St. Matthew JV Girls basketball team wins the Waterbury Parochial League and Tournament Championship

St. Matthew JV Girls Basketball 2024 | SMS photo

Posted By: Jack Krampitz February 28, 2024

The girls of St. Matthew School had a very successful season going 8-0 in the regular season and then securing two wins in the league tournament to claim the championship. They now look forward to the Archdiocese of Hartford tournament on March 9 to see how far they can go.

The girls improved dramatically over the course of the year. Three girls come out for the team with virtually zero basketball experience. Each of them grew and made valuable contributions to the team. Emma Bernard especially really learned a lot and it showed in the championship game.

St. Matthew’s leading scorer and rebounder was Natalie Cox, who was just determined on every play. Ava Ricciardone and Brooke Satler played great offensively from the outside and were able to set the table for Natalie inside.

One of the keys to the season was the team’s stifling defense. Abby Stavens, at the point of attack, led to a lot of steals and offense.

Asst. coach Jarrod Cox was great on the bench helping to explain X’s and O’s to the girls to try to gain every advantage.

St. Matthew had a 45-7 semifinal win over Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which was a testament to team defense and playing together. Natalie Cox notched 22 points in the semi-finals win. Ava Ricciardone chipped in with 9 points in the semi-finals and point guard Brooke Sattler scored 6.

In the final, a 30-14 win over a combined St Mary Magdalen/St John, the girls were up 20-1 at halftime. It was nice to see the more experienced players constantly trying to get the other girls involved in the scoring while they all played great defense. Genesis Shaw, Emma Bernard and Brielle Brayne all got points for the Bulldogs and played great defense. 

In the final, Cox had 16, Ricciardone 8, and Sattler 4.

It’s been eight years since St Matthew’s won their last championship, so it will be nice to see a new banner on the gym wall. 

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