Harpers Ferry Fireflies play to fourth consecutive National Runner-Up finish ...

The Harpers Ferry Fireflies traveled to Fort Worth, TX July 11-13 for the National Granny Basketball Tournament held at the Game On Sports Center. The Fireflies won five of the six games they played at the tournament to end up as the National Tournament Runner-Up for the fourth consecutive year and for the fifth time in the past six National Tournaments that have been played. 

The Fireflies first played to a 3-0 record during its pool play round of competition. They defeated fellow Iowa team, the Late Bloomers from Norway, 40-33, before also winning over the Texas Fire Ants from Georgetown, TX, 51-45, and finishing up their undefeated pool play round with a 51-35 victory over the Round Rock Rockettes from Round Rock, TX. The Fireflies then entered the Championship Tournament as a first-place Pool A seed. They continued their winning ways with a 45-40 win over the Waco Six Shooters from Waco, TX before pulling out a 51-50 nail-biter over the Copperas Cove Heatwave from Copperas Cove, TX to advance to the tournament’s championship game. They ended up playing another Iowa team in that title game, and ended up falling to the Sizzlin’ Bees from Cedar Rapids by a 41-35 final result to finish as this year’s National Runner-Up.

The Harpers Ferry Fireflies played to a 9-1 record in league play, and a 9-3 record in tournament play this season for an overall 18-4 record for the year. The Harpers Ferry squad has finished either first or second in each of the last nine Granny Basketball National Tournaments, winning four National Championships in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021 and adding runner-up finishes in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024 in addition to this season’s second-place final result, with no tournament being able to be played in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Picture above displaying the Runner-Up medals they won at the National Tournament are, left to right, Selma White, Donna Matti, Judy Kelly, Tina Hendrix, Georgia Jones, Karen Wagner, Linda Mahr, Roseanne Wicks, Sherry Adney, Sally Light, Cindy Rinker, Theresa Walsh and Tracy Nemechek. Submitted photo.