About to conclude one of their most successful regular seasons in program history, the members of the Greenwich High School varsity girls basketball team were especially excited to take the court when Westhill High School came to town on Feb. 17, because it was Senior Night for the hosts – a game they especially look forward to every year.

Receiving contributions from everyone, the Cardinals continued what’s been a season to remember so far, by rolling to a resounding 48-17 win over the Vikings, making it a happy Senior Night.

Greenwich hosts Fairfield Warde tonight at 7 (Feb. 20th), then wraps up its regular season Monday with a game at Brien McMahon in Norwalk. Currently, the Cardinals sport a standout record of 16-2 overall and 12-1 mark in the FCIAC. The Cardinals are in first place in the FCIAC and on pace to earn the No. 1 seed in the FCIAC Tournament, which commences soon. In their victory against the Vikings of Westhill (2-16, 0-13 FCIAC), Greenwich held an 11-2 lead after the first quarter and 28-9 advantage at halftime.

“It was really fun, we all played together,” Greenwich senior guard/forward/captain Madi Utzinger said. “We really showed our depth and it was a fun game to play.”

Sophomore point guard Elsa Xhekaj led a balanced Cardinals scoring attack with 11 points. Utzinger scored nine points, senior guard Lauren Judge had six points and junior guard Lily Nogaki totaled six points as well for the victors.

Zuri Faison, a sophomore center (four points), senior forward Maddie Young (four points), freshman Claire Campinell (four points), senior forward/captain Mikayla Kiernan (two points) and senior guard/captain Juliette Pelham (two points) rounded out the Cards’ scoring.

“It was very high spirited. It was my last senior night, so it’s awesome to end if off so well,” said Young, who like Utzinger, was a member of Greenwich’s varsity girls soccer team which won the CIAC Class LL Tournament championship this past fall.

“It’s such a loving and compassionate night to spend it with my teammates and I think we’re going to end off the season really well,” Young said following the Senior Night triumph.

Greenwich played terrific man-to-man defense throughout, while on offense, shared the ball effectively, resulting in a lot of players getting baskets in the home victory.

“There are a lot of emotions, it was a high spirited game – high vibes, excitement, it was a good game as well,” Pelham said. “We wanted to make it a good one as well. We’re hoping to take it all the way this year.”

Cardinals coach Megan Wax, who guided the team to the semifinal-round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament in 2025, appreciates the effort and presence the seniors on the squad have provided throughout the season.

“They’re an outstanding group of seniors,” Wax said. “Having six for basketball is pretty atypical, which speaks to their love for the game and their dedication to the program over their high school careers.”

Greenwich’s senior hoopsters include: Kiernan, Judge, Emm Maasbach, Pelham, Utzinger and Young.

Wax paid tribute to the seniors.

“What they are able to show every single day in practice, the camaraderie off the court, how hard they play, how much they push each other, the hustle into everything they do – I think it’s really great leadership,” she said. “It shows the younger girls on varsity, but also JV and freshman teams really what this program is about and what the ultimate goal is. I’m really proud of them. I’ll be sad to see the go, but hopefully, we have a little bit longer.”

Utzinger, a mainstay on the varsity squad since her freshman year, who has been an all-around exceptional player, reflected on her senior season.

“I’ve had a lot of fun,” Utzinger said. “I love playing with my teammates, hanging out with them outside of basketball and during basketball, it’s a fun environment and a fun team to play with.”

The best case scenario for the Cardinals would be if they were still competing approximately one month from now. That would bring them right up to the CIAC Class LL state tournament final at Mohegan Sun.

However, first things first for Greenwich, which also has the FCIAC Tournament to think about.

“We’re just going to go one game at a time and that’s our goal,” Utzinger noted. “Every game, especially in playoffs, we have to go one game at a time. We’re going to try to be competitive. We know every team in the FCIAC plus state, is an aggressive team, so we have to go in strong.”

“Our eyes are forward,” Wax said. “We want to make sure we finish the season strong, so that we feel confident going into FCIACs and states.”

Here are more pictures of Greenwich’s Senior game against Westhill.

For even more pictures of Greenwich’s game vs. Westhill, please visit: https://www.06878photography.com/fciac-girls-basketball-greenwich-high-school-vs-westhill-high-school-february-17-2026