Making history was the biggest trademark of Greenwich High School’s varsity girls basketball team this season, which will go down in the record books as the most successful the program has experienced.

When the Cardinals defeated Staples for the FCIAC Tournament championship on March 4th, it was a historic win for the squad, which won the conference tournament title for the first time since the 1987-1988 season. Well, the Cardinals took the court before a big crowd at Mohegan Sun on March 21st and hit the Jackpot, making even bigger history.

Third-seeded Greenwich won its first state basketball championship, earning an impressive win over top-seeded Northwest Catholic, 51-46, in the title game of the CIAC Division I Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Holding the lead the majority of the championship game, Greenwich received 18 points from sophomore center Zuri Faison, 16 points from senior guard Madi Utzinger and eight from senior forward Mikayla Kiernan on its way to registering its most significant win in program history.

“I am unbelievably proud of this team,” Greenwich coach Megan Wax said. “I’m so happy for them. All of the little things that we’ve been building upon day-by-day paid off for them. Even more than anybody in the stands would think, I am the proudest of them and I am so honored to be their coach and be a part of this journey and share it with them.”

“I can’t wait this team in particular, to be forever memorialized with that banner hanging in the gym and this in the trophy case,” Wax continued.

Sophomore point guard Elsa Xhekaj added seven points and senior guard Juliette Pelham had a key basket for two points for Greenwich, which led Northwest Catholic, 13-10 after the first quarter, 28-18 at halftime and 35-33 following three quarters of play.

“It feels amazing, making history feels amazing, there’s no other words,” said Utzinger, who served as one of the Cardinals’ senior captains.

The championship victory marked the final basketball game in a Cardinals uniform for Utzinger, who along with teammate Maddie Young, also a senior, was also on Greenwich’s CIAC Class LL Tournament championship girls soccer team this past fall.

Greenwich’s win against Northwest Catholic ended the Lions’ three-season reign as state champions and put the finishing touch on a memorable 25-2 season. The Cardinals ended their 2025-2026 campaign with 15 consecutive wins, raising their performance to an even higher level on their way to winning both the FCIAC and Division I tournaments.

“A lot of work went into this,” Wax noted. “From the players and the coaches, we have been working around the clock since the beginning of the season. We really put in the extra hours the last couple of weeks, starting as soon as the regular season ended and our eyes were on the FCIAC championship and then as soon as that happened, we only took a day and we were back at it, preparing for this day and this minute.”

Coached by Alison Conners, Northwest Catholic finished its season with a record of 26-2. The Lions’ offense was led by senior center Abigail Casper, who scored a team-best 18 points. Her sister, sophomore guard Samantha Casper, had nine points. Abigail Casper was named the 205-2026 Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year for Connecticut recently and was well defended throughout by Greenwich’s Faison, who also provided Casper with a challenge on the offensive end of the court.

“Zuri knows that I think the absolute world of her,” Wax said. “We talked about going into this game that Abby (Casper) is a great player, but so are we. The things that she does well, we also can do well. Just be confident in your own individual skill and trust the team, trust the process and ultimately, we’ll achieve our goals working as all five on the court and we did.”

Faison collected 14 rebounds, four steals and two assists for the game. She scored 12 points during the first half, which was instrumental in the Cardinals’ building a 10-point lead.

“The whole atmosphere was fun, just the setting,” said Faison, who played all 32 minutes. “Everything was so fun, I’m glad we made it here. It was an amazing feeling to get the win.”

Utzinger totaled four assists, three steals and three rebounds, while Xhekaj had two steals and four rebounds for the CIAC Division I state champion Cardinals.

“Our goal was to come out strong,” Utzinger said. “We knew our defense is strong, so being able to build a lead in the first half helped us build our confidence and our momentum.”

“It feels amazing,” Xhekaj said. “I’m only a sophomore, but we have some seniors on the team and for them to be able to graduate with a state championship – it feels amazing, there’s no other way to describe it.”

The Division I final started with Faison snaring an offensive rebound and scoring, then making a basket off a steal. Later in the first quarter, Utzinger swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Faison scored off a strong move in the post, putting GHS ahead, 13-10, after the opening quarter.

“We knew that they are going to come out hot, we knew that they were going to go on runs, so we just had to put a stop to it and play as a team,” Faison said.

Both teams played an aggressive man-to-man defense and the Cardinals and Lions each finished the game shooting 17 for 47 from the floor. Greenwich shot 14-of-20 from the foul line, Northwest Catholic made seven of its nine free throws and the Cards held the Lions to 5-for-21 shooting from 3-point range.

“We went into this game knowing that they are an extremely talented team and that they can get going pretty quick,” Wax said of Northwest Catholic. “So, similar to how we went into the FCIAC championship with Staples, we knew that we needed to be the ones to push the gas pedal and be sure that it’s our pace and the one that we want to be playing at.”

The Cards enjoyed a strong second quarter, outscoring the Lions, 15-8. Utzinger scored on a fastbreak layup, Faison made a pair of free throws and Utzinger drove hard along the baseline for a layup, giving GHS a 19-12 second-quarter advantage.

After Northwest Catholic closed to with 19-15 on a 3-point shot from the top of the key by Abigail Casper, Faison made a basket and Xhekaj raced down the court for a layup after registering a steal, making it 23-15, in favor of Greenwich and prompting a Lions timeout.

“We just had to play as a team, they had a run, but we had to regroup and remember who we are,” Xhekaj noted. “I feel like that’s what helped us. The game was very high intensity. I knew they were going to play fast-paced.”

A 3-pointer by Kiernan and a pair of foul shots from Utzinger gave GHS a 28-18 lead heading into halftime. Northwest Catholic’s best moments came during a third quarter in which it outscored Greenwich, 15-7, to close to within 35-33.

