As the showdown between top-seeded Sacred Heart Greenwich and second-seeded St. Luke’s School in the FAA Basketball Tournament final progressed, the Tigers consistently carried the momentum and when the fourth quarter began, they were primed to achieve their season-long goal.

Behind by double digits after the first quarter, the host Tigers completely turned this much-anticipated matchup in their favor and by doing so, earned a sweet repeat.

Junior guard Ava Curto scored a team-high 19 points off the bench, senior forward/center Jadamarie Henry added 12 points and junior guard Eva Wilkerson had 11 points for Sacred Heart Greenwich in its decisive 55-34 win over St. Luke’s in the championship game of the FAA Tournament before a standing-room-only crowd at Sacred Heart.

The victory gave the Tigers their second straight FAA Tournament title. They also defeated the Storm in 2024 in the league tournament final. Sacred Heart has an overall record of 19-4 and a perfect 11-0 mark in the FAA.

“It feels amazing being back-to-back champs,” said Henry, one of the Tigers’ captains. “It shows how well trained our team is no matter who we lose or who we add on to the squad. It’s still the Sacred Heart basketball team from the previous year and we keep carrying that. It’s a testament to our coaches as well and the girls, how coachable they all are.”

Sacred Heart, which posted a 68-43 victory over St. Luke’s in the 2024 FAA title game, beat the Storm, 78-50, in the regular season thanks to an extremely fast start. Yet it was the Storm that bolted out to a quick start in yesterdays’ championship game.

St. Luke’s was ahead 15-5 after the first quarter, then had its lead cut to 23-20 at halftime.

“We didn’t have the ideal first quarter and especially the first half, but we knew in the second half we had to come back with a vengeance and more fire than they did,” said Wilkerson, also one of the Tigers’ captains. “They kind of outworked us in the first half, so the second half, we knew we had to outwork them.”

“It feels so good, we worked all season for this,” Wilkerson continued. “We had one goal and we knew what we had to do in order to achieve it.”

SHG, which advanced to the FAA finals by topping fourth-seeded Hamden Hall Country Day School in the tourney’s semifinals on Feb. 26, outscored St. Luke’s, 35-11, in the second half.

“No matter what the score is going into halftime, we are going to come out and make a Sacred Heart statement,” Sacred Heart coach Ayo Hart said. “I felt like that’s what we accomplished.”

Senior point guard Camdyn Nelson scored 11 points and forward Olivia White had eight points for the Storm, who after Wilkerson opened the game with a 3-pointer, went on a 13-0 run to take a 13-3 on SHG.

A 3-pointer by freshman guard Kayla Mouzon gave St. Luke’s a 10-point advantage at 13-3, then after a SHG basket, White scored in the low post, making it 15-5 in favor of the visitors after one quarter of action. The hosts began cutting into the Storm’s lead once the second quarter commenced.

Sophomore guard/forward Lucianna Parrotta grabbed an offensive rebound and scored, bringing the Tigers to within 17-11. Curto then began her scoring surge for the home team. Curto’s basket cut the deficit to 17-13. Her 3-point shot from the right side trimmed the Storm’s advantage to 19-18 with 1:57 left in the second quarter.

Down 23-20 to start the third quarter, the Tigers went on a 9-0 spurt to take the lead for good at 29-23. Henry scored off an offensive rebound, Wilkerson made a mid-range jump shot, senior point guard Aisha Hassan nailed a jumper, then converted a 3-pointer, capping the Tigers’ pivotal run.

Hassan scored eight points, all of which came during the victors’ huge second half.

“We had to stay consistent, we knew it was not going to be the same scenario,” Hassan said, referring to Sacred Heart’s regular season triumph versus St. Luke’s. “Today, we decided to pressure them and no matter what happened it was going to be okay. Defensively and offensively, we were so calm and that made it easier.”

After the Storm converted a 3-pointer to close to within 29-26, the Tigers reeled off 10 points in a row to gain a 39-26 lead. Henry made three foul shots, then scored off an offensive rebound, Curto converted a fastbreak layup off a Parrotta steal and Henry swished a 3-point shot from the top of the key, concluding the 10-0 run.

“St. Luke’s definitely took the lead in the first quarter, but we didn’t let it get to our heads, we didn’t let it frazzle us,” Henry noted. “We know this is our house, we know what we came to do and we know how to play Sacred Heart basketball.”

“We came back hot in the second quarter and we used that momentum to carry us through the rest of the game,” Henry added.

