2010
16U (2011) TEAM NEWS
STARZ 14U Finish in 17th place at AAU Nationals!
Our AL AAU State Champion
Starz 14U team
finished in a tie for 17th Place at the 14U AAU National
Tournament held in Clarksville, TN following a tough loss by
a score of 59-54 to the Pool B Champion Knoxville Lady
Panthers and their 6'5" Center Quaneisha McCurty. Our Starz
fell behind in the first half by as many as 18 points and
trailed at halftime by 34-21. Our Starz stepped up their
defense to hold the Lady Panthers to 25 points in the second
half and cut the lead to one point!! Knoxville held off the
Starz in the end to win by a 5 point margin. This improved
the Lady Panthers record to 5-0 in the tournament.
Although this was a very tough loss, CONGRATS to our Starz
14u players, coaches, families, and supporters for a GREAT
tournament and a GREAT accomplishment.
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view larger picture
Starz 14U – Alabama AAU 2008 State Champs! (May 30 – June 1, 2008)
– Our Southern Starz 14U
captured their 3rd AL
AAU STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE and brought back the trophy
to the Southern Starz basketball organization. After a 4-point loss
in 2007 due to injuries and a short roster, the Starz 14U were
hungry for another AAU State trophy in 2008. The players and
coaches proved to be well prepared for the competition and went
undefeated throughout the tournament. The “pool play” put the Starz
in first place after winning games against the AL Twisters – Red and
the Cullman Storm. Moving into the semi-finals the Starz met up
with the AL Roadrunners in a very aggressive battle to advance to
the championship game. The game remained close through the first
half however when the second half started, the Starz quickly built a
20+ point lead and never looked back. By defeating the Roadrunners
the Starz advanced to the championship game against their rivals,
the North AL Lady Hoopsters (formerly the AL Ballers). Jumping out
to an early 14 – 2 lead the Starz seemed to have complete control of
the contest only to allow the Hoopsters to fight their way back into
the contest late in the 2nd half. With only a few
minutes left it turned into a 1-point game, forcing the Starz to get
down to business. Several key shots from the inside quickly changed
the tempo and the Starz built a 9-point lead and held on till the
final buzzer. Congratulations to all of the North AL Lady Hoopsters’
players and their coaching staff for a well-played, well-coached
game. The 14U Starz
are now setting their sites on the D1 National Championships being
held in mid-July ’08. Thanks to the parents, the fans, the siblings
and ALL those that support and cheer for our Southern Starz
teams!!!! D1, here we
come!!!!!!!!!!
Starz 14u take 1st
place in the 15 division at the
Clay Classic Tourney in Birmingham, Alabama
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Starz 14u WIN CHAMPIONSHIP at the Clay Classic Tournament – 15U
Division (May 16 - 18, 2008) – Our Southern Starz 14U team dominated all competition at
the Clay Classic held in Trussville, AL on May 16 – 18, 2008. While
continuing their quest to prepare for the upcoming AAU State and
National Tournaments, the 14U Starz chose to “play up” again and
entered the 15U division of the tourney. The Starz went undefeated
in Pool play and finished in first place in their Pool on Saturday
by defeating their opponents by an average of 26 points per game.
The Starz met up with the AL Warriors in the Championship game on
Sunday. The Warriors proved to be a strong competitor however the
Starz ended the game with a final score of 60 – 42. Congratulations
to the team for another strong showing while playing outside their
age division. Keep up the great work girls, the State Tournament is
just around the corner and we are hoping to grab our 3rd
Alabama AAU State Championship title. Thanks to all the parents,
siblings and fans………..GO STARZ!
Starz 14u are 2008
YBOA State Champions!
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Starz 14u WIN the 2008 YBOA
State Championship – 15U Division (May 2 - 4, 2008)
– Our Southern Starz 14U competed in the YBOA State Championship for
the first time in their history during the weekend of May 2 – 4,
2008. The 14U Starz chose to compete in the 15U Age Division in
order to search out some of the best competition. The Starz went
undefeated in Pool play on Friday and Saturday and met up with the
North Alabama Twisters 15U team in the finals on Sunday at 2:30PM.
After a sluggish start the Starz defense decided to make a statement
by shutting down the Twisters offense with a full court 2-2-1 press
that seemed to make the difference. With repeated turnovers in the
back-court, the Starz quickly capitalized by making some fast-break
points to take a commanding lead that carried into the 4th
quarter. Coach Looney played his entire bench during the contest
and the win was truly a TEAM EFFORT. The final score of the game
was 78 – 46. Congratulations to the Starz 14U team for their first
showing in the YBOA league. Thanks to all the Parents,
Grand-Parents, siblings and fans for their support and applause. GO
STARZ – 2008 YBOA STATE CHAMPIONS!!!!!
Sierra Sales # 43 takes
MVP award at YBOA State Tourney
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Sierra Sales #43 is Awarded
the 2008 YBOA State Championship MVP Award – 15U Division (May 4,
2008) –
CONGRATULATIONS to Sierra Sales #43 for being awarded the 2008 YBOA
State Championship MVP recipient in the 15U Age Division.
 |
The
Starz 14u take
a break in front of the
Dean E. Smith Center during the "Reebok Deep
South Classic"
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Starz
14u take 1st place in the 15U Alabama Terrier’s
Tournament (April 11 – 13, 2008) -
The Southern
Starz 14U team decided to “play up” in a
local 15U tournament sponsored by the Alabama Terrier’s on April 11
– 13, 2008. Competition from the Alabama and Tennessee areas
attended the event and it offered our girls a chance to play against
teams in the 15U age group. The Starz went undefeated in pool play
and met up with the Alabama Dream Team in the finals on Sunday. The
Dream Team jumped to a quick 10 – 3 lead and soon the Starz found
themselves having to battle a 15 point deficit by half-time. Even
though the “shots weren’t falling” for the Starz they stuck with
their game plan and continued to stay on track during the contest.
