Top left to right: Darius Faulk (Freeport), assistant coach John Kiffel (Garden City), Caitlin McGuinness (Garden City), Christina Raiti (Plainview), Julia Kiffel (Garden City), Paige Kriftcher (Port Washington), Brianna Thomas (Baldwin), Samantha Cody (Long Beach), Candice Ellis (Freeport), head coach Dennis Nuss (Garden City). Bottom row, left to right: Halle Majorana (Manhasset), Kimberly Ryan (Garden City), Samantha Paladino (Amityville), Lauren Nuss (Garden City), Nicole Scicutella (Massapequa) and Haley Alexander (Long Beach). Four 6th-grade girls from Garden City are members of a Long Island Lightning AAU basketball team that is headed to the Division I National Tournament in Springfield, Mo. this summer. They are Lauren Nuss, Kimberly Ryan, Julia Kiffel and Caitlin McGuinness. The head coach is Dennis Nuss and the assistant is John Kiffel. Both are Garden City residents as well. The girls come from nine different towns on Long Island.

The Long Island Lightning girls qualified for the AAU National Championship Tournament by winning the Super Regionals in Windsor, Ct. The Lightning defeated the Westchester Hawks, 59-43, in the title game to go 5-0 in the tournament.The victory qualifies them to participate in the AAU National Championship Tournament, which takes place June 24 to July 1 in Missouri.

Entering tournament play this weekend, the Lightning is 13-0.