On Sunday, the Maryland Lady Shooting Stars 13U Gold team (with the addition of Maryland Flames sensation Kate Gillespie) showed why they are becoming the benchmark for girls youth basketball in Anne Arundel County. The highly heralded team completed its season by winning the U.S. Junior Nationals held at American University. The Stars finished pool play 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 38 points.
In their quarter-finals, the Stars played Team Sol to determine who would advance to the championship game. From the start, the Stars seemed to click on all cylinders that resulted in a 30 point victory. In contrast, the championship was a hard fought contest in which many of the spectators routed for the Virginians. With less than seven minutes left in the game, the Virginians took an 11 point lead and seemed on their way to victory. The majority of the crowd appeared delighted as they celebrated with cheers and laughter. However, with big shots, aggressive defense, hustle, and excellent coaching strategy, the cheers fell silent as the Stars erased an 11 point deficit to win the game, 48-46.
With another major championship added to their resume, the 13U Gold has set the standard for the entire Shooting Stars organization. For a team that has played together for less than a year (for large time with only seven players), the success accomplished is phenomenal. The Stars Gold is the first in the organization’s history to: win the State Championship (2008); Nike Showcase Tournament (2008); Arbutus Tournament Championship (2008); North Carolina Battle of Tobacco Tournament (2008); receive 2 National D-1 bids (2008), place runner-up in Mid-Atlantic Girls National Basketball League (2008); place runner-up in Potomac Valley Super Regional (2008); amass 100 wins with only 8 losses (2007-2008 AAU season); have 2 players selected to Blue Star 1st team (Jonnelle Britt and Moriah Rowser; 2008); and have 5 players receive academic scholarships to attend private schools (2008).
As the Stars-Gold prepares to become 14U next season, their accomplishments and experience will be the fuel needed to increase their intensity and competitive edge. And despite having an incredible season, many of the girls are already talking about the desire to win the D-1 Nationals next year. We as fans, supporters, spectators, and critics can only applaud these young ladies as they have established themselves as the trendsetters for the Maryland Lady Shooting Stars.
Below is the list of the players and where they will be playing high school basketball as freshmen: Bailey, Imani (Spalding); Britt, Jonelle (Archbishop Spalding); Hagins, Domonique (South River); Aleeyah Hopkins (South River); Jones, Dinah (Broadneck); Makins, Raven (Spalding); Quay Malloy (Aberdeen); Matthias, Katie (South Carroll); Rowser, Moriah (St. Johns); and Stewart, Kazzidy (St. Johns).