Local girls basketball team wins state crown

SPARTA — Rise as One, the 8th Grade girls basketball team, from Sparta's The Basketball Factory, will be heading for the national competition in Florida after winning the state title in April.
Top 8th grade girls basketball teams, from central New Jersey participated in the “New Jersey State District AAU Championship” last month at Union Catholic High School in Scotch plains and School Number 9 in Paterson. Teams competed over two days for the opportunity to win the New Jersey AAU State Championship and qualify for nationals that will be held in Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Rise as One beat the New Jersey Sparks 52-48 in thrilling fashion coming back from 11 points down to capture the title from arguably one of the best AAU programs in New Jersey.
“I am very proud of our program,” said Kevin Houston, Rise as One director of basketball and founder of The Basketball Factory. “We continue to improve and see outstanding results against tough competition. This has been a three-year journey of our players participating in NBA skill development programs, organized practices taught by coaches who played the game and loyal players and parents trusting the building process. Together we are proving you can make basketball relevant in northern New Jersey. The future is very bright for our program!”
Summer camps, summer lessons, summer AAU tryouts, and NBA style skill development programs for boys and girls in grades 4 through 12 go to www.thebasketballfactorynj.com and http://www.riseasoneaau.com