The Storm came to within 41-34 behind six straight points, but the Tigers scored the game’s final 14 points. Curto hit a short jumper, then drove to the basket for a layup, making it 45-34 in favor of SHG with 2:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Two more Curto baskets put the Tigers on top, 52-34 with less than two minutes left to play.

“The first game we played them, we came out really well, so I think we had to match that energy,” said Curto, who scored nine points in the first half and 10 in the second half. “It feels amazing, I think we deserve it. Our team works super hard, so our hard work pays off and it really shows.”

Indeed, SHG was sparked throughout by Curto, who consistently made key baskets in each quarter.

“Ava is an incredible player,” Henry said. “She was focused and ready to play and made an immediate impact. As soon as she came on the court, she was hot from the beginning to the end.”

“Ava played amazing, I’m so proud of her,” Wilkerson said. “She worked so hard for it.”

Said Hart: “Ava Curto was an ‘X’ factor, she wasn’t here when we played them last time. She came up with huge shots, she was hitting everything at key points.”

Parrotta had two points and senior guard/captain Mackenzie Gillen made a 3-pointer in the winning effort. Fittingly, Gillen’s 3-pointer accounted for the Tiger’s final points of the championship win.

“It was really exciting getting to come out in my final FAA championship as a senior with a great crowd and lots of energy,” Gillen said. “My teammates cheered me on, so it was a great moment for me. I’m so proud of this team. I love all of these girls so much and we’ve worked so hard all season. This is the perfect way to end the FAA season.”

Sacred Heart, which played man-to-man defense and mixed in a trapping zone, was sound defensively throughout.

Henry grabbed 11 rebounds, Wilkerson had four assists, three rebounds, three steals and did not commit a turnover, Hassan totaled eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals and Curto had five rebounds for the champion Tigers.

“Honestly, it feels better than last year, because I thought we had to work so much harder,” Hart said of the championship win. “They (St. Luke’s) made a statement in the first quarter. We were taking good shots, but they weren’t falling. Once we figured out we need to rebound the ball, then we were able to get back into the game. We needed to get stops and that’s what I was super proud of them for.”

Once again, Sacred Heart displayed a balanced scoring attack. In this game, it was Curto’s turn to lead the offense, while Henry and Wilkerson also paced the offense. The semifinals saw Henry, Wilkerson and Parrotta spark the offense.

“Once we  started communicating better and getting the ball to move quickly as we usually do and getting all of our plays set up, I definitely felt more comfortable on the court and in a better flow,” Henry noted. “Once all my teammates and I got on the same page, I was able to get easy buckets and putbacks. I was getting it and going up strong.”

Curto certainly won’t forget her excellent championship game coming off the bench.

“It’s really special, especially since it was a championship game,” Curto said. “A lot of my friends came and supported, so it was good to show them how we play as a team and that we’re a super good team.”

Finishing undefeated in a competitive lead such as the FAA is no easy task.

“It’s definitely a very exhilarating and humbling experience to be captain of this amazing team with great girls,” Wilkerson said. “I could not be prouder of them in how they have allowed me to help them get better every day and they’ve helped me get better every day. I’m just so proud of them and what they’ve achieved.”

With another FAA Tournament title in their possession, the Tigers will now pursue the NEPSAC Class A Tournament championship. Sacred Heart also captured the FAA regular season title this winter. SHG heads into the NEPSAC Class A Tournament winners of eight consecutive games.

The NEPSAC Class A Basketball Tournament begins on March 5 and the seedings for the tourney will be announced tomorrow (March 2). The Tigers could receive the No. 2 seed or one of the top seeds.

“We’re just going to enjoy this for a few days and we know how big the NEPSAC Tournament is, so we know that we’re going to come back better for a new challenge,” Hassan noted.

“I think that we are on a high right now and we have to make sure that we keep this momentum through NEPSACs and we have to make sure that we continue to work and get better,” Wilkerson said.

To the left, Sacred Heart’s Emma Matthews gets set to take a 3-point shot. To the right, Aisha Hassan of the Tigers dribbles the ball past half court while being guarded by Camdyn Nelson of St. Luke’s.

To the right, Sacred Heart senior Jadamarie Henry posts up against St. Luke’s. To the left, Eva Wilkerson passes the ball to Tigers teammate Aisha Hassan during the first half of the FAA Tournament final.

To the left, Lucianna Parrotta of SHG dribbles the ball up the court. To the right, Sacred Heart celebrates its championship.