It’s been quite a week for the Maine Firecrackers girls’ basketball program at the AAU national championships in Orlando, Fla.

Just three days after the Firecrackers’ U13 team reached the final of the eighth-grade Division II tournament, the U14 team captured the ninth-grade Division II national championship, beating Team Ohio 55-48 in the final.

The Firecrackers finished the tournament with a 7-0 record, with an average victory margin of more than 18 points. Their closest game was 44-42 over the Massachusetts Wildcats in the quarterfinals.

The Maine squad, composed of players from southern Maine, struggled early in the final. Coach Don Briggs said playing at such a high level and the atmosphere associated with a championship game caused some early difficulties.

“I think (our players) were just nervous,” he said. “They were playing in a championship game, being on TV, but as the game went on they gained confidence and calmed down.

“We were getting good shots (early). They just weren’t falling.”

But the Firecrackers regrouped after a 22-16 halftime deficit and earned the title they craved from the start.

It was the first AAU national title for a Maine team, girls or boys.

“Our only goal all year was to win the national championship,” Briggs said. “We geared our season from March to now on winning a championship.”

Point guard Allie Clement, who helped McAuley High win the Class A state championship this year, scored 17 points while recovering from an ankle injury sustained in the third tournament game. She sat out the first two knockout games.

Alisha Starbird of Scarborough also went down in the third game. She suffered a dislocated thumb and the Firecrackers were without her for the final 16 minutes.

Starbird played through her injury in subsequent games, and Clement returned in the semifinals against the Canadian national team, scoring 20 points to lead Maine to a 62-45 victory.

The Firecrackers also got a key semifinal performance from Olivia Smith, a 6-foot-3 center from Yarmouth who is transfering to McAuley. Smith was strong in the paint with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Olivia Shaw, an incoming sophomore at Thornton Academy, added a pair of 3-pointers.

Other team members were Ashley Briggs of Scarborough, Bailey Cote of Biddeford, Nina Davenport of Freeport, Sam Frost of Windham and Brianne Maloney of South Portland.

“Every game and practice, they knew what they had to do to play the game at a high level,” said Briggs. “This was so special because they are so goal-oriented.

“These girls care about each other and love each other. They are like sisters.”

THE MBNATION U14 team also made it to the championship game in the ninth-grade Division III tournament, winning five straight games before losing 46-31 to the Massachusetts Wildcats in the final.

MBNation’s roster included four players from Bonny Eagle High: Caitlyn Hawxwell, Olivia Dalphonse, Megan Morash and Ayla Tartre.

Other team members were Laura Holman and Elizabeth Donato of Portland, Mikayla Moran of Saco, Amanda Spink of Gorham and McAuley High, Paige McElwain of York, Mackenzie Worcester of Washburn and Krystal Kingsbury of Presque Isle.

Staff Writer Austin Pollack can be contacted at 791-6356 or at: apollack@pressherald.com