Playing without one of its starting players and leading scorers, Greenwich High’s varsity girls basketball team knew it had to be especially focused and on point when a formidable Fairfield Ludlowe squad visited GHS on Jan. 6 for an early season FCIAC matchup.

Solid on both ends of the court, especially on defense and ignited by a 27-point effort by sophomore center Zuri Faison, the Cardinals certainly rose to the important occasion.

Greenwich raised its record to 5-1 with a well-earned 46-39 victory over Fairfield Ludlowe in its FCIAC opener. The Cardinals, who played without the services of senior forward/guard/captain Madi Utzinger, who is trying to work her way back from an ankle injury she sustained against Notre Dame Prep on Jan. 2, led Ludlowe, 13-10, after the first quarter and 31-26 at halftime in this tight FCIAC game.

“Ludlowe is a great opponent,” Greenwich coach Megan Wax said. “We know that they have awesome players, good ball movement. We know that they are awesome in transition, so this win feels good. It’s always good to beat a great competitor, so I’m really proud of the girls.”

Faison scored 16 first-half points, with most of her baskets coming from the low post, though she also made a 3-pointer in the win.

“We had to keep it together, not commit silly turnovers and play as a team,” Faison said of the Cards’ keys to victory. “She’s (Madi Utzinger) is a big key to our team, so we had to overcome her not being there. She’s there in spirits and even though she wasn’t there, we stepped up for each other.”

Sophomore point guard Elsa Xhekaj scored nine points, senior forward Maddie Young converted two 3-pointers for six points and senior forward/captain Mikayla Kiernan had four points for Greenwich.

“Obviously, it was a much different game without Madi,” Wax said of the team competing without Utzinger. “She’s a huge part of what we do offensively and defensively. So, I’m happy with the way we responded in that we played composed and hard and everybody stepped it up. Overall, I’m proud of the way we rose.”

After taking a 13-10 lead into the second quarter, Young swished a 3-pointer, extending Greenwich’s edge to 16-10. Later in the second quarter, Faison grabbed an offensive rebound, scored on a putback while being fouled, then made the ensuing foul shot, making it 19-13 in favor of the hosts.

The Falcons (1-5) closed to within 21-20 on layups from Caroline O’Connor and Claire Holt. Xhekaj made a 3-pointer from the top of the key, converted a pull-up jumper, then nailed a 3-point shot from the left corner, putting GHS on top, 29-22 late in the second quarter.

“They played good, but I focus on my team as a point guard,” Xhekaj said. “I felt like our whole team executed really well and I feel like we overcame that.”

Senior guard/captain Juliette Pelham and guard Gia Rios added two points apiece for the Cardinals, who played solid man-to-man defense throughout.

“Our defense was huge for this game, because obviously, they’re a strong, aggressive team,” Pelham said. “So, defense was huge, but our offense was also a big part of it – not giving up on the defensive end and scoring.”

“We were pretty composed, we had to pick it up a little bit, because we didn’t have Madi, who is a big key on offense, so we made do with what we had,” Pelham noted.

Said Wax of her squad’s resilience: “They did a great job. It’s always hard when a starter goes out of the lineup. We knew it was going to be hard, so we went into the game mentally prepared for it.”

Up next for Greenwich is a home game against St. Joseph, which is always a contender in the FCIAC, on Jan. 9th at 7 p.m.

“I feel like we grow as the season grows,” Xhekaj said. “We’ve bonded off the court, which correlates to the court. I feel like we have a good season ahead of us.”