Girls Varsity Basketball won the annual Ethel Walker Holiday Basketball tournament for the second year in a row on December 16. 

The team began the tournament strong with a 78-36 win against Cheshire Academy. 

The following day, the girls defeated Miss Porter’s in the second round 68-54, earning them a spot in the championship game against the hosts. 

The girls defeated Ethel Walker in the championship game, 67-33, thanks to co-captain Angel Allen ’24 hitting several three-point shots in a row and a flurry of big plays between co-captains Morgan Jenkins ’25 and Kaila Richards ’25. 

The team played the entire championship with an undersized roster. Co-captain Richards ’25 said, “We arrived the first day with eight girls and the second only with seven.” 

Playing with so few players put the team at an immediate disadvantage. Heading into the competition, Richards said, “We were going to do whatever it took to win again.” 

Despite the challenge of a thin bench, players maintained their energy throughout the games and pulled out win after win. 

The pressure of the tournament was compounded by the presence of a number of college scouts in the crowd. Despite the extra stress, Richards said, “Everyone remained cool and put in 100% effort.” 

The team currently stands at 5-3, after a recent victory against Deerfield on Friday and loss against Suffield on Saturday. 

The team’s next game is against Westminster on Wednesday January 17 at Westminster. 

The next home game will be against Williston on Saturday January 20 at 3:15 p.m.