By David Fierro
Holding a one-point lead in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Greenwich High School’s girls basketball team was on the verge of improving its record to a perfect 16-0 when it hosted FCIAC rival Ridgefield High School on Feb. 7.
The Cardinals came oh so close to keeping their undefeated season going, yet the Tigers made a shot at the buzzer, handing Greenwich its first loss of the season.
Junior guard Sophie Desiano made a layup just before the buzzer sounded, giving Ridgefield a dramatic 41-40 comeback win over Greenwich before a big crowd at Greenwich High School. The Cardinals, who are in the process of having their most successful regular season ever, shook off the tough loss by defeating Norwalk at home on Feb. 10, 46-20.
In Greenwich’s 41-40 loss to Ridgefield, freshman center Zuri Faison scored a game-high 14 points and freshman guard Elsa Xhekaj added 13 points for the Cardinals. Junior guard Madi Utzinger scored seven points, while junior guard/forward Mikayla Kiernan made two 3-pointers for six points for GHS.
Greenwich held a 14-9 lead on Ridgefield after the first quarter and went into halftime with a slim 24-34 edge.
Ridgefield () received 13 points from senior Zoe Desmarais, nine points from sophomore Cathryn Mills and eight points from junior Sophie Desiano, who made the game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game and the clock quickly ran out from there.
On Ridgefield’s game-winning play, Greenwich possessed the ball with just under 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals inbounded the ball, but the Tigers soon came up with a steal near the right sideline, just before halfcourt.
Desiano made the steal, made a few dribbles toward her left and drove left to the basket for the layup, giving the Tigers the buzzer-beating victory. The Cardinals were ahead of the Tigers, 38-29, after three quarters of play.
However, Ridgefield methodically erased its nine-point deficit in the final quarter, limiting GHS to only two points in the game’s final eight minutes.
“It was intense,” Greenwich coach Megan Wax said. “We knew going into the game that Ridgefield is always a talented and aggressive team, so we were prepared for that from the get-go. We met our match aggression wise.”
Utzinger converted a layup off a missed Ridgefield free throw, driving almost the length of the court, putting the Cards on top, 38-29. Junior guard Juliette Pelham made it 40-31 in favor of the Cardinals by making a runner in the lane early in the fourth quarter.
That proved to be the final points of the game, however, for the hosts.
The Tigers scored the next eight points, before Desiano’s clutch steal and layup just before the buzzer sounded, sending her squad to victory.
“At the end, the pressure can get to be a lot,” Wax noted. “You’re trying to be calm and everything gets extra physical. But the girls were trying to fight through it and make the right decisions. We’ll learn from it and hopefully, move forward.”
Faison experienced pain in her right foot while attempting to make a layup with 2:24 remaining in the fourth quarter. She left the game, but returned to action in the game’s final minute. Both teams played strong man-to-man defense, displaying why they are among the top teams in the FCIAC and state.
For the season, Greenwich has an overall record of 16-1 and is 11-1 in the FCIAC. Ridgefield is also 11-1 in the FCIAC, its loss coming against Fairfield Warde.
Greenwich visits Westhill on Friday, then travels to Fairfield Warde for a big matchup on Feb. 17.
“We had a pretty stagnant fourth quarter, but our message to the girls after the game was we’re proud of them regardless,” Wax said. “It’s about our progression and this game really pushed us.”
