership. The Hurricanes bench scored 25 points in the victory.

May 20, 2004
Hurricanes 16s Griffith, 15s Cowgill, 12s Tucker Get Division II Bids
Three Hurricanes teams finished among the Top 5 teams in their age groups to earn bids to their respective AAU Division II tournament. The Hurricanes second 16-and-under team coached by Matt Griffith out of Severna Park finished fourth behind the Hurricanes 16s Beasley, Baltimore Cougars and Maryland Waves. Not bad for a first year team. This team will compete at Division II at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The team is looking to pick up a couple of players for the Nationals, so get in touch with Coach Griffith (443-250-8655) if you're interested. The Hurricanes 15s coached by Jacinta Cowgill finished fourth in its age group to receive a bid to Division II in Orlando. The team was a mix of 14 and 15-year-old players and competed well through the tournament. The Hurricanes 12s coached by Robert Tucker finished fifth among 18 teams in its age bracket to win a bid to Division II in Nashville, Tenn. Nice going for a team that was rebuilt through the fall and winter travel season.

May 10, 2004

The Hurricanes 16s National team poses after a well-earned victory against the Cougars.

Hurricanes 16s Top Baltimore Cougars to Reach Championship Round
In a game that featured many current and future Baltimore area All-Metro performers, the Hurricanes 16s National team moved a step closer to another state championship, topping the Baltimore Cougars in a hard fought contest May 9 at Arundel High School. The Hurricanes led throughout the game despite losing the 2003-2004 Baltimore Sun girls&Mac226; high school Player of the Year Alex McGuire to an injury early in the game. McGuire went to the hospital, received seven stitches above the eye, and returned with eight minutes left to help the Hurricanes stay ahead. Ana Baker, Stacey Hunt, Xenia Stewart and Brittany Kelley carried the brunt of the load in McGuire's absence to frustrate the athletic Cougars. One coach watching in the stands said after the game that, "This team has skills and fundamentals." The Hurricanes will play for their second consecutive Maryland Association Girls AAU Championship May 15 at Loch Raven High School.

April 26, 2004
Hurricanes 16s Griffith Gets Four Wins at SV Cagers Tournament
The Hurricanes 16s team based in Severna Park and coached by Matt Griffith went 4-0 at the Susquehanna Valley Cagers Spring Fling Tournament April 17-18 in Harrisburg, Pa. The Hurricanes first defeated Chickies Rock 17-Under club 54 -49. Laura Moore led all scorers with 20 points and Maddie McConnell added 9. In Game 2, the Hurricanes beat the Washington, Pa., Lady Magic, 51- 33. Whitney Johnson led the scoring with 12 points, McConnell added 10 points and Moore and Lauren Wyble 8 each. In the third game, the victim was the Lehigh Valley Explosion, 58 - 39. Moore hit 16 points and Tiera Brown added 11points. In Game 4 the team beat the Maryland Elite, 71-49. Brown topped the scoring with 14 points, followed by Moore with 13 points. Heidi Mothershead added 9 and Jen Wiley, Sarah Maggio and Johnson added 8 each.

April 20, 2004
Hurricanes 16s Win Dayton Super Regional
The Hurricanes 16s National team became the first Hurricanes club and first in the Maryland Association to qualify for the AAU Division I Nationals. The team, coached by Don Beasley and Juan Baker, won the Dayton, Ohio, Super Regional during the weekend of April 16-18. The Hurricanes beat the Dayton Metro Stars 81-72 in the championship. The field included the Metro Stars, Ohio's No. 1 ranked 16-and-under team; Indiana's Finest, which finished fifth in the AAU Division I Nationals in 15-and-under in 2003; and the West Virginia Thunder, a perennial top 16 nationally ranked AAU team. The Hurricanes dominated the competition. The weekend before the 16s made the final four of the Boo Williams Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., before losing 55-54 to Minnesota North Tartan, which finished fourth in the country in 2003 in the 15-and-under AAU Nationals.

Click these links to read more about the Dayton Super Regional: http://www.thedabbeltreport.com/4.1.html, http://www.thedabbeltreport.com/4.2.html, http://daytonladyhoopstarsaausuperregional.org/

Design: Dragonfly Design