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St. Luke's Girls Varsity Basketball: Season Outlook
The St. Luke’s Girls Varsity Basketball team is embarking on another season full of high expectations.
The Storm has won the FAA League and Tournament the last four years and will look to defend those titles again.
After graduating six players last year, as well as other key players over the previous two years, there is a new and youthful look to the hoop program. Head Coach Matt Ward returns for his fourth season and is excited to see what his team can achieve. “This is the biggest turnover we've had in my time here, so it's been fun to see how well our new players are fitting in and the energy and talents they have brought to our team.” He said: “Preseason has been good. We've done a lot of conditioning and working on our style of play, fine-tuning some of our fundamentals, and figuring out how to play best together.”
This year’s squad is captained by Janelle Johnson ‘20 and Sophie Kriftcher ‘20. Ward expects the two seniors to truly lead the team: “Janelle has been a part of this team since 7th grade, and she's our heartbeat. She is a tremendous leader and competitor and picks everyone up. Sophie is a kid that everyone respects and knows the game extremely well. She’s a coach on the floor and one of the best communicators we've had.”
Other returning players include Summer Klein ‘20, Lexi Watson ‘20, Caroline Lau ‘22, and Kiera Williams ‘22. Ward expects all of them to contribute to the team’s success. “Lexi and Summer have terrific offensive skills and will be vital to the team this year. Kiera Williams is a tough player and a capable scorer. We will look to Kiera to provide a spark on the glass. Caroline is one of the best players in New England. She has worked hard to grow and improve her game.. It has been apparent how much work she's put in during the offseason.”
The new players to the roster include senior Julia Lombardo, sophomore Sophie Blomberg, two freshmen in Brielle Renwick and Aidan Panian, and eighth-grader Sarah Lau. Ward is impressed with what he has seen from all of them so far. “Brielle and Aidan are tough, confident kids, who have the potential to play key roles for us. Sophie Blomberg is a very good shooter and plays the game hard. Sarah brings a knowledge of the game that is invaluable and has already progressed so much this season. Julia will bring leadership, a team-first focus, and a toughness that is much needed.”
The Storm opened its season with a tough 55-67 loss to the Hun School on Saturday, December 7, before bouncing back with two wins against Sacred Heart Greenwich (62-33) on Monday, December 9, and Holy Child (65-34) on Wednesday, December 11.
Next up is a tough Class B matchup against Berkshire School on Friday, December 13, before the Storm travels to Greens Farms Academy on Wednesday, December 18. Ward knows both teams will provide tough competition but believes how his team defends will be important to its success. “I want our tempo to be fast, but controlled. Our defense will be key for us this year. We will look for it to create our offense and get out in transition for some easy points. I want our defense to be elite.”
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.
