Sacred Heart Greenwich defeats Greenwich Academy in FAA basketball action behind 20 first-half points from senior guard Eva Wilkerson

By David Fierro on December 19, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Sacred Heart Greenwich senior guard/captain Eva Wilkerson drives to the basket, while being pursued by senior center Mallory Walker of Greenwich Academy during a varsity basketball game at Sacred Heart Greenwich on Dec. 17, 2025. Wilkerson scored a game-high 23 points in the Tigers’ 75-26 triumph.

After defeating crosstown opponent Greenwich Country Day School in its FAA-opener, Sacred Heart Greenwich’s varsity basketball team hosted another neighborhood rival, Greenwich Academy, in its second league game of the season.

Just like their game against Greenwich Country Day, the Tigers started strong and finished with a flurry.

Senior guard Eva Wilkerson scored 20 of her game-high 23 points in the first half, senior guard/forward Ava Curto had 10 of her 13 points in the opening half and freshman guard Addy Sipkin added 10 points to help lead Sacred Heart to a 75-26 victory over visiting Greenwich Academy in an FAA matchup.

Sacred Heart, the two-time defending FAA Tournament champion, improved its record to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the FAA with its win over GA on Dec. 17th, and looks as though it’s going to be a mighty tough team to contend with in the competitive league and for all of its NEPSAC opponents. Greenwich Academy is led by first-season head coach Jimmy Cassidy and is aiming to improve each game as it continues to climb the ladder of success. Both teams are currently competing in tournaments on the road. The Tigers are playing Choate Rosemary Hall at Noble and Greenough School tonight (Dec. 19th), then will face Kimball Union Academy tomorrow (Dec. 20th), before playing Tilton School on Sunday.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Sacred Heart Greenwich Ava Curto in action during a recent home varsity basketball game against Greenwich Academy. Curto scored 13 points in the win.

Greenwich Academy is playing in a tournament at Winsor School and is in action tonight (Dec. 19th) versus Winsor School. The Gators go up against Pingree School Dec. 20th, then face Middlesex School Dec. 21st. In Sacred Heart’s triumph against GA, Wilkerson shot 73 percent from the floor, grabbed nine rebounds and had five assists. She successfully drove to the basket and was terrific in transition, scoring numerous fastbreak points.

“I received great passes from my teammates, they were looking for me,” said Wilkerson, who has committed to play Division I basketball at Towson University. “Coach (Ayo) Hart told us to race a lot and run in transition, so we tried to do that. We wanted to share the ball.”

Freshman guard Adrian Allegretti converted a 3-pointer from the left side, giving SHG a 7-0 lead and prompting a GA timeout with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter. Wilkerson then drove the lane and scored, making it 9-0. Allegretti scored seven points, had three rebounds and finished with two assists and two steals for the victors. Senior forward Mirabel Rodgers scored GA’s first points, driving left and converting a layup, shortly after Wilkerson’s previous basket. Rodgers, a captain, led Greenwich Academy with six points.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Sacred Heart Greenwich hosted Greenwich Academy in varsity basketball action and were victorious to improve its record to 3-0.

Curto scored off an inbounds pass, extending the Tigers’ advantage to 15-5. With 3:33 left in the opening quarter, Wilkerson swished a 3-pointer putting the hosts in front, 20-5.

“It was a really great performance,” Curto said. “We let the freshmen and underclassmen play and get good experience on the court. I think we’re doing really well, our chemistry is getting there and we’re playing really good team ball.”

Sacred Heart held a 28-7 lead on GA after the first quarter, while shooting a high percentage from the floor. The Tigers also played aggressive man-to-man defense and looked to get the ball down the court quickly on offense at every opportunity.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Sacred Heart freshman guard Addy Sipkin drives in the lane while being defended by Greenwich Academy senior Mirabel Rodgers in varsity basketball action at Sacred Heart Greenwich.

“As a team, I thought we received lots of contributions from so many people, which is really nice,” SHG coach Ayo Hart said. “Like usual, we shared the ball very well, our defense was very good. We tried to keep a zero-to-zero mentally every quarter. The intensity was there, we were communicating.”

Emma Mathews, a junior forward/guard/captain, added eight points, with two 3-pointers and was also stellar on the defensive end for the Tigers, who brought a 45-11 lead into halftime.

“Anytime we play GA in any sport at Sacred Heart everyone gets a little fired up, so it’s always fun to play them and it was a really good game for us,” Mathews said. “I’m extremely proud of the younger kids today, they played a lot of minutes and they showed up really well. That’s a testament to this program, girls can step up any day and play well.”

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography:** Greenwich Academy’s Cameron Dawson puts up a shot against Sacred Heart. On the scene for SHG are Eva Wilkerson, left, Caroline Contino (No. 24) and Emma Mathews.

GA senior forward Zoey Taylor had five points, while senior center/captain Mallory Walker scored two points and paced the Gators on the offensive and defensive backboards.

The Gators’ first-year coach Jimmy Cassidy discussed taking over the school’s varsity basketball program.

“I’m very excited, there’s a lot of good players on this team, the morale on the team is really high at the moment,” said Cassidy, who arrives at Greenwich Academy after coaching basketball at Cardinal Spellman High School. “Knowing that we have a lot of work to do, they seem generally excited to get into the process.”

“Whether or not we take lumps, they know that the future is extremely bright and we’re going to have a great time this season,” Cassidy continued.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Tigers senior captain Eva Wilkerson drives to the basket for a layup in a win over Greenwich Academy. Pursuing on the play is GA’s Mallory Walker.

Cassidy appreciates the competition that he’s seen so far from the FAA. GA has also played FAA foe St. Luke’s thus far.

