The Rye Girls Basketball team celebrated the holidays with a tournament victory on December 29-31, going 3-0 in the Orange Bracket Championship tournament down in Florida. The Garnets beat all three of their opponents in low-scoring affairs to push their overall season record to 8-0.
“So proud of this group for an incredible run in Florida and winning the Orange Bracket Championship,” Head Coach Margo Hackett told MyRye.com on January 3. “Over three days, the girls showed poise, toughness, and togetherness, finding different ways to win against quality opponents from multiple states. Their defensive intensity, balanced scoring, and ability to respond in big moments defined this championship run.”
Rye started play with a 43-33 win over Riverside High School, based in Sarasota, FL, on December 29. Phoebe Greto led the way with 17 points, followed closely behind by last game’s star Charlotte Storz (11 points) and Frankie Chiaravalle (eight).
The Garnets advanced to the finals with a 51-46 win over Quaker Valley (PA) the next day, a major victory and likely an upset. Greto recorded 20 points, with Stella Maresca right behind at 18 and chiaravalle at 8 for the second consecutive day. “Terrific defense by Annie Toulouse,” Hackett remarked after the game. “She defended a 6’4” player going to play at Maryland next season.”
Finally, the Garnets won the championship game on New Year’s Eve by a score of 45-40. Greto paced the scoring for the third consecutive night, ringing up 18 points. She finished the tournament with 45 of Rye’s 139 total points, good enough to win MVP of the Orange Bracket. Storz (14) and Chiaravalle (10) provided solid secondary scoring in the win.
Rye (8-0) played again on Saturday, January 3, defeating Westlake on the road to move to 9-0. Read more about it Sunday morning.
