It's fall, so that can mean only one thing: We're back and better than ever with AAU basketball for the girls!
Except it girl, singular, this time. After a mixture of weak rec league play and elevated school team play in the summer, I thought both girls would take the fall off from basketball to focus on volleyball, and their studies as brand new middle school (7th) and high school (9th) students.
We almost got past tryouts, but Millie confirmed her teammates were returning, and she didn't want to let them down (or miss out on the fun at practice). This meant she'd miss 2 or 3 weekend junior high volleyball games, as well as dash out early twice a week, but she seemed fine with that.
Despite attending numerous multi-site tournaments where the main facility was in Delaware, this was the first where Millie's team actually played in the state. The Zero Gravity Mid-Atlantic Fall Opener Tournament was centered around game at the Philadelphia 76ers training facility in Wilmington, although only one or two teams in the program even got to set foot in there.
Did I also mention it was Maja's homecoming dance that weekend, plus she needed a ride to the Friday night football game. Needless to say, I woke up at 5am Saturday to make the drive deep into a Wilmington. The team had 8am and 10am games in a converted church, which was quite nice. The 7th grade competition was not nice, at least in a competitive standout. Their two 30+ wins bookended a double overtime game from two teams in the pool. They were far superior to the competition in the bracket.
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| Not too shabby for a converted church |
The concerns began to draw towards Pool B in the age group. The Delaware Swarm were in that pool, and two years prior had met up with Millie's team in the most physically violent knock-down, drag-out championship we've ever witnessed (We closed out the facility an hour later than any game that started at the same time.) Worst yet, the 6th grade team was playing up and had to face them late in the afternoon. I prayed for their safety.
After those prayers, we had lunch together and I jumped back in the car to head back home and Uber Maja to pictures and back-and-forth from the dance and after-party.
Definitely no pictures of that. It's not basketball related and apparently I'm an old curmudgeon to fashion. One parent did point out that all the dresses were longer than the "long" style of volleyball shorts. Like a proper field hockey uniform, everyone wore the volleyball shorts under the dresses and it seemed to work.
By midnight, Maja was finally home, I fell asleep, only to wake up at 5am for another 8am game in Delaware, this time a Police Athletic League (PAL) facility in New Castle. I brought a sleepy Maja in the passenger seat to cheer on here sister/video record the game/babysit some of the younger siblings of teammates.
Now I don't know where Joe Biden's actual home is, but this part of New Castle had me expecting a Secret Service blockade to the President to get through to head back to the White House. It was quite affluent and fancy-schmancy.
The Delco Goats were a perennial whipping boy for Millie's team, particularly for normally dropping multiple teams in divisions where they had no right being. This time, they brought two teams, and the one in Pool A had won the double-overtime thriller on Saturday, so they had some chutzpah.
Millie's team, with their guard play, speed, and new height, broke out with a 10-0 in the first two minutes, and led by 16 at the half. But I must give Delco credit, they roared back to get within 7 before the Millie's crew put the hammer down and demolished them by 27.
After waiting till 1pm for the championship game, and braving a Delaware Wawa minutes before the Eagles kicked off, we made it back and were not disappointed. There was no mercy, as they just walloped Team Impact 50-15, and it wasn't that close.
Oh, and the 6th graders playing the dreaded Swarm? They did get violently knocked around, but hung in their and blew them out 25-5. As the only 2-1 team in either pool, I declared them unofficially in 3rd place. Not too shabby.
And it's no surprise that at least the final two tournaments of the season will have the 7th graders playing up to 8th grade. Remembering how they played individually in the summer junior high league, some circumstances, it might not be enough.
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