Winter Teams Finish Championship Runs
Five of Millbrook's six varsity teams competed in divisional/class post-season competitions this winter season, and a few of these exciting post-season games kept Millbrook fans on the edge of their seats.
Boys basketball began their New England championship run as the #6 seed in a quarter-final game on #3 seed Kingswood Oxford's home court. Starting strong, Millbrook closed the half nearly 10 points ahead of KO. But that 10 point lead disappeared as KO came on strong to start the 2nd period, which became a back and forth battle to the end. With 7 seconds on the clock, Zoumana Traore '25 made a shot to bring Millbrook up by one. With a great team effort and a defensive stop, our Mustangs claimed victory. The semi-final game at Canterbury played out quite differently. As Millbrook ballers played brilliantly and shots dropped left and right, Canterbury could not find their rhythm. Millbrook took a commanding win, 79-60, against a team with several Division I commits, and headed to face off against The Rivers School at Clark University the next day. The strongest season in recent history for boys basketball ended in the New England Championship game with missed opportunities on offense and defense. While it was not our day, it was definitely a season to celebrate, as boys basketball finished with a 17-8 record.
Our girls basketball team also had an excellent season against strong rivals, including Pomfret, Harvey, Kent, Canterbury, and Kingswood Oxford. While most of the team's nine losses during the season were in neck-and-neck games, their nine wins were commanding ones. Millbrook entered the New England playoffs as the #6 seed and defeated #3 seed Harvey for the second time this season. In a close game that saw each team taking the lead, Millbrook held out in the final seconds of the game as Za'Nyah Bernard '25 sunk her basket to take a one-point lead, and Harvey pushed Millbrook's Challe Cancer '24 out of bounds at the buzzer. The girls traveled to New Hampshire on Saturday, March 2, to take on the #2 seed, Brewster Academy. It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game, but Brewster pulled ahead in the end to win by just four points. Brewster would be downed by #1 seed Wilbraham and Monson in the finals while our Mustangs celebrated teamwork and tenacity over their three-month season.
The girls hockey team entered the New England playoffs with a 14-9-1 record and a determination to play to their fullest potential as they traveled to Deerfield Academy for their quarter-final game against Tilton. While starting slowly, Head Coach Erica Shapey shares that "the team dug deep and rallied to support each other on and off the ice. Piper Smith '25 scored a power play goal, assisted by Jaicee Downs '26, 50 seconds into the second period. Tilton scored in the 3rd to tie it up, and Lila Pannacciulli '24 scored with 12 minutes left in the 3rd period." In the end, Millbrook played a strong defense to take the win. While the quarter-final match-up took place at a neutral site, the girls took on Groton in the semi-final game in their home rink filled with fans. Groton's team was big and physical, and their two goals in the beginning minutes of the first period were deflating. While Millbrook continued to battle and came back with two goals of their own, Groton's size, speed, and tenacity resulted in three more goals and the win. Having taken two semi-final wins in two years, beating Groton at every turn is certainly already a focus for the team for next year, when the goal is to be playing in the New England finals. For now, we celebrate a stellar season played with our hearts and heads and look forward to every opportunity next season.
Boys varsity squash proudly took home the NEPSAC Class E Championship title defeating three opponents in the New England tournament at Pomfret. After a 7-0 win against King School, Millbrook faced Portsmouth Abbey in the semifinal match. Down 2-1 after the evens players finished, Millbrook's remaining players took to the courts and cemented the victory with play that kept opponents off balance. Finals against Concord Academy took place the following day. While some of the games were close, Millbrook entered the day buoyed by their defeat of Portsmouth Abbey and had the confidence and composure to earn a convincing 7-0 victory and the New England Championship.
Girls varsity squash and boys varsity squash also made great showings at Nationals in Philadelphia. The girls won third place in the fourth division while the boys placed second in the sixth division in the finals.
It's a great time to be a Millbrook Mustang!
Back
Boys basketball began their New England championship run as the #6 seed in a quarter-final game on #3 seed Kingswood Oxford's home court. Starting strong, Millbrook closed the half nearly 10 points ahead of KO. But that 10 point lead disappeared as KO came on strong to start the 2nd period, which became a back and forth battle to the end. With 7 seconds on the clock, Zoumana Traore '25 made a shot to bring Millbrook up by one. With a great team effort and a defensive stop, our Mustangs claimed victory. The semi-final game at Canterbury played out quite differently. As Millbrook ballers played brilliantly and shots dropped left and right, Canterbury could not find their rhythm. Millbrook took a commanding win, 79-60, against a team with several Division I commits, and headed to face off against The Rivers School at Clark University the next day. The strongest season in recent history for boys basketball ended in the New England Championship game with missed opportunities on offense and defense. While it was not our day, it was definitely a season to celebrate, as boys basketball finished with a 17-8 record.
Our girls basketball team also had an excellent season against strong rivals, including Pomfret, Harvey, Kent, Canterbury, and Kingswood Oxford. While most of the team's nine losses during the season were in neck-and-neck games, their nine wins were commanding ones. Millbrook entered the New England playoffs as the #6 seed and defeated #3 seed Harvey for the second time this season. In a close game that saw each team taking the lead, Millbrook held out in the final seconds of the game as Za'Nyah Bernard '25 sunk her basket to take a one-point lead, and Harvey pushed Millbrook's Challe Cancer '24 out of bounds at the buzzer. The girls traveled to New Hampshire on Saturday, March 2, to take on the #2 seed, Brewster Academy. It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game, but Brewster pulled ahead in the end to win by just four points. Brewster would be downed by #1 seed Wilbraham and Monson in the finals while our Mustangs celebrated teamwork and tenacity over their three-month season.
The girls hockey team entered the New England playoffs with a 14-9-1 record and a determination to play to their fullest potential as they traveled to Deerfield Academy for their quarter-final game against Tilton. While starting slowly, Head Coach Erica Shapey shares that "the team dug deep and rallied to support each other on and off the ice. Piper Smith '25 scored a power play goal, assisted by Jaicee Downs '26, 50 seconds into the second period. Tilton scored in the 3rd to tie it up, and Lila Pannacciulli '24 scored with 12 minutes left in the 3rd period." In the end, Millbrook played a strong defense to take the win. While the quarter-final match-up took place at a neutral site, the girls took on Groton in the semi-final game in their home rink filled with fans. Groton's team was big and physical, and their two goals in the beginning minutes of the first period were deflating. While Millbrook continued to battle and came back with two goals of their own, Groton's size, speed, and tenacity resulted in three more goals and the win. Having taken two semi-final wins in two years, beating Groton at every turn is certainly already a focus for the team for next year, when the goal is to be playing in the New England finals. For now, we celebrate a stellar season played with our hearts and heads and look forward to every opportunity next season.
Boys varsity squash proudly took home the NEPSAC Class E Championship title defeating three opponents in the New England tournament at Pomfret. After a 7-0 win against King School, Millbrook faced Portsmouth Abbey in the semifinal match. Down 2-1 after the evens players finished, Millbrook's remaining players took to the courts and cemented the victory with play that kept opponents off balance. Finals against Concord Academy took place the following day. While some of the games were close, Millbrook entered the day buoyed by their defeat of Portsmouth Abbey and had the confidence and composure to earn a convincing 7-0 victory and the New England Championship.
Girls varsity squash and boys varsity squash also made great showings at Nationals in Philadelphia. The girls won third place in the fourth division while the boys placed second in the sixth division in the finals.
It's a great time to be a Millbrook Mustang!
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