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04/20/2020 12:00 AMThe Westbrook girls’ basketball squad exceeded expectations in a year that many anticipated would be more or less a rebuilding one. The Knights were a mostly young squad that improved greatly in Head Coach Frank Lyon’s first season with the program. Westbrook tallied seven wins total in the year with one victory coming in the first round of the Class State Tournament. The Knights also earned a berth in the Shoreline Conference Tournament, as well. With the foundations set this year, Westbrook has a solid chance to become a bigger threat in the near future.
Coach Lyon felt proud of his athletes for their accomplishments. The Knights were mostly inexperienced basketball players who excelled in other sports at Westbrook. Still, by the end of the year, many players grew into legitimate contributors.
“We played four sophomores and one freshman significant varsity minutes by the end of the year. When I took the job, people told me that we’d be lucky to win between two and five games,” said Lyon. “When I said that we had goals to make the state tournament, many thought those expectations were a little high. We finished stronger by the end of the season, and the girls really came together.”
Westbrook’s biggest win came in the first round of states in a 55-37 road victory against No. 10 seed Wolcott Tech. The Knights were the No. 23 seed. Coach Lyon saw the realization of all his staff’s and athletes’ hard work in that game. It was also a great lesson in perseverance.
“We trailed the entire way. We were down by six points at halftime. It was 24-18, then we were down 28-25 going into the fourth. We ended up winning by 18, and we outscored them by 21 in the fourth quarter. Jami Sacco went 16-of-17 from the foul line. That’s impressive for even an NBA player,” said Lyon. “That was the highlight of the season. That showed the never-quit attitude we’re trying to build up here. I think they will take this attitude into other aspects of their lives now.”
Leading the charge for the Knights this year were senior captains Lexi Koplas and Callie Newberg. Coach Lyon believes that he couldn’t have had a better duo heading up his squad in his first year. They were the inside presence for Westbrook.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of them this year. They gave me everything that they had when they stepped out on the court,” Lyon said. “Basketball may not be their top sports, but they came a long way this year. They both became better players, and they were great leaders this year. Their stamp on Westbrook basketball will last a long time.”
Sophomore Jami Sacco emerged as not only one of Westbrook’s best players but one best players in the conference. Coach Lyon depended on Sacco for a good chuck of Westbrook’s offense, and she was the team’s primary ball handler.
“Jamie led the whole Shoreline Conference in scoring with 18.5 points per game. She didn’t really play much as a freshman, and I don’t know if anyone expected her to blossom as a sophomore. She has a really good 3-point shot,” said Lyon. “She played the wing growing up, but we needed her to be the ball handler. She really grew at that role in her vision and confidence going to her left. Her mom, Sue McKenna, was an all-state player for Westbrook. Sue and Jamie play a lot in the driveway. Jamie is on pace with her mom to be an all-state player.”
Coach Lyon was able to depend a bit more sophomore Sadie Susi to help out as a ball handler, as well. Lyon believed that when Susi started to build some momentum this season, so did the Knights.
“Sadie had a game against Old Saybrook on Pink Night that was her coming-out party. She had 18 points with a 4-point play. Her game kind of moved our season in the right direction,” Lyon said. “She stepped up to be another guard to play along side of Jami. She gained a lot of confidence, and she’ll be a huge part of what we’re trying to do in the future.”
On the defensive end, the Knights had saw a lasting impact from sophomore Xan Zanzalari. Eventually, Zanzalari found her stride as an offensive threat, too.
“Xan came into the year as a defensive specialist. She didn’t have much confidence in her offensive abilities,” Lyon said. “As the year went on, she developed a lot of confidence. She was encouraged to shoot a bit more this year, and she’s molding into a complete all-around player.”
One of the first off the bench for Westbrook was Gianni Salisbury. With a roster full of consistently improving players, Salisbury stood out in terms of taking it to the next level.
“Gianni was one of the most improved players on the roster. She’s a hard-nosed, defensive player. She’s someone that every coach loves to have on their side,” said Lyon. “She was playing significant minutes and definitely has a bright future. Started a few games, but played a sixth-man role for us, mostly.”
In terms of upper-class athletes beyond the senior captains, senior Maria Dias and junior Emma Parkhurst chipped in valuable minutes for Westbrook. Both of them were also great examples for the younger players to emulate.
“Maria missed a big chunk of the season in December and had some catching up to do. She worked her way into varsity minutes, and a lot of the girls looked up to her,” said Lyon. “Emma fought her way into varsity minutes, too. I think she’ll have a big role going forward. A lot of the sophomore girls look up to Emma as a leader.”
Westbrook even saw freshmen Allison Brajczewski and Adriana Stranieri make significant leaps and become valuable varsity players.
“Allison and Adriana took big strides this year as a freshman,” said Lyon. “They were both bench players and gained more playing time as the season went on. They’re a couple of players who will be in there as sophomores.”
For added depth, sophomore Gabriel Koplas was heavily recruited by her sister Lexi Koplas and Sacco, too. Coach Lyon was grateful to have the younger Koplas aboard and anticipates even bigger contributions from her in the coming seasons.
“Gabriel was predominantly on JV, but she got some varsity burn by the end of the year. She’ll probably crack the rotation as a junior. She’s more of a field hockey player, but she’s best friends with Jamie Sacco and Lexi was the captain. She did stuff in practice for us like guarding Jamie. She was very good in that role and can expand on that.”
In the coming year, Coach Lyon anticipates that his squad will reap the rewards of this year’s growth. That will allow Lyon and assistant coach Jeff Petrillo plenty of options to combat the rest of the Shoreline.
“I have much bigger goals next year. The girls are more comfortable playing for us, and we’re looking to go deeper in the state and conference tournaments,” Lyon said. “I think we have the right mold and make up to be a talented squad at least the next two years. I think the one thing that I would take away going into next year is that the girls are no longer satisfied with just playing and winning one game in the tournament. They believe in themselves as players.”