Rebels 8th-graders make Nationals
For the third straight year, a group of Bucks County girls will be testing their basketball skills at the national level. After a solid 2013 spring AAU season, the Rebels Basketball Academy 8th-grade girls team hopes to continue their success at the national tournament to be held July 8 to 13 in Orlando.
To qualify for AAU Nationals, the girls went undefeated in the Mid-Atlantic AAU District Qualifying tournament in Willingboro. In pool play, the girls went 2-0, defeating the Lehigh salley Outcasts and Chester County Lightning.
In bracket play, the Rebels defeated CAL Sports AFDdHPy LQ WKH TuDUWHUfinal round to set up a semifiQDO JDPH DJDLQVW CHQWUDO Bucks Athletic Association (CBAA) Thunder. The Rebels defeated CBAA 55-35 with balanced scoring and strong defense. In WKH fiQDOV, WKH 5HEHOV wRQ a hard fought game against the Delaware Lady Sharks, 30-23.
The team - comprised of 10 local girls from the Council Rock and Neshaminy School Districts, Shannon Coleman, Megan Haggerty, Tara Hessenthaler, Julie Hoover, Kate Lafferty, Emily Mackin, Taylor Polinsky, Kasey Schlupp, Peyton Spadaccino, Hannah Weiler - is coached by Steve Polinsky and Chuck Weiler.
TKH JLUOV KDvH TuDOLfiHd to compete at the national AAU level the last two years, improving last year to 16th in the nation.
Two years ago at nationals, the Rebels didn’t win a PDWFK, fiQLVKLQJ 0-5. DHWHUmined, the girls improved their game and had a good showing last year at nationals, turning in a 2-1 mark in pool play. Their only loss was to a team from MinneVRWD, wKR HQdHd uS fiQLVKLQJ fiIWK, QDWLRQDOOy.
,Q WKH fiUVW URuQd RI bracket play, their only loss was to the eventual national champion. This year, the team hopes to improve on prior years’ successes.
To date, the Rebels have compiled a 12-2 record in AAU play this spring, have been named Mid-Atlantic AA8 CKDPSV DQd fiQLVKHd second in an AAU SuperRegional tournament in Bethlehem.
This is after strong seasonal play during the 20122013 year that included winning the 2012 John Walker League last fall, the InterCounty Basketball League (ICBA) preseason tournament in December, the Central New Jersey basketball league this winter DQd D VWURQJ fiQLVK LQ WKH ICBA winter league.
In late June, the Rebels took the court at Rutgers University and the BlueChip Invitational as they gear up for Orlando.
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