This past weekend, PPA Premier Hoops had a huge showing at the Darnestown League Championships. The Player Progression Academy walked away with 3 titles in one weekend (which is pretty amazing if you ask me). While speaking with Premier Hoops Program Director, Eli Schwadron, he mentioned that “It’s been great watching the development of our 4th Grade Green, 5th Grade Green and 6th Grade Green girls teams. From a program perspective, we loved seeing so many PPA families in the gym at once, cheering each other on. All three teams have a lot of potential and we look forward to seeing them compete even more this Winter.”
4th Grade Green, led by Coach Lindsey, finished with a 24-16 win against the Darnestown Cougars. Although it was a close game in the first half, our fourth graders played tough defense which ultimately secured the win. Going into the second half, the girls ran a full court press which caused quick turnovers and quick buckets for us. Genevieve Chapman consistently attacked the basket and finished with two “And 1’s” by the end of the game. When asked to comment on her team’s performance, Coach Lindsey stated, “I’m very proud of how much the girls have grown. Around this time last year, we made it to the championship, but lost against this same team. For the girls to come back after a lot of practice and hard work with no fear…it makes this win that much better.”
5th Grade Green Girls, led by Coach Ken, also experienced a Championship win last weekend. Much like 4th Grade Green, Coach Ken’s team started off slow with the score only being 2-2 in the first quarter. While the team got a lot of good attempts on the offensive end, shots just weren’t falling. In the second quarter, we went down 6-2 which could have seriously discouraged the girls and caused them to give up. However, our girls weren’t done yet. Entering into the second half, due to Tallulah Garnett and Norah Dempsey’s effort on the offensive glass, we got a lot of second chance opportunities. By the end of the third quarter, PPA was on an 8-0 run. Going into the 4th quarter, the girls were up by 14-8 and continued to rely on rebounding and defense which ultimately won them the game.
The final game of the day was a PPA showdown. 6th Grade Green Girls, led by Coach Michael versus 6th Grade Blue, led by Coach Destini. Both teams have strong rosters filled with girls who are extremely dedicated to the game and even more competitive. In the first quarter, we saw the true reasoning behind coach Destini’s winning record this season. 6th Grade Blue was aggressive and played very well as a team. Although 6th Grade Green was missing Caroline Conroy and Mia Wolf, the team rallied together and adjusted to the high intensity man to man defense they were up against. Vivian Lapointe stepped up in major ways on both the defensive and offensive ends. “Viv was great! She hit a few key baskets that really helped shift the momentum of the game and her effort on defense was incredible.” Coach Michael shared after the team win. By the final buzzard, 6th Green Green pulled away and secured a final score of 26-12.
Overall, PPA had a great showing last weekend and we’re very proud of our girls. This weekend, Premier Hoops looks forward to a lot of tournament play. You can expect to see PPA at the Maryland Flames League and PV Thunder Halloween Hoops Fest.
Play On!