January 27, 2022
Wyvern Nation Sports Wraps – January 27, 2022
Basketball
The Middle School A Girl’s Basketball lost 27-50 against Renbrook on Jan. 26. The full-court pressure in the first half put the Wyverns back on their heels as the team only managed to score six points. The girls came out and played a better second half winning that half by a score of 21-20. Julia Stepnowski ‘28 played great defense for the Wyverns. Ella Brown ‘27 and Ellory Goodhue ‘27 came off the bench in the first half and provided some immediate offense. The top scorers for KO were Madison Brillant ‘28 with 10 and Sophia Garza ‘26 with six.
The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team defeated a spirited Frederick Gunn squad 70 – 56 to win their ninth straight game. The Wyverns played a strong team game with well-balanced scoring throughout the starting lineup and a strong defensive effort throughout the game.
The JV Girls Basketball team lost 11-32 against Miss Porter’s School on Jan. 19. The Wyverns were overwhelmed in the first half 16-1 after many turnovers and missed opportunities to score. While there were moments of good play on both ends of the court during the second half, these efforts weren’t consistent enough against a good Miss Porter’s team.
The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team defeated Beaver Country Day 71-56 in a tough road game on Jan. 26. The Wyverns were led in scoring by Gavin Griffiths ’23 (21 points), Rhandyn Bair ’24 (19 points), and Jack Nieradko ’24 (15 points). KO capitalized on a significant run to start the second half and never looked back.
The JV Girls Basketball team won 54-17 against Westover on Jan. 22. While the game was close in the first half, KO pulled away with solid defense and smart transition baskets during the second half. All KO players who were able to play scored and all contributed to the 2-3 zone defense that kept Westover to four points in the second half.
The Middle School Girls B Basketball team lost 20-11 against Ethel Walker on Jan. 29 during their first game of the season, and what a game it was. From steals to rebounds to scoring baskets, the entire team had fun while learning the ins and outs and nuances of the game. Riley Anderson ‘26, Coco Ma ‘27, and Kenlee Gardner ‘28 led the team at point with their strong ball-handling skills. Ellie Gardner ‘26 and Marlee Diana ‘26 were a force to be reckoned with under the basket, grabbing many rebounds, both offensive and defensive. Victoria Concepcion ‘26 caused many key turnovers with her strong man-to-man defense in the second half. Taylor Benavides ‘27 was the top scorer with four points, while Ma, Adrianna Cicchiello ‘27, and Gardner each added a basket. All the athletes played their hearts out and learned so much about the game and both coaches noted how proud they were of the play and camaraderie. Coach Nicholson said, “It was good to be back on the court playing a competitive game; it has been too long. Thank you to both the KO and Ethel Walker’s athletic staff and the referees for making this happen. I think everyone agrees that it felt good to play again or to play for the first time in a real game, and we are looking forward to our next game!”
The Middle School Boys’ Basketball team came out of the gate ready to go this season, starting with a 4-0 record. Their first game was at Rectory and KO won the game, 86-23. There was pretty balanced scoring with every member of the team netting at least one basket. Greyson Pierce ’26 and Drew Dargati ’26 both had 15 points in the game. Declan Griffiths ’26 also had 17 points. The next game, against Indian Mountain School, was much closer and more exciting. The Wyverns won the game in overtime, 78 – 68. KO was actually down by 17 to open the game and was losing by seven points with 27 seconds left in the contest! Miraculously, the boys stayed patient and cut the lead to three with five seconds left and the ball. Pierce then hit an amazing three-point shot at the buzzer to tie the game and send it to overtime. From there KO went on a 12 – 2 run, easily winning the game. KO was paced with 38 points from Pierce and ridiculous defense by Tyler Brown ’26 on Indian Mountain School’s best player! From there, KO traveled north of the border to play Eaglebrook on a Saturday night. This was another easy win for the Wyverns, 94-33. Everyone scored again, including a six for six three-point shooting night from Sawyer Burtman ’26 and a boatload of assists from Jordan Cipriano ’26. The game was highlighted by Tadhg Dillow ’26’s first-ever three-point make in a game. It was a gorgeous shot that led his teammates to erupt with joy on the bench. Finally, KO took on crosstown rivals from the Renbrook School on Tuesday night, winning 81 – 32. The Wyverns were led in scoring by Dargati and Pierce again, but Griffiths had a career-high 10 assists in the game. Pratt “Laps” Blair ’26 hit his very first three-pointer of his career in this game. The Wyverns are averaging a remarkable 85 points per game in their first four contests!
The JV Girls’ Basketball team lost 12-39 against Northfield Mount Hermon School on Jan. 26. The Wyverns were game competitors against the Hoggers of NMH, as they jumped out to a 4-2 lead to start the game. However, the Hoggers slowly prevailed during the first half due to their experience and good play. Still, KO played tough 2-3 zone defense throughout the game, challenging NMH to play their best basketball. In so doing, the Wyverns are becoming more and more proficient in their zone defense.
Hockey
The Varsity Hockey team won 6-1 against Greenwich Country Day on Jan. 21. A good weekend for KO Hockey, winning back-to-back games on consecutive days. Sean Gilland ’22 led the scoring with a hat trick and an assist. Nico Bromley ’25 would tally three assists in the game and show dominance in the face-off circle winning 20 of his 27 draws. Austin Perkins ’26, and Bodie Swanson ’25 also tallied goals for KO. Assists would also be tallied by Ben Margolis ’23 and Lindsay Stepnowski ’26. Cody Brew ’23 would tally the most unusual goal of the game. With 5.6 seconds left in the second period and a face-off in the KO end, GCDS pulled their goalie to add a sixth attacker to finish the period. A heads-up play by Bromley on the face-off and Brew would prove the GCDS decision to be a bad one. Bromley would win the draw to Brew, who then sent the puck the length of the ice into the GCDS net before time ran out. Matt Cote ‘23 would notch the win between pipes and also tallied an assist on the third Gilland goal to get into the scoring.
The Varsity Hockey team won 12-1 against The Foreman School on Jan. 22. KO played host at the South Windsor Arena and would see nine Wyvern skaters tally points in the scoring column. The Wyverns opened the scoring quickly and often on the way to a 12-1 win. Sean Gilland ’22 and Ben Margolis ’23 would lead the scoring with 5 points each. Gilland would score four goals and an assist. Margolis would also tally three goals and two assists. Aidan Aube ’22 would break into the 21-22 Wyvern season with two goals and two assists. Austin Perkins ’26, Lindsay Stepnowski ’26 and Bodie Swanson ’25 would each score goals in the game. Swanson, Perkins, Stepnowski, Teddy Crowther ’22, and Margolis would also contribute assists. Gab Abrahamson ‘22 and Matt Cote ‘23 would combine efforts in the crease toward the win for the Wyverns.
Squash
The Varsity Girls’ Squash team lost to Choate on Jan. 19 with a score of 1-6. The match featured an exciting 3-0 win from Annabelle Jacobs ’23 in the #7 spot.
The JV Girls’ Squash team lost 0-7 to Choate on Jan. 19.
The Varsity Girls’ Squash team won 4-3 against Kent on Jan. 22 with wins from Amrita Natarajan ’22 (#3), Ilianna Brett ’24 (#5), Macy Isenberg ’22 (#6), Annabelle Jacobs ’23 (#7), and Katharine Doar ’22 (#8).
The JV Girls’ Squash team lost 6-1, with a good 3-0 win from Sophie Glazier ’23 (#2) and a marathon match from Avery Hersh ’24 in the #7 spot (with a game that went to 27-29).
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