By David Fierro
Plenty was accomplished for Sacred Heart Greenwich’s basketball team with one victory Monday against visiting Hopkins School.
The Tigers’ decisive 60-23 win raised their record to a perfect 8-0 in the Fairchester Athletic Association and gave them the FAA regular season championship for the second time in school history.
Most impressive though, is the fact that this season’s Tigers team is the first in program history to finish undefeated in the FAA during the regular season.
“This is the first time in school history that we have gone undefeated in the FAA and only the second time that we’ve been regular season champions,” Sacred Heart senior guard/forward Payton Sfreddo said. “It’s awesome to be a part of this culture and especially being a captain with Madison (Hart).”
Sophomore guard Ava Curto scored a team-best 13 points, including three 3-pointers for the Tigers (15-4) who received a balanced scoring effort and substituted freely in their dominant effort against the visiting Hilltoppers. Sfreddo added 11 points, nine of which came during the opening half, while freshman guard Lucianna Parrotta had 10 points for the Tigers, who held a 16-6 lead on the Hilltoppers after the first quarter.
“I think we did really well, our shot selection was really good and we worked really well together,” said Curto, who also grabbed four rebounds against Hopkins. “We had energy on and off the bench and that really contributes to how we played in the game.”
Senior point guard/co-captain Madison Hart totaled five points and added her usual tenacious defensive play, while junior guard Mackenzie Gillen posted 11 points, with three 3-pointers and three steals for the victors.
Sfreddo snared five rebounds and made four steals, Parrotta pulled down nine rebounds and tallied five steals and freshman guard Emma Matthews had four points, three rebounds and three assists in the winning effort.
Also for SHG in its triumph versus Hopkins, senior guard Victoria Hart had three points and three assists, junior guard Eva Wilkerson notched two points, four rebounds and three assists and junior center/forward Jadamarie Henry had two points.
A layup off a steal by Parrotta, and three straight layups by Sfreddo gave Sacred Heart an 8-0 lead on Hopkins with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. The hosts’ advantage increased to 14-0 on a Sfreddo free throw, a 3-pointer by Gillen and a jump shot from the elbow by Matthews.
Hopkins scored on a lefty layup to end the first quarter, making it 16-6, then SHG began the second quarter with a 10-2 run to open a commanding 26-8 advantage.
Curto swished a 3-pointer, Madison Hart converted a 3-point shot, Sfreddo grabbed an offensive rebound and scored and Wilkerson made a basket, putting the Tigers on top, 26-8, late in the second quarter. A layup off a steal by Parrotta put the Tigers ahead of the Hilltoppers, 33-11, at halftime.
The third quarter commenced with Sacred Heart scoring the first seven points to seize a dominant 40-11 lead. On their way to registering an 8-0 FAA record to win the league’s regular season title, the Tigers have defeated each one of its league opponents by more than 15 points or more and seven of them by 20 or more points.
“I really enjoy leading the team this year,” Madison Hart said. “We’re super close on and off the court and I think that has shown in our success through the relationships we’ve formed. They’re such a good group of girls and it’s been a pleasure to be able to lead them and be a captain this year.”
“It’s really cool and so much fun, especially as a senior to have such a successful last season,” Madison Hart noted. “I feel like we’ve grown a little bit since I’ve been on the team in eighth grade. Every year we’ve gone one step closer to our goals. So, I’m hoping this year we’ll be able to achieve what we want to achieve.”
Coach Hart appreciates the consistent effort her team has displayed on a daily basis, both in practice and during games.
“We are blessed with a group of kids, who have that mentality,” Ayo Hart said. “They are confident, they work hard together, they are selfless. I push this team pretty hard and they respond. It’s a great feeling to see all that hard work pay off.”
The Tigers’ signature win of the season so far was their 71-49 road triumph against St. Luke’s School – the squad that had dominated the FAA the previous seven seasons, winning seven straight league titles.
Sfreddo scored a career-high 38 points that game and set a school record for most points in a single game.
“The St. Luke’s game was great,” Sfreddo noted. “We came out really strong, we came out ready to play. I think it’s been kind of an unspoken rivalry between the two teams and they have always kind of beaten us. So, for us to get the win against them was really exciting and really awesome to do my senior year.”
Said Ayo Hart: “I’m so proud of her, it wasn’t that she scored 38, it was the way she did it. She shot 6-for-8 from 3, 4-of-5 from the free throw line and then 8-of-13 inside the arc. So she didn’t take 50 shots to get to 38 – she was efficient and taking the right shots.”
By winning the FAA regular season title, Sacred Heart Greenwich earned the No. 1 seed in the FAA Tournament, which begins in two weeks. Sacred Heart’s latest win came today, when it traveled to Miss Porter’s School and recorded a 55-38 victory. SHG knows it still has plenty of work to do to accomplish its main goals this winter.
“The mindset going into the tournament, we are trying to tell the girls, is to be confident,” Ayo Hart said. “The mindset has to be, we can do this, they have to believe in themselves. Everyone is going to bring their best for us and everyone starts at 0-0 in the tournament, so that’s what our mindset is – one day at a time, one game at a time.”
Madison Hart said: “We definitely can’t let up. We’ve already talked about how it’s hard to beat the same team twice. GFA and St. Luke’s are probably going to be the biggest competitors in the tournament, so it’s going to come down to who comes ready to play and who is more prepared.”
Sacred Heart celebrates Senior Day with a home game against Suffield Academy on Saturday at 3 p.m.
“I think we’re feeling pretty confident,” Sfreddo said. “We’re ready to play, ready to play good competition and really jell together as a team for the postseason – which is the most important part of the season. When the playoffs come around, we’ll be ready to go.”
Said Curto: “We have definitely grown throughout the year. I think we’re very close this year and it’s shown on and off the court. We play very well together.”
