Several spectacular seasons stand out from the rest in the history of Greenwich High School’s varsity girls varsity basketball program.

The Cardinals’ squads from the mid to late 1980’s, which won three FCIAC Tournament championships in four seasons certainly produced memorable seasons, as did the Greenwich 2015-2016 team, which advanced all the way to the championship game of the CIAC Class LL Tournament at Mohegan Sun. Greenwich’s 2019-2020 team made it to the semifinal-round of the Class LL tourney, before the COVID-19 outbreak caused the remainder of the tournament to be cancelled.

Then, of course, is Greenwich’s outstanding 2024-2025 team, one that made the sensational look routine. This winter’s Cardinals team earned an eye-opening 19-1 record during the regular season, won the FCIAC West Division title and was awarded the No. 2 seed in the FCIAC Tournament.

The CIAC Class LL Basketball Tournament saw the Cardinals advance to the semifinal-round, where they hit a roadblock on their journey toward Mohegan Sun. Third-seeded Greenwich’s highly successful season came to an end with a tough 48-37 loss to second-seeded Southington in the CIAC Class LL Tournament semifinals at Pomperaug High School in front of a large crowd on March 11. Southington plays fourth-seeded Sacred Heart Academy in the Class LL final at Mohen Sun Arena on March 16 at 6:15 p.m. Greenwich finished its sparkling season with a record of 21-3.

“I don’t think there are words strong enough to describe the pride our coaching staff has for our entire team and the gratitude we have for them for how hard they have pushed every single day,” Greenwich coach Meghan Wax said following the Cardinals’ loss to Southington in the Class LL semifinals at Pomperaug High School. “The winter season is ridiculously long, it runs from November to the middle of March and every single day they came and gave us their absolute best.”

In the CIAC Class LL semifinal-round showdown against Southington, freshman center Zuri Faison scored a team-best 14 points to pace the Cardinals. Senior forward/captain Kate Baxendale had seven points, along with strong defensive play and freshman point guard Elsa Xhekaj had five points including one 3-pointer for Greenwich.

Junior guard Madi Utzinger contributed four points, while junior guard/forward Mikayla Kiernan, senior guard/forward/captain Alyssa Gath and senior guard Ella Morris had three and two points, respectively, for Greenwich. The Cardinals held a 10-7 lead on Southington after the first quarter and entered halftime with a 17-15 edge.

“I think we came out hard, we shocked them a little bit, they couldn’t get their offense going,” Gath said. “We played really great defense, we didn’t let them get second chance shots.”

Southington cruised to a 70-43 win over New Britain in the Round of 16 of the Class LL Tournament, then defeated Ridgefield pretty handily, 64-49, in the quarterfinals, but the Cardinals gave them all they could handle for most of the semifinal-round matchup.

Coached by Howard Hewitt, the Blue Knights have a 22-1 record on the season, their lone loss coming back in December against Conard. Southington seized a 31-23 advantage on Greenwich following three quarters of action, behind stellar shooting, especially from 3-point range.

“They shot really well in the second half and picked it up a bit,” Gath said.

Senior guard Lilly Cooper scored a team-high 14 points with one 3-pointer, while freshman guard Ariana Quick had 13 points, including four 3-pointers to propel the Blue Knights into the lead.

“They did great with the 3-point shooting and it’s hard to defend when they’re driving and kicking it out,” Baxendale noted. “We locked them up pretty well in the first half and we only allowed them to have 15 points and we outscored them, which was great. But once their shots fell, we got in our heads a little bit and we weren’t able to finish at the rim.”

Faison grabbed an offensive rebound and scored for the semifinal game’s first basket, giving GHS a 2-0 lead. Utzinger then hit a runner in the lane, putting the Cardinals on top, 4-0. After Southington rallied for a 5-4 edge, Baxendale converted a layup off a pass from Faison, making it 6-5 in favor of the Cards.

Baxendale swished a mid-range jump shot from the left baseline, then scored on a fastbreak layup off a pass from Xhekaj, giving Greenwich a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Cardinals played their trademark tenacious man-to-man defense, making Southington make several passes and use a significant amount of time on the shot clock before shooting.

“Our man defense has been good this season and we knew that we could get through the screens and stop the back door cuts,” Baxendale said.

In the second quarter, a 3-pointer from the right side by Quick gave Southington a 15-12 edge, but GHS ended the second frame with a 5-0 spurt. Faison scored on a putback while being fouled, then made the ensuing free throwing, giving Greenwich a 17-15 halftime lead.

The Blue Knights began the third quarter with a 6-0 run to go ahead, 21-17. After Xhekaj buried a shot from beyond the arc to pull the Cards to within one at 21-20 and Baxendale tied the game with a foul shot, Quick made a 3-point shot, putting Southington ahead for good, 24-21.

Senior guard Hannah Blanchard’s 3-pointer from the top of the key extended the Blue Knights’ lead to 27-21 with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter. Trailing 30-21, the Cardinals received a basket from Gath and after a Southington foul shot, GHS was behind, 31-23 heading into the final quarter.

Southington also played tough man-to-man defense and applied pressure in the backcourt, as it trapped the Cardinals guards while they were bringing the ball up the court.

“When you’re in the final four of the state, everybody is good at every aspect,” Wax noted. “I think their (Southington’s) intensity and tenacity towards the ball was amped up even more from a high level. Their traps are outstanding and it’s really hard to be calm under their pressure.”

Izzy Leggett, a senior guard, had 11 points, freshman guard Nerea Maule added six points, including a 3-pointer and Blanchard had four points for state-final bound Southington. Greenwich trailed just 31-27 with 6:17 left after Faison and Xhekaj made layups.

Another Faison basket brought GHS to within 33-29 at the 5:34 mark of the fourth quarter. However, Southington’s solid shooting enabled it to embark on a 10-0 run and seize a 43-29 lead.

Following the game, Gath reflected on the season, one in which Greenwich began it with a 15-0 record.

“It was thrilling, I’m obviously upset with the outcome today, but I’m so proud of this team,” Gath said. “I knew that this team had so much potential and I’m so proud of us for getting to this point.”

Baxendale also spoke of the team’s great success and how enjoyable her senior season/experience was as a member of the Cardinals’ squad.

“We were uncertain of how our season was going to go,” Baxendale said. “We had two freshmen, a couple of returners, but overall, we’re a pretty young team. I feel that we shocked the state and FCIAC with our season. We fell short at FCIACs, but we knew we wanted to come out at states and show what we can do.”

“It’s great captaining these girls,” she continued. “Everyone listens very well, they’re coachable. I wouldn’t be able to do it without Alyssa. I love this team a lot and it’s going to be really hard to say good-bye, but I think we all did a great job this year.”

Wax knows this season was one to cherish – a 21-3 record and an appearance in the Final Four.

“We said every game we felt like we were improving, which is phenomenal, especially when you have a really good season and a good record, it could be hard to continue to push,” Wax noted. “They did a good job of doing that, led by a great senior class. “I’m heartbroken that we’re done, but more heartbroken, that our time with this particular team is done.”