The Lions began the third quarter with a 13-2 run, taking a 31-30 lead in the process. Samantha Casper buried a 3-point shot from the left wing and Abby Casper scored on an offensive rebound, making it 31-30, Lions.

Northwest Catholic’s 1-point lead didn’t last long however, as Utzinger’s foul shot less than 20 seconds later, evened the score at 31-31 with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter. The Cards took a slim 35-33 edge into the final quarter, setting up a frantic, intense, final eight minutes of action.

“In the second half, they went on a run in the third quarter and we came into the huddle after the third quarter and said, ‘let’s keep our heads up’, we knew we could do it and that’s what we did,” Utzinger said.

Pelham converted a layup off a pass from Utzinger, who then made a basket, putting GHS on top, 39-33 with 6:40 to go in the fourth period. Xhekaj’s runner in the lane capped a 10-0 Cardinals run, giving them a 41-33 advantage.

“We came out like it was a new game and we played a little harder and stuck together,” Utzinger said of the Cards’ impressive start to the fourth quarter.

Kiernan, a 3-point shooting specialist, nailed a shot from beyond the arc from the right corner, giving Greenwich a 46-38 lead late in the fourth quarter.

“It felt really good, I felt like I wasn’t shooting that well in the first half and those 3s came at a good time and it really helped swing the momentum of the game in our favor,” said Kiernan, a team captain.

Defending champions don’t go down easily and that was certainly the case for a Northwest Catholic team, which reached the Division I final with victories against Conard, Danbury and Sacred Heart Academy.

The Lions went on an 8-0 spurt, tying the score at 46-46 with 54 seconds remaining. Samantha Casper scored four points, while Abby Casper had a basket during the Lions’ run.

As they have done throughout the season, the Cardinals closed out another game strong – this one being their most important of the season.

Utzinger made the go-ahead basket, converting a layup with 30 seconds remaining in the final quarter and giving GHS a 48-46 edge. Utzinger then stole the ball on the ensuing inbounds pass and fed it to Xhekaj, who was fouled and made one free throw, making it 49-46 with 26 seconds left.

With the ball, the Lions needed a 3-pointer to tie the score and Abby Casper attempted a shot from 3-point range near the left corner. On the scene, Faison blocked the shot and was fouled while collecting the rebound. Her two free with four seconds remaining sealed Greenwich’s historic 51-46 win.

When the final buzzer sounded, it was celebration time for the Cardinals, who rejoiced a victory they’ll always remember.

“Like always, I’m so proud of our team,” said Pelham, a captain. “We worked out butts off all season long and it paid off. This is what we wanted and we needed to work to get it and that’s what we did.”

Indeed, their were anxious moments down the stretch of this championship matchup, but the Cards executed like the champions they are.

“I was very nervous, but I always trust in my teammates and I know they got it,” Pelham noted. “We just had to finish strong and that’s what we did.  This was definitely a memorable season and I’m so glad to be a part of it.”

After beating Staples for the FCIAC Tournament title, Greenwich recorded victories against Glastonbury, East Catholic and Hamden to secure a spot in the Division I Tournament final. In 2025, GHS lost to Southington in the CIAC Class LL Tournament semifinals.

“It feels great, we worked all season towards this,” said Kiernan, a captain. “Last year we fell short and it felt so good bringing it home this year.

Greenwich outrebounded Northwest Catholic, 33-29, for the game and stayed out of foul trouble for the most part, committing 12 fouls, compared to 18 by the Lions. Both teams took care of the ball, with the Cards committing nine turnovers and the Lions having 10, a low number for a pressure-packed game.

“Some of the key aspects were, we meant to limit them to one shot only, crash the boards and we did that really well and it worked out in our favor,” Kiernan said. “We got a lot of stops and pushed the ball in transition and that’s why we had such a great first half.”

Said Faison: “The offense – we just had to stick to our plays and stick together. I’m so happy for all the seniors. I’m so sad that they’re leaving though, I’m really going to miss them.”

Greenwich edged Northwest Catholic, 16-13, in the fourth quarter, including a 5-0 burst to conclude the title game.

“We came out like it was a new game and we played a little harder and stuck together,” Utzinger said of the Cards’ efficient fourth-quarter effort.

Wax appreciated how everyone who played for the Cardinals, performed their roles in the high-pressure, championship game.

“Every little thing matters,” she said. “The over the back foul that Maddie Young got boxing out is huge, Mikayla knocking down that shot, Juliette drawing the fouls, Madi stepping in to handle the ball when Elsa had to come out. Elsa’s non-stop ball-handling, her steals, Zuri finishing inside drawing fouls – everything matters, especially in a game that comes down-to-wire like this.”

Soon, there will be banners inside Greenwich High School’s gymnasium, recognizing the girls varsity basketball team for winning the FCIAC title and the elusive state championship.

“It’s amazing, we were looking at the banner after FCIACs and we were like hopefully, we can get the CIAC championship because there’s none,” Utzinger said. “It feels amazing that we’re the team that is the first CIAC champions of Greenwich.”

Utzinger experienced many memorable moments during her Greenwich basketball career, which concluded with the ultimate title.

“t feels amazing that we’re the team that is the first CIAC champions of Greenwich,” Utzinger said. “It’s obviously, emotional. I’m just happy to end it off with a championship, it means a lot. I love this program and I was really happy to be a part of it for four years.”

Here are more photos from Greenwich’s Division I State Tournament victory vs. Northwest Catholic.

More even more pictures from Greenwich’s game against Northwest Catholic in the CIAC Division I State Tournament final, please visit: http://www.06878photography.com