By Paul Silverfarb
Although the Sacred Heart Greenwich basketball team is young, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t ready to challenge for some postseason hardware.
“The record is great, but I’m just so happy with the way the girls are playing,” said Sacred Heart head coach Ayo Hart. “We’ve had games that have been very lopsided. Some of them have been a testament to the other team. However most of the games I would say is a tribute to the defense that we are playing this year. It’s great to see them coming together so well.”
Despite the youth of the Tigers, playing only two seniors, six sophomores, one freshman and one eighth-grader, they have been showing great fundamental basketball.
Sacred Heart’s defense has been lights out throughout the season. Hart says that the key to the team’s defense is their intensity, athleticism, and ability to get their hands on the ball. The Tigers are loaded with players up and down the roster that are three-sport athletes. Hart added that they are able to use their athleticism because of how fast, strong, and smart they are.
“When you play multiple sports like soccer and lacrosse, the kids just understand concepts,” she said. “I am also fortunate because eight of our 10 girls play AAU basketball and I have never had that before. Those kids really understand the game and have high basketball IQ’s. One of the things we do and pride ourselves on is changing up our defenses. We might run three different sets of defenses within one quarter. Just when a team is getting comfortable with one defense, we kind of mix it up. The kids communicate well together and play well together, so I even let them call their own audibles. They might change their defenses on back-to-back possessions. That’s definitely our strength this year.”
Although the defense has been the star of the show, Sacred Heart’s offense has been firing on all cylinders. Against Greenwich Academy, SHG amassed 79 points and finished with 75 points against Hopkins School. They netted 72 points a game earlier against Rye Country Day School, scored 67 against Greenwich Country Day School and 66 against Holy Child.
Hart said that her team’s offense comes from its defense by creating turnovers and scoring in transition.
“Also a lot of this is about getting more touches,” Hart said. “We have a bunch of kids that have finally committed to playing in the offseason, so the quality of offensive plays is better. We have better shooters. At any given moment, any one of the five girls on the court cannot just score, but also hit the three or finish at the rim. They move the ball really well, are unselfish, and have great fundamental skills.”
This year, the Tigers are being led by its two seniors, co-captains Sarah Augustine and Franny O’Brien.
Because of her height at 6-feet, 2 inches, Augustine has traditionally been a point player and has enjoyed playing inside and under the basket, but this year Hart has given her much more freedom to move more and bring the ball up herself.
“She’s a tough match-up,” Hart said. “She can step out and hit the three, is getting much more agile along the perimeter, and able to do a lot of our transition defenses that we want. She’s also pretty hard to stop inside. When she gets the ball near the rim, it’s hard to stop her, and she’s a very good free throw shooter, so it’s kind of like pick your poison. She’s also a good passer and knows how to set her teammates up. People can double-team her and she can still find the open person.”
O’Brien, who is committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dame next year, is a phenomenal athlete, according to the head coach.
“She’s not a basketball-first player, but she’s just so committed and intense,” Hart said. “Even while playing varsity soccer and varsity lacrosse, she still went to as many fall league games as she could. She knows what the team needs to do to stay in shape and be ready for whatever comes our way on the court. She takes charge and I think the girls look up to her.”
In addition to O’Brien and Augustine, sophomore Payton Sfreddo joins Augustine as the team’s leading scorers. Sfreddo is a taller guard than usual, but Hart says that she’s very proficient on the perimeter, is a solid passer and defense, and is excelling on transition.
Fellow sophomore Madison Hart leads the Tigers when it comes to assists and is in charge of running that traditional point position on the court. In addition, the head coach said that Madison Hart can post-up and use her strength to her advantage. Defensively Madison Hart is also one of the team’s best defenders.
Freshman Eva Wilkerson is usually the fifth starter for Sacred Heart. Sophomore Kaitlin Robinson sees plenty of time on the court during games, as well eight-grader Ava Curto.
And not only are Hart’s basketball players great on the court, but the head coach says they are just as talented off the court as well.
“They are all very good students and I think that’s super important,” Hart said. “We have kids taking AP courses and honor courses. I’m just in awe of the fact that these kids can be three-sport varsity athletes taking all these AP and high honor classes and still be successful both on and off the court. As a coach, you can’t ask for anything else.”
Although the Tigers are in the middle of its schedule, they are looking forward to some postseason hoops and trying to take down perennial FAA powerhouse St. Luke’s School.
“The girls believe in themselves and have set a high goal for themselves,” Hart said. “For the past three years, St. Luke’s has won FAAs, so they are the ones that we put the bullseye on. Every year that I’ve been here, we have been closer and closer to St. Luke’s and I think more so this year. I think we match up with them better and have more weapons. They have gotten better too, but I expect it to be us and St. Luke’s in the championship game. I also think that we can make a return trip to NESPAC. We did it a couple of years ago for the first time in a long time and I am expecting us to qualify this year as well.”
As of press time, the Tigers are sitting with a record of 8-3 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the Fairchester Athletic Association.
Over the past weekend, and against some top talent in the NEPSAC, Sacred Heart fell to Choate Rosemary Hall 62-39, but rebounded nicely against Millbrook School and won that contest 52-50.
Against Choate, Sacred Heart was led by the duo of Sfreddo and Augustine, as Sfreddo took home 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Augustine grabbed 11 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. Madison Hart had an all-around strong game, finishing with eight points, six rebounds and four steals.
During the victory against Millbrook, the Tigers were paced by Sfreddo and Madison Hart, who each ended the day with 16 points and nine rebounds. Augustine added 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Wilkerson added seven points, four rebounds and three steals.
Sacred Heart returned to FAA play on Wednesday with a game against Greens Farms Academy and then traveled to Masters School yesterday. Results were unavailable at press time for both games. Tomorrow, the SHG returns home to take on NEPAC foe Taft School at 2 p.m.
