Wyvern Nation Sports Wraps – January 30, 2020

Basketball
The Varsity Boys’ Basketball lost a tough game to Pingree 49-63 on January 25 playing in the historic TD Garden in Boston. The Wyverns were led in scoring by Jackson Wolff ‘20 (12 points) and Hunter Meshanic ‘21 (10 points). Jordon Walker ‘20, Mike DeMio ‘21, and Calvin Schumacher ‘20 did a nice job coming off the bench and providing a good spark for the team. In the end, Pingree was too strong and earned a good victory. Despite the loss, it was a wonderful experience to play and to support autism awareness. The team looks forward to playing in this charity game again in years to come.

The JV Girls’ Basketball team won 50-1 against Westover on January 25. Leading from the opening tip of the game, KO took advantage of their scoring opportunities against a game Westover team through effective passing, finding the open teammate, and hitting the offensive boards. Both Keegan McMahon ’21and Emma Henry ’21 ending up scoring in double figures. In her first game back in a week due to illness, Brie Toedt ’21 scored eight points. Stifling team defense and rebounding limited Westover to one shot at the basket nearly every time down the court.

The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team lost a tough game to a hot-shooting Westminster team 84-79 on January 24. In front of a passionate Friday night crowd, Pomfret shot lights out from the three-point line. KO was also unable to match their constant energy throughout the entire game.

The Middle School Girls’ A Basketball team lost 29-49 to Har-Bur. This was a very hard-fought game, and KO was competitive from start to finish. Scoring 15 points in the first quarter, the team found it harder to score later in the game. Ashley Buckingham ’24 had her best offensive game of the season, hitting a few outside shots and ending with nine points. Georgia Louis ’24 also scored nine points in a valiant effort, fighting through a tough defense and a lot of contact. Kelly Stepnowski ’24 scored six points and combined aggressive defense with a confident offense. As a whole, KO played well, and despite its offensive struggles, they put up a fight against a good opponent. The team hopes to learn from this and get back in the win column next Wednesday against Miss Porter’s.

The Middle School Boys’ Basketball team traveled to Hamden Hall Country Day School, earning another big victory with a final score of 48-10. Both teams worked very hard, maintaining positive attitudes and sportsmanship throughout the game. What was most impressive was how the Wyverns stepped up and pulled together as a team in the absence of three of our top players, as nearly every player contributed to the scoreboard. Outstanding performances were had by Dominic Trolio ‘25 with eight points, Ronan Cullogan ‘26 with seven points, and Cole Banning ‘24 with six points and several steals. Several rebounds, blocks, and steals were executed by Ethan Miller ‘25 and Aiden Coleman-Eckstrom ‘24.

The Varsity Boys’ Basketball team suffered a tough 39-56 road loss to Berkshire on January 28. The Wyverns played hard but struggled offensively unable to get into a good rhythm throughout the game. KO’s seniors Jackson Wolff ‘20, Calvin Schumacher ‘20, and Jordon Walker ‘20 did a very good job playing with passion and intelligence.

The JV Girls’ Basketball team lost 22-26 against Northfield Mount Hermon on January 29.Going cold from the floor for much of the first half, KO relied on its half-court defense to stay close to an able NMH team. Down by seven points at halftime, the Wyverns redoubled their efforts on the defensive end, often limiting the Hoggers to no more than one shot per possession. Standouts were across the board, everyone on the team and particularly Sarah Cao ’23, Julia Kanaan ’20, and Keegan McMahon ’21. Finding a little more of its offensive footing in the second half, KO’s scorers were led by Emma Henry ’21 with seven points. Never leaving the floor the entire game, Caroline Dawson ’22 dealt with her point guard duties with both grace and grit.

Squash
The Middle School Squash team lost against Renbrook on January 25 with a score of 3-4. All fourteen of our competing players worked hard and put their best efforts forward, resulting in some very close games. Although the result was a KO loss, there were many performances that displayed our players’ determination and growth over the season so far. In particular, Mohan Palanki ‘25 and Ava Marseglia ‘26 did a great job of adjusting to their opponent’s gameplay. Additionally, Alisa Ruban ‘24, Lilli Goldman ’25, and Sara Feged ‘25 should all be proud of their winning performances.

The Varsity Squash team won 5-2 against Kent on January 25. This was a thrilling match with a real team effort. Multiple players dug deep to hold on in their individual matches and help us clinch the team win. Ely Alleyne ’23 (no. 5) and Sloan Duvall ’21 (no. 4) kept the pressure on their opponents in five-game matches by running down every shot and using the back of the court to their advantage. Amelia Levine ’20 made key adjustments in the precision of her shots to take her match in four games in the no. 3 spot. Amrita Natarajan ’22 and Shreeya Chalikonda ’21 played smart squash and had swift 3-0 wins that gave us a solid footing in the overall match.

The JV Girls’ Squash team lost 1-5 against Kent on January 25. With both teams affected by sickness, this match allowed players to step it up and play new positions on the ladder. Macy Isenberg ‘22 brought clever boasts and deep cross-court shots to the table to wrestle a 3-2 win in the no. 1 spot. Aliza Sadiq ‘22elevated her game each step of the way in her no. 2 matches.

The Varsity Girls’ Squash team lost 6-1 to Choate on January 22. The team knew this would be another difficult opponent going into the match, so we entered the courts with specific goals in mind for each player’s personal development. The standout matches of the day came from Mai Lin Pomp-Shine ‘20, who used speed and relentless volleying to win her match 3-0 to put us on the board, and Shreeya Chalikonda ‘21, who took her match to five games with precise boasts and effective strategy.

The JV Girls’ Squash team lost 7-0 to Choate on January 22. The team had some strong showings against a well-prepared opponent in this match. Anusha Memon ‘20 battled it out in the no. 1 spot with powerful cross courts and determined movement. Alex D’Addabbo ‘20 and Lucia Castro ‘23 brought effective serving and deep straight drives to the back of the court to their opponents, demonstrating their focused development over the course of the season.

The Middle School Squash team won 4-3 against Foote School on January 27 and achieved its first victory of the season! While there were many close games and it could have gone either way. Our players came through with a win! Notable performances came from Jack Kreible ‘25, Rayyan Haider ‘24, Mohan Palanki ‘25, and Owen Roy ‘25 who all won their matches. In addition, Jacob Barash ‘25 played a strong game. With four more games this season, there is still plenty of time for more growth and many strong competitions.