The chemistry and teamwork the Greenwich Country Day School girls varsity basketball team has been seeking on a consistent basis has begun to surface, as Wednesday’s home game against non-league foe The Storm King School illustrated.

Playing a tough opponent, the Tigers faced a 10-point halftime deficit, but staged a spirited comeback in the second half, eventually taking a two-point third quarter lead.

Visiting Storm King came back though, using a strong fourth quarter to post a hard-fought 54-47 win, yet Greenwich Country Day School knew they extracted plenty of positives from the game – bright spots that they can build upon going forward.

“I thought the game was fantastic,” Greenwich Country Day coach Elisa Brown said. “The small things we were working on in practice are starting to click. If we play like this going into the rest of our season, we are going to be in a good place.”

Sophomore center Mia McCauliffe-Grant scored a team-high 14 points, 10 of which came in the second half to spark the Tigers. Junior point guard Brianna McDermott added 12 points, nine of which she scored in the opening half for GCDS.

Sophomore forward Lara Young totaled nine points, with seven points coming in the second half for the Tigers, who played stellar defense throughout.

“The team really came together strong,” McDermott said. “We had a tough weekend, we went 0-2, so it was really important for us to come back and face that adversity, especially against a good team. We didn’t have a chance to prepare for them because of the snow day (Tuesday). We played together, I don’t think anybody individually, played for themselves. I think it was one of our best games of the year.”

Isabella Suero, a senior guard, powered The Storm King School, scoring 13 points, including several key baskets that put the visitors ahead. Leni Rodriguez, also a guard, added 11 points, with three 3-pointers in the winning effort.

The Tigers were tied with Storm King at 11-11 following the first quarter, but found themselves trailing, 25-15 at halftime. The Cougars produced an impressive second quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 14-4 to open a 10-point advantage.

“I’m super happy with the team’s effort, they are a double A team and it was super challenging,” McDermott said. “But I think we’re coming together and I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.”

Last month, McDermott reached and eclipsed the 1,000 career point milestone for GCDS. She became the first basketball player in school history to reach the magical mark.

Down by 10 points to Storm King at halftime, McCauliffe-Grant brought GCDS to within six points when she made back-to-back baskets from the low post. A 3-pointer by eighth grader McKenna O’Neil cut Storm King’s lead to 28-22 early in the third quarter.

Young followed by swishing a 3-point shot, cutting Storm King’s advantage to 28-25 with 5:30 to go in the third quarter. A short jumper by Young, followed by foul shots from McDermott and McCauliffe-Grant evened the score at 30-30 at the 3:30 mark of the third quarter.

McCauliffe-Grant then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, giving GCDS a 32-20 edge late in the third quarter.

“They were in that zone, so we started to realize we had to move the ball to get more people open,” McDermott noted. Mia came up super big, a lot of our 3 balls were not falling, so finding her was super big.”

“Before the game, we went over our goals and we met a lot of our goals during this game,” Brown said.

O’Neil scored six points, while senior guard Paloma Snisky and senior forward Anna Lonski had three points apiece for Greenwich Country Day School.

McDermott, Snisky and forward Nina Ferry are Greenwich Country Day’s captains.

The third quarter of Wednesday’s game concluded in a 34-34 tie. Storm King regained the lead and added on to it, eventually taking an 8-point edge at 47-39 late in the fourth quarter.

Marisa Chapman, a senior guard, came up clutch in the second half for the victors, scoring all seven of her points. McDermott and McCauliffe-Grant paced the Tigers in the opening half.

“I feel like we’re learning how to play together and we’re having better chemistry,” said Snisky, who is relishing her final basketball season at GCDS.

“I’m really happy with the team, especially since this is my last year playing. It’s sad that it’s my last year, because the vibe of the team is really good and I look forward to coming to practice every day.”

Ferry, a mainstay on the varsity squad for several seasons, is looking forward to seeing what the team can accomplish going forward.

“They were very good, but we all played really well together,” Ferry said. “The chemistry was really great today, we have come a long way. Our chemistry has been building up over the season. Today, we showed what we can be for the rest of the season.”

As for being on the varsity team since her freshman year?

“It’s been nice to see the team grow and build together,” Ferry noted. “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Greenwich Country Day hosts Taft School Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The Tigers will then visit FAA foe Masters School on Jan. 23.

“Winning the FAA and making the NEPSAC Tournament this year are some of our goals,” Ferry noted. “We want to come together as a team, keep improving and we want everyone to find their best skills and work together.”

“We have a big stretch coming up, so this is going to push us into the next half of our season,” coach Brown said.