Ethel Walker School
Walker’s varsity basketball team won three games in 24 hours to take home the championship title in the third annual Ethel Walker Holiday Tournament. Walker’s welcomed seven other prep schools to campus for the event. Each team was guaranteed three games in the two-day tournament.
Walker’s opened play on Friday evening by defeating Hotchkiss 65-37 led by Mariah Dunn ’19 and Hannah Iwaszkiewicz ’20 who tallied 14 and 20 points, respectively, in the win. The opening round win lined up Walker’s to take on Beaver Country Day, a strong in-class opponent from Boston.
On Saturday morning, Walker’s came out fast, jumping to a 36-22 halftime lead and earning a 76-62 win. The win set them up for a championship game against Cheshire Academy, a re-match of a game that Walker’s won by 2 only five days prior. Walker’s took a strong 37-19 halftime lead and never gave up the lead, defeating Cheshire for a second time in a week, this time by a score of 66-34.
What made Walker’s three-game run so successful was the way that scoring was distributed throughout the tournament. While scoring 65, 76 and 66 points in three games showed their scoring prowess and ability to convert on the offensive end, the team’s defense and rebounding defined their tournament run.
“If you had told me before the season that we’d hit winter break at 7-0, I’d be ecstatic” said Head Coach John Monagan. “I’m so proud of the way this team has gelled. You can see their commitment to one another by the way they communicate both on and off the court. I’m excited for what could be in store for us in 2019.”
Walker’s resumes competition on Saturday, January 5, hosting a talented Bradford Christian Academy at 3:00 p.m.
