Sports
Local 'Attitude' Plays Big in Orlando, Places 2nd in National Tournament
Congratulations to these local girls and coaches who scored big on the basketball court in Orlando, Florida this week.
The Central MD Attitude 8th Grade National team, comprised of players and coaches in Carroll, Howard and Frederick Counties, played their way to the runner up champs in national competition in Orlando, FL.
The team defeated the Louisiana Lady Legends and the Houston Elite to advance to the championship game of the Division II National Tournament. Sixty-eight teams began competition on Tuesday.
Going into the Final Four, the Attitude was 6-0 in the AAU National Tournament defeating the Long Island Lightening, East Tennessee Air, and Prime Time Panthers from Boca Raton, Florida in Pool play as well as the Sutton Shooters from Massachusetts, Ohio Stars from Dayton, and the Legends from Louisiana in Championship Bracket play, according to Coach Heather DeWees.
Central MD is coached by Heather DeWees, Manchester Valley High School's Varsity Girls' Basketball Coach. Her daughter, Mackenzie DeWees, a starting point guard, is one of six kids from Carroll County playing on the team.
Joining DeWees are Kaila Brown, a strong forward who will attend Winters Mill this fall. Brooke Riley and Arianna Cottom, both small forwards, will attend Westminster High School in the fall. Nicole Roberts, a shooting guard, will join Riley and Cottom at Westminster High School in the fall of 2014. Jayce Klingenberg, a shooting guard, will play for DeWees at Manchester Valley High School. Center, Marlee Dzergoski and Mackenzie DeWees will join Klingenberg in Fall 2014 as Manchester Valley Mavericks.
The other members of this talented team are from Howard and Frederick counties.
Coach DeWees is assisted by Larry Butera, a former travel basketball rival and head coach of the Howard County Force 8th grade Girls' Basketball Team and Tina Gough, a high school referee from Frederick County.
DeWees and Butera combined their rival travel teams and recruited some other girls from the Westminster area to create this powerhouse AAU team and have been traveling all over the East Coast since March to prepare the girls for the prestigious National AAU Tournament, Coach DeWees told Patch.
Information in this post provided by Coach Heather DeWees. Photos provided by team parent Megan Brown.
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