Sacred Heart Greenwich’s varsity basketball team began its 2023-2024 season on Saturday against the same opponent it concluded its season against last winter – NEPSAC rival Hotchkiss School.

Last season saw Sacred Heart lose to Hotchkiss in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament quarterfinals, after being edged by one point in the season-opening regular season game between the team teams, so the Tigers were certainly motivated heading into Saturday’s season-opener.

Receiving a team-high 18 points from senior guard/forward Payton Sfreddo and 17 points from junior guard Eva Wilkerson, Sacred Heart began its 2023-2024 campaign in style, earning an impressive 62-51 home win over Hotchkiss School.

“This is an amazing game to open up with,” said Sfreddo, who scored 10 first-half points and made two 3-pointers for the game. “We always talk about how it’s hard to open the season with a team like Hotchkiss, but this team specifically this year, is something special and to see us come out with this fire and intensity and play this well – it’s really incredible and shows our potential for this season.”

Senior guard Madison Hart scored 10 of her 12 points during the first half, while playing her usual tenacious defense for the Tigers (1-0). Hart and Sfreddo joined the varsity basketball team as eighth-graders and are now seniors beginning their fifth season with SHG. They are starting their second season as the Tigers’ captains – roles they exceptionally filled one-season ago.

“Coming back second year as captain, I’m looking forward to leading a new team in a different way,” Madison Hart said. “I learned from being captain last year, so I think I can make some improvements on how to lead the team in the best way. I’m so excited about our team, we have so much depth this year and I think that’s going to take us really far.”

Coached by Ayo Hart, Sacred Heart has been a contender for the FAA Tournament and NEPSAC Class A Tournament titles in recent seasons. A season ago, the Tigers advanced to the semifinal-round of the FAA Tournament, where it lost to eventual champion St. Luke’s School. SHG was defeated by Hotchkiss in the NEPSAC Class A Tournament quarterfinals. Two seasons ago (2021-2022) the Tigers made it to the semifinals of the FAA and NEPSAC Class A Tournaments.

“Our seniors have really high expectations this year,” Ayo Hart said. “Among our goals is to get back to NEPSACs, we have been there the last three years. We would like to find our way to the finals. But also, I want our seniors to have a great senior year and an enjoyable experience.”

In Saturday’s season-opening game against visiting Hotchkiss, Sacred Heart entered halftime with a 33-20 lead. A 3-pointer from junior guard Eleanor Helm gave Hotchkiss a 12-11 edge with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but Wilkerson put Sacred Heart on top, 14-12, going into the second quarter by swishing a 3-pointer from the left side.

Madison Hart converted a pair of runners in the lane, then made a layup off a pass by Wilkerson, capping a 10-0 run and giving the Tigers a 25-15 advantage. A 3-pointer from the left wing by freshman Emma Matthews extended Sacred Heart’s lead to 28-20 later on in the second quarter. Sfreddo concluded the second quarter with a layup and a 3-pointer, putting SHG ahead, 33-20 at halftime.

The Tigers are deep and talented at the guard and forward positions with Madison Hart, Sfreddo and Wilkerson returning, along with Madison’s twin sister, Victoria Hart, senior Olivia Leahy, sophomore Ava Curto and junior Mackenzie Gillen. Victoria Hart excels on defense and is often asked to guard the opposition’s top backcourt scorer, while Leahy, Curto and Gillen each bring shooting ability and athleticism to the guard position. Also joining the backcourt is sophomore Ryan Hodge.

Freshman guard Lucianna Parrotta joins the Tigers and totaled nine points, with two 3-pointers in her varsity debut on Saturday. Freshman guard/forward Emma Matthews showed impressive shooting range, converting two 3-pointers for six points in her first varsity game for SHG.

“This team has a ton of shooters and a ton of ball-handlers,” Sfreddo said. “Everyone feels comfortable with the ball and everyone feels comfortable taking the outside shot, which is not something you get on a lot of teams.”

Indeed, the Tigers’ offense flowed well against the Bearcats’ tight man-to-man defense.

“We moved the ball really well, especially considering it was our first game,” noted Madison Hart, who earned the honor of being selected as the NEPSAC Class A Defensive Player of the Year one season ago. “We had a lot of inside, outside looks and we shot the ball really well today and that was huge.”

“All the guards are super quick off the bounce and that’s huge,” added Madison Hart, who will continue her basketball career at Babson College next year. “They are also great passers and great finishers and we move the ball really well. So, I think that’s going to be great for our team.”

A Wilkerson layup and 3-pointer and a shot from beyond the arc by Parrotta gave the Tigers a 43-35 lead over the Bearcats with 2:04 to go in the third quarter. A 6-0 run, sparked by junior center Morgan Jenkins, brought Hotchkiss to within 43-41 at the end of the third quarter. Jenkins totaled a game-high 20 points, 18 of which came in the second half, including 12 in the third quarter. Junior Lexi Clark added nine points for the visitors.

Baskets from Sfreddo, Wilkerson and Parrotta and 3-pointers from Matthews and Madison Hart in the fourth quarter enabled Sacred Heart to post its 11-point win.

“I had confidence the whole way through in our team and for us to pull away with it for an 11-point win is amazing,” said Sfreddo, who earned FAA All-League Second Team honors last season.

Sfreddo, who also captained the Tigers’ highly successful field hockey team in the fall and is heading to the University of Virginia, where she will play lacrosse, guarded Hotchkiss’ Jenkins the majority of the matchup.

“I’ve been on this team since eighth grade – five years,” Sfreddo said of her basketball days at SHG. “It’s very bittersweet, but I want to make the season memorable – one that I could cherish the rest of my life.”

Madison Hart, Sfreddo and Wilkerson were each chosen to compete in the NEPSGA Class A All-Star Game last season. Sacred Heart has a pair of experienced returning players who should bring a lot of production to the forward/center positions in senior Maddy Hopper and junior Jada Henry. Hopper will play basketball at Vassar College next year.

Madison Hart and Sfreddo showed their leadership as returning captains in the team’s win on Saturday.

“We are so fortunate to have them, they are tremendous captains,” said Ayo Hart, who has enjoyed the pleasure of coaching her daughters Madison and Victoria throughout their high school basketball careers. “Their leadership is great, they are both vocal. They lead by communication and by example. Because they have been on the team, they have experience and they are good teachers and good role models.”

Sacred Heart is in action again on Wednesday against visiting FAA neighborhood foe Greenwich Country Day School. They will then visit School of the Holy Child on Saturday.

“It was an amazing first game, a great result, especially after losing to them in the quarterfinals in NEPSACs last year,” Madison Hart said of the Tigers’ win versus Hotchkiss. “We wanted to come back and get a good result, we were definitely really upset about the last time we played them. It really encouraged us and brought a fire to the way we started the game.”

“Hopefully, we’ll win FAAs and NEPSACs and get as far as we can in those tournaments,” Sfreddo said, while reflecting on the team’s goals. “We also want to create a team atmosphere and camaraderie that everyone wants to be a part of. One that brings out the best in each player.”