The Rye High School girls basketball team has played in 11 games this season and won all 11 of them. As if being undefeated were not enough, they have won those 11 games by an average of 24.5 points. Every single win has been by double digits.
This, after finishing last season with a 9-12 record, losing 10 of their final 13 games, and exiting the playoffs in the first round following a loss to Tappan Zee. They were a young team and took the lumps that young teams do. However, in doing so they gained invaluable experience. After losing only two seniors to graduation, coach Margo Hackett’s team came into this season with a more experienced core that was ready to make some noise.
“Our two goals are to have fun and win,” Hackett said. “I did anticipate we would be quite successful this year based on our roster, but I am so proud of how hard the girls have worked to start 11-0.”
Early in the season, the girls picked up several confidence-building wins. On Dec. 13, they defeated a formidable Hendrick Hudson team by 11 points, tied for their narrowest margin of victory this season. They also avenged two losses from last season, both on the road. On Dec. 10, they beat Nyack by 18, and on Dec. 17 they dispatched Lakeland by 39.
During the holiday break, they competed in the Mahopac tournament, which they take part in every season but had never won. Even while battling illness that affected multiple members of the team, the Garnets still managed to come out on top, first defeating Putnam Valley and then the hosts of the tournament, Mahopac, in the final.
“Winning the Mahopac tournament was a wonderful feeling,” Hackett said. “Winning it short-handed due to illness was remarkable. I am so proud of the girls … It was nice to close out 2024 with wins.”
Paige Tepedino was named MVP of the tournament, while fellow junior Phoebe Greto made the all-tournament team. Two of the team’s three captains, along with senior Kathleen Denvir, Tepedino and Greto have been a dynamic duo all season long. As Hackett notes, on the rare occasions when Tepedino is slowed down offensively, the team makes sure to get the ball inside to Greto. On the other hand, if the opposition is double-teaming Greto in the post, as has happens often, Tepedino becomes freed up on the perimeter.
This inside-out combination is hard enough to stop in and of itself. It becomes even more difficult to contain when teams also must contend with dynamic guard play of Molly Kennedy, or the outside sharp-shooting of Stella Maresca, or the mid-range scoring of Frankie Chiaravalle.
Frankly, every player on the roster has ways in which they can and do affect games, and that has borne out time after time this season. One need look no further than the box score of their 79-18 drubbing of Yonkers on Jan. 7 – when 11 different players scored points – to see the evidence of this total-team concept.
This dynamic is just as evident on the defensive side of the ball. To watch this Rye team play defense on any given night is to watch a masterclass. Often, they pick their opponents up full court, trapping them when the opportunity presents itself, and forcing frequent turnovers. In the handful of games this season in which their offense has gotten off to a slow start, they have made up for it by generating fast breaks and easy layups, managing to build leads even when the jump shots are not falling.
In a 47-34 win Jan. 9 against Irvington, Rye tallied its second-lowest point total on the season, yet still managed win comfortably, due in large part to having five different players record at least three steals. To call this team’s ability to generate turnovers their superpower is not hyperbolic. For everything they do so well, it is that particular skill that makes them most dangerous.
Despite the success they have had so far, the rest of the season will not be easy for the Garnets. They have one of their toughest games on Saturday, Jan. 18, on the road at Ketcham (9-1). Still ahead are also two games each against rivals Harrison (4-5) and Pelham (9-2). Their second-to-last game of the regular season, on Feb. 10, will be on the road against Walter Panas high school, a team that is also having a stellar season.
There will be plenty of challenges ahead, and the Garnets are well aware of that. However, as Hackett notes, her team’s defining characteristic is their resiliency. Being undefeated is surely nice, but that resiliency and fight will be essential to help them overcome the speedbumps that are inevitable over the course of a long season. It will also help them on the road toward hopefully achieving their ultimate goal.
“Being 11-0 is great, but a new season begins once sectionals start. We must continue to build off our success and grow daily,” Hackett said. “Our goal is always to win the gold ball at the Westchester County Center.”
