Arizona Venom Sports

It's all about the game!

...12U Finishes 3rd in Thunder Tournament

- March 10, 2007

The AZ Venom 12U team participated in their very first tournament.  The coaching staff used this tournament as a learning tool for our “inexperienced” team.  The girls received an “A” while winning three straight games in the tournament.  Energy and experience grew as the Venom finished in third place.

 

The tournament began on Friday, March 9^th, as the girls faced the experienced and athletic Silver Streaks.  The game got off to a shaky start as the Silver Streaks controlled the first half.  The Venom’s aggressive defense and fast break scoring of Nance Carranza began a second half comeback.  The second half ended on a high note with both teams scoring 15 points apiece.  Our Venom finished strong although we could not overcome the first half depict.

 

Full of confidence, game two against the Phoenix Phenoms displayed moments of excellence.  We did not have much tournament experience but it did not show in the closely played match-up.  Our young ladies developed into a “team”.  The frontcourt of Kenna McDavis and Jordann Sharp shut down our opponents’ low-post offense.  Pressure defense by guards Angie Vecchiarelli and Paloma Anderson forced the Phenoms into poor outside shooting.  Peace Amukamara hit two clutch free-throws followed by Payton Richardson’s timely rebound sealed the Venom’s 12U first tournament victory by one point.

 

Our next opponent was the Arizona Premier Basketball Academy.  Offense turned into an important element as the 12U team coasted to victory.  Sharp passing and a hard-working 2-3 zone over matched the Premier.  Cutting down on turnovers, our Venom worked hard behind the ball-handling of Sarah Barr and sharp-shooting of Deasha Jackson.  The young ladies learned the importance of intensity and teamwork as we soared to our second straight win.

 

The next game of the evening was expected to be a re-match of our first game opponents.  But the well coached Spirit over took the Silver Streaks in an earlier game.  Our Venom continued the team bonding process before the late game against the Spirit.  Happiness, laughs and picture taking demonstrated the team unity needed to play in tournaments at such a high level.  Anticipation and energy rose as we came closer to the game’s start.  The dedication and hard work of practices paid off as we were victorious over the Spirit.

 

The third and final day of the tournament put the Venom against the Gilbert Genies.  The winner had the right to play for the championship.  The results were not as well as we had planned against the tall and athletic Genies.  Late surges were led by the rebounding of Courtney Curry and defense of Tarina Johnson.  The Genies were to much to overcome.

 

The Venom 12U team would like to thank our families, friends and older Venom teams for all of their support.  The third place finish is a great accomplishment.  With hard work and determination, our young ladies will become the valley’s team to beat.