Girls Varsity Basketball secured the win at the annual Ethel Walker Cup, hosted by the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT. Led by new coach Doug Kneeland ’98, the team went up against top schools in the NEPSAC conference, including Westminster, Canterbury, Green Farms Academy, Ethel Walker, Millbrook, Miss Porter’s, and Cheshire. The tournament was single elimination and started with two divided pools.
The Girl’s team met Green Farms Academy, its most challenging opponent, in the tournament finals. The team had already faced Green Farms in the regular season, winning by a margin of twelve points, 63 to 61. Player Eleanor Helm ’25 said, “In the beginning, I think we rushed our plays and were nervous, because Green Farms was so much better than the other teams we had played. But in the end we settled into our playing style and ended up winning by 12. We both came out strong, trading points and fouls, but they pulled ahead at the end of the first half and were up by 12 points slightly before the first half ended. When we started to come back in the second half, Green Farms started to be noticeably tired and we had about four fast breaks in a row taking the lead on the final fast break.”
To prepare for the Ethel Walker Cup, the team practiced plays and reviewed tapes from teams they knew they would face. Helm said, “We practiced twice a day and spent the rest of our time on campus hanging out as a team. I think that played into the games a lot because of how well we played together.”
The team’s 3-0 record in the Cup showed the team’s potential for the remainder of the season. Player Leanna Wells ’23 said, “I learned we have a lot of potential and truly can go far. We work really well as a team and know how to lift one another up. Our goals for the rest of the season are to continue to grow, get better every game and practice, and get that championship with the 2023 banner.”
The team attributes much of its success to the leadership of its captains — Leanna Wells ’23, Biz Watson ’23, and Amber Bretz ’23, who encouraged the players to set a high bar for the tournament. Helm said, “This tournament felt like a reflection of the hard work we put in the week before break. I think everyone on the team can agree that it felt really good to see the time and effort we put into practice on the court. Another big reason for our success was Coach Kneeland and our captains. They led our team very well and made sure to keep pushing us so that we put our very best into both practices and games.”
Coach Kneeland said, “For me, the highlights were watching our team come together and really play a beautiful brand of basketball. Everyone scored in the Cheshire game, and eight out of nine players scored in the championship game. There were some really great passes. Watching the girls holding the trophy together, then taking turns holding it on the court and posing for pictures together — everyone was so happy — it was a great team moment.”
