Washington DC – Head Women's Basketball Coach, Andrew Morong, led the MBR Basketball U17 club team to the Copper division National Championship this past week at the U.S. Junior Nationals Nike National Tournament in Washington DC. During pool play, MBR defeated KSC Ducks (MA), Maryland Hurricanes, DM Panthers (NJ), Metro-USA (PA), and Crystal City Stars (NY).

MBR was the only Maine team to go unbeaten in pool play and advance to championship bracket play. After dropping an exhibition game to a team from the Platinum division, MBR won 2 games Monday to secure the Copper division championship. This run was a follow-up to last summer's 2nd place finish at the 10th grade AAU National Tournament in Orlando, FL.

According to Coach Morong, "junior nationals was a tremendous experience, and not just because we won. We faced tough competition each and every game that really challenged us as a team, and our individual players. Between the basketball, sightseeing, team meals, and just spending quality time together, it all adds up to an experience I will certainly cherish for a long, long time."

Each game was played in front of multiple college coaches from various levels including, NCAA D1, NCAA D2, NCAA D3, NAIA, and USCAA. The team is comprised of high school girls basketball players from the following high schools; Edward Little, Lewiston, Oxford Hills, Lake Region, Spruce Mountain, Boothbay, and Thornton Academy.

Roster & comments from Coach Morong

Jordyn Reynolds, Edward Little HS – "Jordyn had a tremendous week battling in the post. She has a high motor and great hands, and was absolutely a rebounding machine. In my opinion, she was the best post player on the floor in each one of our games, and we went up against teams with multiple 6-footers; including a 6'4" post from the Platinum division. The KVAC needs to watch out, as Jordyn becomes more and more confident in her ever-growing skillset, there is no end to her potential."

Morgan Eliasen, Lewiston HS – "This young lady has improved so much in such a short amount of time. There was times this weekend where she was the best player in our division. She scored inside, from beyond the arc, at the follow line, and is one of our most unselfish players. Her court awareness and vision are not rivaled by many. She isn't scared to take it to the rim and finish through contact, which is a huge addition to her repertoire."

Sophia Hanscom, Oxford Hills HS – "Soph does a lot of things that do not show up in the box score. She is really starting to play more physical and attack the ball in the air, and she is a tremendous screener. There were numerous times she set up teammates for layups with great ball screens, which in my opinion, should be counted as assists!"

Erin Morton, Oxford Hills HS – "Someone who seems to like playing outside of her comfort zone. She is constantly trying new things, finding new ways to score and attack the defense, all while keeping it simple when needed. Erin scored early and often this past week, from outside, at the rim, and in the mid-range. Most impressively, she handled the pressure defense we saw in almost every game. I cannot specifically remember her turning over the ball all weekend long. She had many 'wow' moments."

Erin Eastmen, Oxford Hills HS (did not travel) – "We missed Erin on this trip, and could have really used her outside shooting, which is something we struggled with early on in the tournament. We hope she heals quickly, and is back on the court soon."

Chandler True, Lake Region HS – "Chan is typically known for her outside shooting, but when that wasn't working early on this weekend, she really got us going defensively. She was constantly talking, jumping to trap, or getting into the passing lane. Most impressively she had some outstanding takes to the basket and was not scared to get physical in the paint while crashing for rebounds.

Kristen Huntress, Lake Region HS – "Battling a nagging ankle injury is never fun, but Kris battled through it all week, and was still the quickest player on the court. She caused all kinds of havoc with numerous deflections, offensive rebounds, and all of the other little thing a coach values. When her shot wasn't falling, she found others ways to make an impact – and when it was, it took our team to an entirely different level."

Alex Bessey, Spruce Mountain HS – "Arguably the MVP of the Copper bracket, and I am not sure if there is much of an argument against it. A point guard with a scorer's mentality, Alex was the attention of every team's defense. Just when people adjusted her to knocking down threes, she would blow by them to attack the rim. Her balance in scoring to sharing is nearly perfected. She knows when and how to distribute, and knows when we need her to just score."

Kate Friant, Boothbay Region High School – "Playing point for your high school team then adjusting to playing a hybrid forward for your club team is not easy to do, but Kate gets it done. She does all of the little things for us, and after a little "encouraging", she started to look for her own offense as well. One of the highlight plays of the entire tournament was a MONSTER rebound she ripped away from 2 opponents in the waning seconds of a one possession game."

Bella Robinson, Thornton Academy – "If there is a loose ball or errant shot to track down, look out, because Bella is there to secure it, and she does not care who is in her way. Another player whose efforts may not show up in the box score, but impacts the game just as much, if not more so than anyone else. She really stepped up and helped us with our press-break, which was no small tasks against some of the pressure D we faced."