The brewing rivalry between the Greenwich High girls basketball team and Fairfield Warde continued in dramatic fashion Monday night.
The Lady Cardinals saw a six point fourth quarter lead evaporate to the Mustang defense when they were held to eight points in the final quarter. Warde used a 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter to capture the lead and hold on to remain undefeated in FCIAC play in the 50-47 win.
“Matchups against Fairfield-Warde have always been great matchups,” said GHS head coach Chrys Hernandez. “They always come down to the wire and we’re used to that. I was proud to see the intensity they came out with during the entire game. This is definitely a rivalry game for us.”
Abbie Wolf recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss while Emily Anderson scored 13 points, 10 of which were scored in the third quarter.
For Fairfield Warde, Iliana Krasniqi scored 16 points and Shania Osborne added 14 points. Both recorded a double-double in the win and were key contributors to the Mustangs’ 8-0 run in the fourth quarter in another closely decided game.
“Our last experience here was a game decided by just two points in overtime,” Warde head coach David Danko said. “These games go either way. These are playoff teams.”
“They took our heart out last year in the FCIAC semifinals. We had a good lead on them and they took it away, rightfully so. We had all year to think about that. It’s good to come here and compete because it’s always going to be a game and a chess match when we play.”
Trailing by four points with four minutes remaining, the Mustangs made the most of their late possessions, cashing in on three pointers from Krasniqi and sophomore Libby McKenna.
The two-minute, 8-0 run by the Mustangs gave them the permanent lead for the night, but it was far from comfortable.
Warde went 2-for-7 from the line in the fourth quarter, allowing Greenwich to have a final opportunity at the buzzer, but a toughly-contested shot by Emily Anderson was just off the mark, grazing the rim as the clock hit zero.
“We stretched Abbie down to the baseline,” Danko said. “We released on the double team and it allowed for Emily Anderson to get open and she made a couple nice shots. Overall, our defense stepped up and those three pointers were timely.”
Warde remains perfect in FCIAC play at 10-0 and improved to 13-1 overall.
After starting 7-0, Greenwich has dropped three of their last five games, with the upcoming schedule not looking any easier for the Lady Cardinals.
GHS will face off against Stamford at home Wednesday at 7:00. Senior Night will be on Friday with a scheduled start time of 5:30 p.m. against Bridgeport Central.
“We’ve played a lot of road games so it’s nice to be home,” said Hernandez. “We’re hopefully going to take this momentum and the lessons we learned to get ready for Stamford.”
