For the Sacred Heart Greenwich basketball team, the 2023-2024 season was certainly one to remember.

The season was one of numerous accomplishments for the Tigers, who finished undefeated in the FAA during the regular season to win the league’s regular season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the FAA Tournament.

In the FAA Tournament, Sacred Heart won three more games, including an impressive 68-43 victory over rival St. Luke’s School in the championship matchup, giving the team its FAA Tournament championship in more than 10 seasons. The triumph also stopped St. Luke’s seven-season streak as the FAA Tournament champion.

The NEPSAC Class A Tournament saw the Tigers earn the No. 2 seed and host both the quarterfinal and semifinal-round games. After registering a 59-42 win against seventh-seeded Choate Rosemary Hall in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals, Sacred Heart’s successful season came to an end this past Saturday with a 55-41 loss to third-seeded Kent School in the tournament’s semifinal-round.

In Saturday’s NEPSAC Class A semifinal showdown, Sacred Heart trailed Kent School, 16-10, after the first quarter and was behind 27-22 at halftime. The Lions led, 38-31, following three quarters of action, then pulled away for a double-digit victory in the fourth quarter.

Kent was defeated by No. 1-seeded Loomis Chaffee School in the title game of the NEPSAC Class A tourney on Sunday at Noble & Greenough School. Senior guard/forward/co-captain Payton Sfreddo scored 18 points in her final basketball game for Sacred Heart in Saturday’s NEPSAC Class A semifinals. Sfreddo competed on the Tigers’ varsity basketball team for five seasons – joining the squad when she was in eighth grade.

“I’ve had an incredible five years on this team,” said Sfreddo, who will play Division I lacrosse at the collegiate level at the University of Virginia. “It’s so emotional to say good-bye to this sport and it’s so emotional to say good-bye to Sacred Heart basketball. They’ve done so much for me as a player and as a person, especially this season, it’s been a historical season.”

Sophomore forward/guard Lucianna Parrotta scored eight points, while senior point guard/co-captain Madison Hart tallied seven points for SHG, which finished the season with a sparkling record of 20-6.

“We played super hard for the entire game,” Madison Hart said. “We just put in a lot of effort and our shots didn’t fall today. That was honestly, the biggest difference. We didn’t turn the ball over that much. But we just didn’t shoot the ball that well today and they did.”

Senior center/forward Brennan Doran scored a game-high 23 points, 15 of which came during the second half for Kent. Junior point guard Morgan Johnson had nine points, with two 3-pointers for the Lions, who scored several baskets thanks to grabbing offensive rebounds.

“We usually shoot better than we did today (Saturday),” Sacred Heart coach Ayo Hart said. “When the shots aren’t falling and we aren’t rebounding it’s kind of hard to win a game. No. 24 (Brennan) is a phenomenal player – give credit to Brennan she had a lot of great post moves and she made us work.”

The Lions seized a 16-8 lead on the Tigers late in the first quarter, but the hosts closed to within 16-12 on a corner jump shot from senior guard Olivia Leahy and a layup off a steal by Parrotta at the buzzer.

Baskets off an inbounds pass and a strong low post move by Brennan put Kent ahead, 24-16, in the second quarter. A 3-pointer from Johnson extended the visitors’ advantage to 27-19 with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Sacred Heart cut Kent’s lead to 27-22 heading into halftime, behind two foul shots each from Madison Hart and Ava Curto.

Parrotta scored from the low post to open the third quarter, cutting the Lions’ lead to 27-24. Sfreddo swished a 3-point shot and freshman forward Emma Matthews made a free throw, bringing the Tigers to within 33-31 of the Lions with 1:43 to go in the third quarter. However, Kent ended the quarter by scoring five straight points, three of which came off a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Kaya Nuttall, to take a 38-31 edge going into the final quarter.

“We got the shots we wanted, they just didn’t fall,” Ayo Hart noted. “They got off to a good start, took the lead and never looked back. I can’t say the girls didn’t give everything they had.”

Sfreddo’s basket against Kent’s man-to-man defense again brought SHG close, as it trailed just 40-35 at the 5:50 mark of the fourth quarter. Yet Kent went on a pivotal 7-1 run the next 2:07 to build a 47-36 advantage.

“We didn’t turn the ball over that much,” Madison Hart said. “But we just didn’t shoot the ball that well today and they did. They also outrebounded us, they had the size advantage. But I’m super proud of our work ethic throughout the game. We fought to the end and I think that’s what really matters.”

Sfreddo, Sacred Heart’s leading scorer who surpassed the 1,000 career point milestone this season, reflected the season and her memorable basketball career at the school.

“I just can’t wait to see what all these girls do in the future,” Sfreddo said. “I’m so proud of them, I’m so happy to have played with them and I’m incredibly sad to say good-bye. Kent is a great team, but I’m grateful for the successful season we had – FAA champions, FAA regular season and then seeded No. 2 in NEPSAC Tournament, that’s incredible and there’s so much to be proud of. We are holding our heads high – we realize how much we did this season and how happy we should be.”

Madison Hart was also a member of the Tigers’ varsity basketball team since she was in eighth grade.

“It was amazing, I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” she said. “The last five years, I’ve just learned so much. The community, being on the team every year was such a great experience. We have gotten more successful each and every year. This was really the best five years.”

Hart will play basketball at Babson College next season.

“I’m super excited to play basketball at Babson,” she noted. “The team at Sacred Heart has set me up to be successful there.”

The Tigers will return eight players from this season’s squad next winter. Graduating will be five seniors, who have meant plenty to the program.

“These girls have set great examples for our girls – we have five new kids on the team this year – and it was a seamless transition and that’s really due to the leadership of the seniors and how welcoming they were to every single player who joined us,” Ayo Hart said. “We’re going to lose a lot, not just statistically, but in the intangibles they bring.”

Ayo Hart had the pleasure of coaching her twin daughters – Madison and Victoria – on the team over the years.

“It’s been a joy to be able to spend time with them,” the Tigers coach said. “It’s been such a great experience.”

Indeed, Sacred Heart knows it has a lot to be proud of when they look back on their 2023-2024 campaign.

“It’s been a historical season in so many different ways,” Madison Hart said. “We broke a lot of records. We won 20 games this season, we’ve never done that before. It’s been a phenomenal season and a season that I think, a lot of the girls on the team will remember for a while. We worked hard every practice and it showed.”