CULLMAN —
A pair of local youth basketball players recently contributed to their team’s eighth-place finish at the fifth-grade Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Girls Basketball Division II National Championships in Franklin, Tenn.
After trying out and making the squad in March, Camryn Crider, of Cold Springs, and Molly Gambrill, of Holly Pond, spent the summer competing for the Huntsville-based Southern Starz fifth-grade girls basketball team.
The Starz were one of 32 teams across the country to qualify for the national tournament, which they accomplished with a third-place result at the state tournament in late May. Once in Tennessee, the Starz ended pool play with a spotless 3-0 record to advance to the championship bracket.
Crider and Gambrill’s squad earned a spot in the Elite 8 with a come-from-behind victory over the Fairfax Stars (Virginia) before losing to the Ponchatoula Hurricanes (Louisiana), the eventual champions, in the quarterfinals.
There’s a chance the eighth-place finish could result in the Starz’ inclusion in the national rankings at the end of the AAU basketball season, which would carry over into next year’s sixth-grade preseason rankings.
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Camryn Crider, of Cold Springs, and Molly Gambrill, of Holly Pond, pose with their medals and trophy for the Huntsville Starz eighth-place finish at the AAU Fifth-Grade Girls Basketball Division II National Championships in Franklin, Tenn. Contributed
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LOCAL SPORTS: Crider, Gambrill help Starz take 8th at nationals
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