Last season, the Sacred Heart Greenwich basketball team stopped St. Luke’s School streak of seven consecutive FAA Tournament titles, defeating the rival Storm in the championship game. Now the Tigers hope to build a championship streak of their own.

Sacred Heart Greenwich has an opportunity to make it two titles in a row, when it hosts St. Luke’s today (Feb. 28) at 4:30 p.m. in the championship game of the FAA Tournament. The top-seeded Tigers earned another appearance in the league final by defeating fourth-seeded Hamden Hall Country Day School, 65-58, in the FAA semifinals on Feb. 26. Second-seeded St. Luke’s topped third-seeded Greens Farms Academy, 50-44, in the tournament’s other semifinal-round matchup.

In Sacred Heart Greenwich’s triumph against visiting Hamden Hall in the FAA Tournament semifinals, senior center/forward/captain Jadamarie Henry scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals in the winning effort. Junior guard Eva Wilkerson also powered the Tigers’ offense, registering 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals and five assists.

“It feels so good, I think that was a very hard-fought win,” Wilkerson said following Sacred Heart’s FAA semifinal victory versus Hamden Hall. “I think that was a very good team and I think we really needed that. We are going to use this momentum to push us on to the next game.”

The Tigers, who are undefeated in the FAA at 9-0 and have a 19-4 mark overall, were ahead of the Hornets 14-11 after the first quarter and 31-26 at halftime. The hosts built a double-digit lead in the pivotal third quarter, which saw them outscore the visitors, 22-11. SHG led, 53-36 after the third quarter.

“I’m really proud of my girls I thought they came out of halftime really amped,” said Sacred Heart coach Ayo Hart, who earned her 100th career win when the Tigers topped eighth-seeded Greenwich Academy in the tournament’s quarterfinal-round. “We had a great third quarter.”

Sophomore guard/forward Lucianna Parrotta scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, had five assists and four steals, while senior point guard Aisha Hassan added seven points, three steals, three rebounds and two assists for the Tigers.

Senior guard Emma Olausson scored a team-high 22 points for Hamden Hall, including 12 points in the fourth quarter, all of which came off 3-pointers. Junior forward Tessa Porch had a 13-point effort for the Hornets, who lost to the Tigers, 54-46 during the regular season.

Sacred Heart’s offense had a good flow throughout against Hamden Hall’s man-to-man defense. Once again, the Tigers had a balanced scoring effort.

“I think we had a good rhythm today, we were kind of sped up, but we still managed it well, because their defense was intense and they were all over our face,” Henry said. “But we were able to settle down at points and get open looks.”

After Wilkerson opened the game’s scoring with a layup off a steal, Henry swished a 3-pointer from the corner, giving SHG an early 5-2 lead. Wilkerson drove right for a layup and Henry converted a foul shot, making it 10-6 in favor of the home team with 2:29 remaining in the first quarter.

Later in the quarter, consecutive layups by Wilkerson and Parrotta put the Tigers ahead, 14-8.

“A lot of those shots we got came on second chance points and rebounds and we used that to our advantage,” Henry said of Sacred Heart’s scoring throughout the game. “We got some foul shots as well.”

The Hornets took their first lead of the game at 17-16 when Porch made a layup off a steal, but a pair of Wilkerson free throws put SHG back on top, 18-17 with 5:38 to go in the second quarter.

Henry scored in the low post and Adrian Allegretti, an eighth-grader, made a basket on and up-and-under move, giving Sacred Heart the lead for good at 22-19. Wilkerson made another layup and Henry converted a shot off an offensive rebound, extending the Tigers’ advantage to 27-19 late in the second quarter.

“Once we came together we were able to race, we were able to get fastbreaks, so I think that gave us the game,” Parrotta said.

“We knew we had to come out strong,” Wilkerson noted. “They’re a very good team, so we just knew we had to get some points on the board and made sure we kept the momentum. The last time we played them they caught up to us at the end, so we knew we had to come out strong.”

Henry nailed a shot from the right corner as the buzzer sounded ending the opening half and giving Sacred Heart at 31-26 edge. The Tigers started the third quarter with a decisive 15-3 run to seize a 46-29 advantage.

Parrotta grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, then Henry swished a perimeter shot, making it 46-29 and capping an 11-0 SHG run.

“I did feel really in rhythm and really in the flow and that happens when your team works together cohesively,” Henry noted.

The Hornets crept back into the game, courtesy of Olausson, who sank four 3-point shots in the fourth quarter. Hamden outscored Sacred Heart, 19-2, during the final quarter and closed to within 62-58 in the last minute-plus of play.

However, the hosts made a pair of key defensive stops and shot well from the foul line to seal the semifinal-round win.

“We definitely made sure to lock in on defense and make sure we knew what our roles were,” Wilkerson said. “Defense leads to offense and that’s what pushed us through.”

Sophomore guard Emma Mathews had seven points and two rebounds, Allegretti added two points and junior guard Ava Curto tallied four steals and three assists for the victors.

“I was proud of the composure we showed even when they came back,” Hart said. “We got some key stops. It was a great win, it was a tough win. Hamden Hall is a really good team with really good players. We were trying to find solutions to slow them down a little bit.”

Sacred Heart was a 78-50 winner over St. Luke’s during the regular season. In the 2024 FAA Tournament final, SHG was victorious against St. Luke’s, 68-43.

“It feels great to make it to the finals again,” Parrotta said. “Last year we had the gym packed the St. Luke’s game, so hopefully, we’ll get another rivalry game. “We’re really excited.”

Said Henry of Sacred Heart’s return to the title matchup: “It feels amazing, I can’t wait. Last year was such a high intensity game, I can’t wait for that feeling again. I want to put another year up on that banner, so I’m excited.”

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: To the left, Jadamarie Henry of Sacred Heart in action in the FAA semifinals vs. Hamden Hall. To the right, Eva Wilkerson shoots a 3-pointer.

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: To the left, Emma Mathews of the Tigers, dribbles. To the right, Aisha Hasson of Sacred Hearts runs a play vs. Hamden Hall.

For more pictures of Sacred Heart’s FAA semifinal win over Hamden Hall visit: