Fencor 1989s

Pennsylvania team takes home AAU title Keith Prince kprince@thenewsstar.com July 23, 2004 When Fencor defeated Kenner 71-61 Thursday afternoon at Fant-Ewing Coliseum, it did more than decide the 14-and-under AAU girls' basketball national championship. It also put an end to an incredible week of basketball in the Twin Cities that featured 100 teams and more than 1,000 girls from every section of the country. To win the championship, its second age-group title in the past three years, Fencor - based in Fort Washington, Pa. - won 10 games in six days. Championship day was the most grueling of all for the teams that made it into the "Final Four." A pair of semifinal games were played at 8:30 a.m. Fencor was forced into overtime to defeat the Tulsa Swoosh 79-75, and that game didn't end until 10:15 a.m. - meaning the eventual champs had less than two hours of rest before the last game. "We wouldn't have cared if they told us to play immediately," said 6-foot-4 Fencor star Elena DelleDonne who scored 44 points and 25 points in Thursday's wins. "We were really energized after the morning win, but when the last game started my legs felt like lead. I didn't care, though, because it was for the championship and we were going to give it our all," added DelleDonne. Fencor led throughout the first half before Kenner came back to take a five-point lead, 42-37, with 10 minutes left in the game. Fencor coach Veronica Algeo said, "We've talked a lot about being able to emotionally handle the ebb and flow of a game. Our girls did that today, and it paid off down the stretch." After trailing by 5 points, Fencor scored 7 straight points and never relinquished the lead again over the final eight minutes. Local volunteer Linda Harper, who served as tournament coordinator, provided some astounding figures after the championship game. "During the six-day tournament, we played a total of 337 basketball games," she said. "We played in 18 gyms and we used three officials (referees) in each game along with three individuals handling game management duties (clock operator, scorekeeper and shot clock operator). "That figures out to a total of 2,022 individuals required to run those 337 games," she remarked. Harper added, "When you start thinking about meals, motel rooms, rent cars, gasoline, retail stores and other facets of putting on this type project, it is truly mind-boggling." No figures are yet available concerning the economic impact of the AAU project, but it is expected to be in the millions. ©The News-Star July 23, 2004