When the Greenwich High School girls basketball team faced Fairfield Warde last month, it overcame an 18-point deficit on its way to posting a thrilling win with a buzzer beating shot at the buzzer from Megan Geiger.

The Cardinals found themselves behind the Mustangs when they FCIAC rivals met again this past Monday, this time in the first round of the CIAC Class LL Tournament. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the comeback didn’t happen this time around.

A comeback wasn’t in the Cards Monday night at Fairfield Warde High School, as the 12th-seeded Mustangs used a strong second and third quarter to earn a 44-36 win over the 21st-seeded Cardinals. Fairfield Warde advanced to today’s Class LL Tournament Round of 16 game, where they will visit No. 5-seeded Glastonbury. Greenwich’s season ended with a record of 10-11.

“We talked about going into the game, in every game, including the playoffs, you have to be confident when you walk off the court that you gave everything you have possibly could have and our team did exactly that,” Greenwich coach Megan Wax said. “They did not quit, they pushed through – when things weren’t falling, they focused on the next play.”

The Cardinals held a record of 9-4 after 13 games, but the last several weeks of the season was tough due to several injuries. Greenwich was limited to playing just a few players off the bench with several players sidelined by injuries, including senior forward/center Julia Monteiro and junior guard Alyssa Gath.

“We have an extremely resilient team,” Wax noted. “We had a tough stretch the last couple weeks of the season with injuries and illness. Through all of that, we learned to give it what you have, because that’s all you can control. We have the mindset, ignore the scoreboard and go down and get a score. That helps them not get overwhelmed at what’s in front of them.”

Warde (16-6) was paced by a 19-point effort by junior guard Ryanne Gulbin and a 12-point performance by from junior center Peyton McIntosh. Gulbin converted three 3-pointers and scored 12 points during the first half for the Mustangs, who entered halftime with a 22-16 lead.

“We have an inside presence that we can take advantage of with our outside shooting,” Warde coach David Danko said. “Greenwich was playing hard, we had to work for everything. We’re fortunate that we created points off turnovers, whereas last time, we sat back and all of a sudden, they came back.”

In the regular season meeting between Warde and Greenwich last month, the Cardinals were victorious, 42-41, thanks to a 3-pointer by Megan Geiger at the buzzer. Sophomore guard Anna Lenschow scored 12 points, while senior forward/center Riana Xhekaj added eight points for Greenwich.

Gulbin scored seven points during a defensive-minded first quarter that saw the Mustangs hold a 9-4 lead. A lefty layup by sophomore guard Madi Utzinger (seven total points) and a 3-pointer from Utzinger brought GHS to within 12-9 with 4:25 remaining in the second quarter. Consecutive baskets from the low post by McIntosh raised Warde’s lead to 16-9 midway through the second quarter.

Gulbin swished a 3-point shot, opening the Mustangs advantage to 20-9, yet a 7-0 Greenwich run closed the gap to 20-16. A baseline jumper by Lenschow, who also scored on a runner in the lane two possessions previously, cut the Cards’ deficit to just four points.

Fairfield Warde again built a double-digit lead, going ahead 27-16 and 31-18 in the third quarter, but once again, GHS cut its deficit to single digits, courtesy of Lenschow, Xhekaj and Utzinger.

“We’re fortunate that we were able to score off our defense,” Danko noted. “Credit to Greenwich, they were in position where they had a chance to win. It was a typical Fairfield Warde, Greenwich battle. I can’t say enough about the effort they put in – their kids stepped up.”

A pair of baskets off strong low post moves from McIntosh, extended Warde’s lead to 35-24 in the fourth quarter. Gulbin then nailed a 3-pointer, sealing a 7-0 spurt and giving the hosts a 38-24 advantage.

Lenshow’s shot from beyond the arc and a foul shot from junior point guard Ayanna Davenport, brought the Cards to within 40-33 at the 1:40 mark of the fourth quarter. Yet that’s as close as Greenwich got, as Warde advanced to the Round of 16.

Sophomore guard Juliette Pelham scored four points, Geiger made a basket for two points, junior forward Kate Baxendale had two points and Davenport made a foul shot for Greenwich.

“Warde is a fantastic team, they shoot lights, out, their ball handlers are outstanding and their posts have gotten better,” Wax said. “Their whole team has grown so much, they are a top FCIAC team that was an inch away from going to the FCIAC championship.”

Indeed, Warde was edged by St. Joseph in overtime in the FCIAC Tournament semifinals.

“Coming off the loss that we had, we felt that we were going to play for an FCIAC championship and it slipped through our fingers, so it was tough,” Danko said. “But our team responded well. Now hopefully, we go up to Glastonbury and continue to improve.”

Guard Emily Carley added six points and backcourt mate Peyton Pasmeg hit a 3-pointer for the victors.

“We needed to bounce back off the FCIAC loss, so this was a good win for our team,” Danko said.

The loss capped the career of Greenwich’s seniors, who have meant a great deal to the squad for several seasons.

“We have a good group coming back, obviously, it’s hard to lose your seniors with what they have done on and off the court,” Wax noted. “Their wisdom, expertise and skill will be missed. It’s exciting to see who will step up, I think we have a strong foundation.”

Greenwich was in nearly every game it played this winter and showed that it can contend with the best teams in the FCIAC and state. They had numerous victories against postseason squads.

“This year all the FCIAC coaches have been talking, because there really were no guarantees, it could have gone either way,” Wax said of the competitiveness it the FCIAC. “It made for an exciting regular season and playoffs.”