The crowd energy was a big boost to the Starz players and helped to
motivate them to build a great come-back! By the end of the 3rd
quarter the Starz had closed the gap and tied the game 50 – 50. The
4th quarter proved to be a “horse race” and the Dream
Team instantly scored 6 unanswered points. Now down 56 – 50 the
Starz coaches shifted our defense into a full-court man-to-man and
that proved to make the difference. Several key steals / turn-overs
helped the Starz to turn the corner and take the lead for good. The
defensive adjustment only allowed the Dream Team an additional 6
points in the 4th and our Starz went on a 20 point run to
close the game out with a 70 – 62 win! Thanks to the parents,
siblings and fans for cheering us on to an exciting win.
Starz
14u
win 1st place in
Alabama Terrier's Classic
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Starz
14u Start their 2008 season against the #2 Team in the Nation
(Arkansas Mavericks) in the Annual Memphis – Rumble on the River
Tournament
Our Southern
Starz 14U team opened up their season by
competing against the #2 National Ranked Arkansas Mavericks in the
Rumble on the River tournament in Memphis, TN on March 14, 2008.
This first challenge was a cross-pool played game. While this game
did not count against the bracket ranking of the tournament it gave
the players and coaches a good assessment of how our Starz are
positioned for 2008. The 14U Starz group consists of 5 returning
players and 9 new recruits and they held their own against the
4-year squad from Arkansas during the first-half with a 28 – 28
tie. Already down two players due to vacation and schedule
conflicts, the score quickly went in favor of the Mavericks when
Fossett (our remaining point guard) went down with a bad ankle
sprain. Overall the Starz 14U team went 1 – 1 in bracket play and
then got a chance to meet up again with the Arkansas Mavericks in
the semi-finals on Sunday, March 16th. Coach Looney
decided to “slow the game” and switched up the offensive and
defensive strategy to put the Starz more in control of the flow of
the game. The game plan worked flawlessly and with only 9 minutes
remaining in the game the Starz were tied 50 – 50 with the #2 team
in the country. The momentum and the energy were clearly on the
side of the Starz until Fletcher went down hard with a knee sprain
and then Henley quickly followed with an asthma attack. Both had to
leave the game for the remainder of the contest and the momentum
shifted back to the Mavericks who closed out the game with a win
which advanced them to the finals. The Starz coaches are VERY
PLEASED with the performance of this “new team” and how quickly
the players have come together. 2008 looks to be a very promising
season for the 14U Starz.
Symonne Fossett leads Lawrence County to Area Victory over Priceville!
Starz Freshman,
Symonne Fossett (class of 2011) of #6 ranked Class
4A Lawrence County High School scored 30 points as she
helped lead the Lady Red Devils to a 65-61 victory over Priceville.
Former Starz 2009 player Keila Hamlin scored 25 points for
Priceville. With the victory, LCHS improved to 12-5 overall and 4-0
in Area competition. Great Job "Monnie!"
2006
12U TEAM NEWS
12u AAU
Nationals -
Kingsport, Tennessee
The Starz 12U
team played very well in their first Division I appearance and
secured a TOP 25 finish! After a 9th place finish in
last year’s DII Championship the team felt ready to carry it to
the next level. This year the team participated against the
best the country had to offer in the Kingsport, TN AAU Division
I National Championship. The girls won 2nd place in
their Pool play by winning 2 of 3 games and moving on to the
Championship Winner’s Bracket. Bracket play proved to be tough
however, the girls fought hard against very strong teams from
across the country. The 3 losses the team suffered were to
teams that finished the championship play in 13th, 9th
and 5th places. Overall the Starz were very
competitive and proved to everyone that they deserved to be
paired up against the best.
Special thanks
go out to “Coach C” for all of his sacrifices and efforts this
year. After coaching for more than 15 years Coach C has decided
to retire and spend more time with his family. All the parents,
players and coaching staff would like to wish him well and thank
him for creating the “one heartbeat” that we now all share.
Below is a
photo of Starz from front
page of Tri-Cities Times News
http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=3650507
2006
State Champions!
The Starz 12u team defeated the AL Ballers 12u team to win their 2nd
consecutive AL AAU State Championship. The Starz 12u team went
undefeated with a record of 5-0 in the state tournament.
Southern Starz 12u go
undefeated in the Southern States Shootout played in Hartselle, Al.
(May 19 - 20, 2006)
The Starz 12U team was firing on all cylinders this weekend as they
participated in the Southern States Shootout in Hartselle, AL. The
girls played great, unselfish "team basketball" and went undefeated
in pool play. Heather Lewis enjoyed her first action on the court
after being out for almost 6-weeks with a broken ankle suffered in
the Corinth, Mississippi Super Regional. Lewis proved to be "on her
game" sinking several outside perimeter shots and by repeatedly
attacking the goal (welcome back "LuLu"). Some other key notables
were Bre Day and Ebony Pride who were unstoppable from the 3-point
line (Day hit 13 shots from downtown over the three game stretch).
Whitney Putman and Symone Fossett stepped up their game with intense
defensive play and KeKe Fletcher took several steals coast-to-coast
to stretch the lead in all games. Dominique Henley continues to
amaze us with her acrobatic shots and high flying rebounds. The
girls showed that they are ready and excited for the upcoming State
Championship in Birmingham taking place on Memorial Day weekend.
Wish the girls luck as they go to the State Championship hoping to
defend and repeat last year's title victory
Starz 12u captures
2nd place in the 2006 Starz AAU Super Regional Tourney - picture
below