“I knew coming in, just knowing the NEPSAC schools in general, the FAA is a really tough division,” he said. “It’s a really good thing as we’re building our program, because you only get better by playing strong competition. It’s very impressive, a lot of talent.”

Curto pulled down five rebounds, while notching three steals and four assists in the winning effort.

“Eva’s shooting percentage was so high,” Hart noted. “We are really happy, not just her scoring, but her leadership, her defensive intensity, she never takes a possession off. Ava too, the ball movement and cutting and the way they were passing to cuts – it was nice.”

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Sacred Heart junior Emma Mathews dribbles the ball down the court during the team’s 75-26 home win over Greenwich Academy.

Freshman forward Lily Sullivan posted four points and three rebounds off the bench, Sipkin added five rebounds and four assists to go along with her 10 points, Sara Pastula scored eight points and sophomore Caroline Contino had two points for the Tigers (3-0).

“Everyone got to touch the ball, the underclassmen showed us that they’re able to go out there and play without us and play as hard as they can,” Curto noted.

“It’s so fun, we’re doing really well each game,” Wilkerson said. “This game, I saw some things that we didn’t do and some new combinations going in there. Everyone did a good job of just being confident and sharing the ball.”

**Photo provided by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography**: Sacred Heart and Greenwich Academy competed against each other in FAA varsity basketball action at Sacred Heart on Dec. 17th, 2025.

Sophomore guard Reagan Gray, sophomore Emma Stern and eighth grader Lydia Hartman had three points apiece for GA, which is receiving impressive leadership from captains Rodgers and Walker.

“They’ve been around the program for a while, they’ve seen what things have been in the past and they seem to have a good idea of what things are going to be in the future and their leadership is fantastic,” Cassidy said of his GA squad’s captains. It’s some of the best from student athletes that I’ve experienced. They hold their team accountable, while also keeping a positive environment. They’re excited to be the first steps in leading a legacy of what the program is going to be after they’re gone, while also competing and making the most out of this last year they have.”

“We want to build a strong team culture,” Cassidy said of some of the team’s goals. “We want to build a positive environment that emphasizes winning, while doing things the right way and continuing to develop our basketball program. Also, we want to build so that there’s a sustainable future for the program as we go forward and continue developing.”

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Greenwich Academy’s Zoey Taylor, left and Addy Sipkin of SHG go for the rebound during an FAA basketball game, held at Sacred Heart Greenwich.

Sacred Heart’s next FAA game is on the road on Jan. 7th at Hamden Hall Country Day School. The Tigers are looking forward to the competition they will face this weekend against their opponents at Noble and Greenough School.

“We just have to go in with good intensity and work ethic and believe in each other and play well with each other,” Wilkerson noted.

Sacred Heart has made a habit of starting each one of its games strong.

06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro: Sacred Heart’s Sara Pastula dribbles the ball up the court while being guard by GA’s Reagan Gray at Sacred Heart on December 17, 2025.

“We came out with the intention of wanting to make a statement early and we came out strong from the beginning,” Mathews said. “We did that immediately, everyone stepped up all over the court.”

**Photo provided by Antonio Monteiro:** 06878 Photography: Addy Sipkin of Sacred Heart takes a jump shot against Greenwich Academy. Defending on the play is GA’s Mirabel Rodgers.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Lydia Hartman catches the inbounds pass for GA.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Eva Wilkerson drives to the basket to attempt a layup for SHG against GA. On defense for GA is Cameron Dawson.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Mallory Walker from Greenwich Academy looks to pass the ball while being guarded by Lily Sullivan of Sacred Heart. To the left for GA is Mirabel Rodgers. To the left for SHG is Reese Forlini.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Jimmy Cassidy is in his first season as head coach of the Greenwich Academy varsity basketball team.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Greenwich Academy’s Mirabel Rodgers with the ball on offense vs. Sacred Heart.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** SHG junior Emma Mathews takes a layup vs. GA.

**Photo courtesy of Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography**: Mirabel Rodgers of the Gators takes a shot while being guarded by Eva Wilkerson of the Tigers during an FAA varsity basketball game.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Emma Mathews of SHG takes a 3-point shot.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Reese Forlini of SHG drives the baseline while being defended by Cameron Dawson of Greenwich Academy.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Mallory Walker of Greenwich Academy with the ball while being defended by Sacred Heart’s Lily Sullivan in a league game held at Sacred Heart.

Photo courtesy of Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: Eva Wilkerson gets ready to take a layup while being guarded by Emma Stern from Greenwich Academy. The Tigers were victorious.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Addy Sipkin brings the ball up the court for the Tigers.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Ava Curto drives in for a layup for the Tigers.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Lily Sullivan of SHG puts up a shot under the basket vs. Greenwich Academy.

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography**: Eva Wilkerson in action in SHG’s win vs. GA.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Lydia Hartman takes a shot vs. Sacred Heart.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro**: Eliana Price drives toward the basket for GA, while being guarded by Sacred Heart’s Adrian Allegretti at Sacred Heart Greenwich.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Lydia Hartman looks to move the ball while being guarded by Sacred Heart’s Sara Pastula during varsity basketball action at SHG.

**06878 Photography by Antonio Monteiro:** Aneka Lakhani dribbles toward the basket, while being defended by Reese Forlini

**Photo by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography**: Members of the Sacred Heart Greenwich varsity basketball team gather with the coaching staff after a home victory against Greenwich Academy.

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: Sacred Heart Greenwich hosted Greenwich Academy.

Photos by Antonio Monteiro/06878 Photography: Greenwich Academy during a timeout and Mallory Walker on defense on a shot by Lily Sullivan at Sacred Heart.