The Windsor girls basketball team lost the state Gatorade Player of the Year (who scored 2,000 points) to graduation, and a highly talented sophomore, who transferred to another school.
Coach Brittany Huggins said that Ayanna Franks (who graduated) and Kamaria Bowens (who transferred to Bristol Central) made up 90 percent of the Warriors’ scoring and rebounding totals.
But Windsor is back. The Warriors are 14-4 after their second win over Glastonbury last Friday night and will certainly be in the mix in the CCC Tournament, which starts with first round games Feb. 18. Windsor is the defending CCC champion.
“I think the kids are really responding, especially as of late,” Huggins said. “Kids are working harder in practice.
“Saturday, I asked them what do you think is contributing to our success. Kids said, ‘We’re buying in to what you’re saying, we’re working harder in practice, and the cheesy stuff like, ‘We’re encouraging each other on the bench,’ stuff like that.”
Whatever it is, it’s working. Windsor’s only loss in the last 12 games was to Conard, 38-36, on Jan. 24.
“In the beginning of the year, we were pretty successful, but it was still hard to try to get them to play to the level we wanted,” Huggins said.
Freshman Riley Williams is the Warriors’ leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game. She is also Huggins’ goddaughter.
“I was there when she was born,” Huggins said. “But she got a real shell shock when she met ‘Coach Britt’ and not ‘Auntie Britt.’”
Zoe Mercado, a senior guard who played at East Hartford last year and transferred to Windsor, is the second leading scorer and also provided the Warriors with leadership and experience. Senior Amaiya Stevens, who was injured most of last season, is also back.
Top performances
Brianna Bagley, Wethersfield: Bagley scored 29 points in a 52-44 victory over Middletown Friday.
Sydney Cassidy, Somers: Cassidy had 18 points in a 39-38 win over East Windsor Monday.
Zola Cudjoe, St. Paul: Cudjoe scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds in a 72-50 loss to Holy Cross Friday.
Alyssa Diehl, Bolton: Diehl scored a career-high 30 points in a 56-37 loss to Gilbert Monday.
Kayleigh Engle, Bacon Academy: Engle had 20 points, including three 3-pointers, in Bacon’s 72-24 win over Plainfield Wednesday and nine assists and nine points in a 62-23 win over Killingly Monday.
Emily Knowles, Conard: Knowles scored 32 points in Conard’s 68-48 win over Immaculate Saturday.
Kylie Lake, Old Saybrook: Lake had a triple-double (20 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks) in a 59-28 win over Old Lyme Monday and 22 points and 18 rebounds for her 17th double-double of the season plus seven blocks in a 46-40 loss to Hale-Ray Friday.
Maeve McGinnis, Windsor Locks: McGinnis scored 21 points in a 49-42 win over East Windsor Wednesday.
Sadie Passante, Morgan: Passante scored 23 points and had seven steals in a 67-31 win over Cromwell Monday.
Amaiya Stevens, Windsor: Stevens had 17 points in a 58-48 win over Glastonbury Friday.
Storylines
Mercy beat Sheehan in Game 2 of the series Friday night, 46-31. Maddie Benigni scored 18 points for Mercy, which lost to Sheehan earlier in the season. In the last game, a 53-49 overtime Sheehan win Jan. 9, Sheehan’s Megan Wresien hit five 3-pointers and scored 25 points. Friday, Wresien had six points, while her twin sister Jenna had 16 to lead Sheehan.
Jenny Lopez became the third player in her family to score 1,000 points at Lyman Memorial. Lopez reached the milestone in a 35-27 loss to St. Bernard Feb. 3. Her brothers David Jr. and Jaiden had already scored 1,000 points.
Games to watch
Bristol Central (14-4) at Conard (16-2), Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.: Conard is on a six-game win streak heading into this game with Bristol Central, which has won seven of its last eight (its only loss was to Northwest Catholic).
East Catholic (15-2) at Glastonbury (13-4), Friday, 6:45 p.m.: East Catholic has not lost in 2025 with wins over Windsor and Conard in its win streak. Glastonbury is looking to bounce back from a loss to Windsor Friday night.