Seventy percent of the season has been completed and Greenwich High School’s girls basketball team has still yet to be topped.

The soaring Cardinals sport a spectacular 14-0 record, are ranked No. 1 in the CIAC Class LL rankings and are determined to continue their success streak.

Win number 14 occurred on Jan. 31, when Greenwich hosted FCIAC opponent Danbury and capitalized on its opportunities on both ends of the court to earn a convincing 59-41 triumph. The 14-0 Cardinals are also of course, in first place in the FCIAC with a perfect 9-0 mark.

In the win against Danbury, which saw Greenwich lead from start to finish, freshman center Zuri Faison recorded a game-high 26 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and made seven steals to propel the Cardinals.

Faison shot a high percentage from the field, making most of her shots throughout this FCIAC game, the majority of which came from the low post.

“It was a mentality,” Faison said of her latest standout performance. “I feel the past couple of games I was kind of soft going up, so I was locked in today. I created space for myself and had a mentality.”

Faison scored 14 second-half points for GHS, which led Danbury, 16-4, after the first quarter and 28-15 at halftime. Junior guard/forward Madi Utzinger scored eight of her 14 points in the second half for the Cardinals, who have stormed out to fast starts in practically every one of its games so far this season. Utzinger also snared 10 rebounds and dished out six assists.

“Our main goal was to move the ball, because we knew that once we moved the ball we would have open shots and I think we executed that really well,” Utzinger said. “We did that really well today, because we had a lot of great assists that led to and ones or a good shot opportunity and that really helped us offensively.”

Freshman guard Elsa Xhekaj added nine points, including one 3-pointer, while senior power forward Kate Baxendale and junior forward Mikayla Kiernan posted three points apiece for the victors. Senior guard Alyssa Gath and junior guard Juliette Pelham each had two points for Greenwich, which displayed stellar passing throughout this matchup, keeping the Hatters’ man-to-man and zone defense on the move.

“We’ve been working really hard on our ball movement,” Cardinals coach Megan Wax noted. “We feel confident that we have threats from every position on the court. So, we need to attack and use what the defense gives us.”

Taira Walters, a guard, paced Danbury with 16 points, while teammate Carleigh Book had nine points. Greenwich continued its pattern of putting its opposition in a double-digit hole, jumping out to a 13-0 lead on Danbury.

Xhekaj swished a 3-point shot, Utzinger made a layup and foul shot and Faison converted a shot off an offensive rebound while being fouled, then nailed the ensuing free throw, putting GHS on top, 10-0. A 3-pointer by Utzinger from the left corner, gave the Cards a 13-0 advantage on the Hatters.

Danbury’s first points came with 1:20 left in the first quarter on a basket by Walters, making it 13-2.

“We try to come out really aggressive,” Wax said of her squad’s trademark fast starts. “One of our biggest goals the past couple of weeks is making sure we maintain our intensity. How we are able to get up in their face defensively and put on a lot of on-ball pressure – we think we’re really great at. We just need to make sure we sustain it.”

Danbury cut Greenwich’s lead to 21-15 on a 3-pointer from the right wing by Walters just past the midway mark of the second quarter. Greenwich, however, responded with a 7-0 run to again, open a double-digit advantage.

Faison scored on consecutive putbacks, Xhekaj drove hard to the basket for a layup and Faison made a pair of free throws, making it 28-15 in favor of the home team.

“They were in a man so me and Madi just passed the ball and we executed well,” Xhekaj said of the Cards’ chemistry on offense. “We played as a team, that’s why they really couldn’t get the ball from us on the press.”

Xhekaj’s first cousin, Riana, was one of Greenwich’s senior captains during the 2023-2024 season. A layup by Gath and basket from Faison grew Greenwich’s lead to 36-18 on Danbury early in the third quarter.

“It was very fluid today, we did a good job of passing the ball around,” said Gath, who captains the Cardinals with Baxendale. “We did a good job of passing the ball around and getting it to Zuri.”

Faison, Utzinger and Baxendale successfully crashed the offensive and defensive backboards, giving GHS more than one shot at the basket, while helping limit the Hatters’ scoring opportunities. On offense, Greenwich excelled at getting good shots the majority of the game.

“We knew what they were going to start doing and try to do in practice and we worked hard on making sure we were bumping the cutter and putting our hand up,” Baxendale said of the Cards’ fine defensive effort. “We executed that, because they weren’t able to get those bounce passes in and cuts open.”

Danbury’s record stands at 8-6 overall and 4-5 in the FCIAC.

The Hatters were the latest formidable foe the Cardinals upended.

“I feel like they are a really good team, they’re well put together and they are really aggressive and really strong,” Faison said of Danbury. “They play good as a team.”

Earning a 14-0 record is certainly an impressive accomplishment, especially considering the level of opponents the Cardinals have tested their skills against.

“None of ths is coming easy, everyone is putting in the work and the results are showing,” Wax emphasized. “Our captains are doing an awesome job of providing leadership. They are good leaders leading the team and getting everyone on the same page.”

Greenwich will look for victory No. 15 when it visits FCIAC rival Stamford High School Tuesday (Feb. 4) for a 7 p.m. matchup.

“That’s going to be another tough battle for us,” Utzinger said. “We just have to play with high intensity and I feel like we can pull out the win, we just have to work really hard for it.”

As has been the case the whole season, Faison, a freshman, was a tough matchup for another opponent.

“She was extremely composed and we talked about how today she grew into her ability to grow into her power to go the rim and use it in a way she wants to,” Wax said of Faison’s performance versus the Hatters.

Each game, the Cardinals have exhibited poise, passion, focus and determination.

“We want to end off the regular season 20-0,” Utzinger said. “Our confidence grows and energy grows every time we win.”