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St. Luke's Girls Varsity Basketball: Season Preview
Expectations are always high for St. Luke’s Girls Varsity Basketball and this season is no different as the team looks to defend its FAA title for the third straight year.
The Storm graduated a number of key players over the last couple of years, including three Division 1 college players (Sydney Lowery ‘17, McKenna Frank ‘18, and Maya Klein ‘18), but Head Coach Matt Ward is confident his current group can continue to compete for titles.
The team will be in Class B for New England Preparatory Athletic Council (NEPSAC) for the first time in program history, and Ward believes his team is more than capable of making the step up, “For a number of reasons I think the girls feel like they have a lot to prove this year,” Ward said. “They are focused, working hard and are hungry to get started. They have a lot of the same goals as previous years and they are ready to make the jump to Class B.”
Lowery, Frank and Klein combined for more than 4000 points during their time with GVBB but Ward is not looking for anyone in particular to fill their shoes. “I don’t expect anyone to take on the roles of the players we lost," he said. "I think the good thing about our team is that we have a lot of depth and a lot of talent. I’m not looking for one or two people to step in and score 15-20 points every game, but if we can get five or six girls scoring seven or eight points a game that is going to be the best way to fill the void.”
Sydney Cummings ‘19, Tamia Fulton ‘19, Janelle Johnson ‘20, Summer Klein ‘20, Sophie Kriftcher ‘20, and Caroline Lau ‘22 are just a few of the players Ward will be looking towards to contribute as well as incoming freshman Keira Williams. “We are looking for all those kids to step up and score a little bit more," he said. "They are all capable of doing it and have done it before. Keira is new to the group but she has a lot of talent. She works really hard and is a tough kid so I think she’s going to do really well.”
This year’s team will be captained by Hannah Amendola ‘19, Jada Boggs ‘19, and Johnson. Ward is pleased with the leadership each one of them has shown so far. “Jada is more hungry than anyone to get back on the court and play and have fun," he said. "She is a leader vocally and by example. She really gets after everybody on the team for doing certain things or what the expectations are. Hannah is someone everyone really loves and respects. She works really hard every single day and she does all the right things and holds people accountable. Janelle has a ton of spirit and energy that can really help the team. She is going to have to lead by example on and off the court.”
Other players returning this year are Riley Page ‘19, Sydney Napolitano ‘19, and Lexi Watson ‘20. Ward has been impressed with all three and expects them to play big roles this season. “Riley finished last year really strong. She was excellent and I expect her to contribute a lot this time too. I have really liked what I have seen from Sydney so far and I think she has the ability to really play a part. Lexi is coming off of a pretty long injury but looks sharp and could be huge for us too.”
The Storm opens the season on the road at St. George’s School in Rhode Island on Saturday, December 1, before another two away games at Berkshire School (Friday, December 7) and The Canterbury School (Wednesday, December 12).
The team begins its FAA defense at home against Greens Farms Academy on Tuesday, January 8, and Ward knows it will be a tough task. “I think everyone within the FAA has improved so there won’t be any easy games. One of our goals is to win the FAA title again but the girls' first goal is to become a team and a family and they have made a great start,” Ward said.
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The Storm graduated a number of key players over the last couple of years, including three Division 1 college players (Sydney Lowery ‘17, McKenna Frank ‘18, and Maya Klein ‘18), but Head Coach Matt Ward is confident his current group can continue to compete for titles.
The team will be in Class B for New England Preparatory Athletic Council (NEPSAC) for the first time in program history, and Ward believes his team is more than capable of making the step up, “For a number of reasons I think the girls feel like they have a lot to prove this year,” Ward said. “They are focused, working hard and are hungry to get started. They have a lot of the same goals as previous years and they are ready to make the jump to Class B.”
Lowery, Frank and Klein combined for more than 4000 points during their time with GVBB but Ward is not looking for anyone in particular to fill their shoes. “I don’t expect anyone to take on the roles of the players we lost," he said. "I think the good thing about our team is that we have a lot of depth and a lot of talent. I’m not looking for one or two people to step in and score 15-20 points every game, but if we can get five or six girls scoring seven or eight points a game that is going to be the best way to fill the void.”
Sydney Cummings ‘19, Tamia Fulton ‘19, Janelle Johnson ‘20, Summer Klein ‘20, Sophie Kriftcher ‘20, and Caroline Lau ‘22 are just a few of the players Ward will be looking towards to contribute as well as incoming freshman Keira Williams. “We are looking for all those kids to step up and score a little bit more," he said. "They are all capable of doing it and have done it before. Keira is new to the group but she has a lot of talent. She works really hard and is a tough kid so I think she’s going to do really well.”
This year’s team will be captained by Hannah Amendola ‘19, Jada Boggs ‘19, and Johnson. Ward is pleased with the leadership each one of them has shown so far. “Jada is more hungry than anyone to get back on the court and play and have fun," he said. "She is a leader vocally and by example. She really gets after everybody on the team for doing certain things or what the expectations are. Hannah is someone everyone really loves and respects. She works really hard every single day and she does all the right things and holds people accountable. Janelle has a ton of spirit and energy that can really help the team. She is going to have to lead by example on and off the court.”
Other players returning this year are Riley Page ‘19, Sydney Napolitano ‘19, and Lexi Watson ‘20. Ward has been impressed with all three and expects them to play big roles this season. “Riley finished last year really strong. She was excellent and I expect her to contribute a lot this time too. I have really liked what I have seen from Sydney so far and I think she has the ability to really play a part. Lexi is coming off of a pretty long injury but looks sharp and could be huge for us too.”
The Storm opens the season on the road at St. George’s School in Rhode Island on Saturday, December 1, before another two away games at Berkshire School (Friday, December 7) and The Canterbury School (Wednesday, December 12).
The team begins its FAA defense at home against Greens Farms Academy on Tuesday, January 8, and Ward knows it will be a tough task. “I think everyone within the FAA has improved so there won’t be any easy games. One of our goals is to win the FAA title again but the girls' first goal is to become a team and a family and they have made a great start,” Ward said.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
