As the holiday season approached, several of Deerfield’s varsity teams stayed on competed in their respective Winter Tournaments. The girls’ varsity basketball team hosted the annual Deerfield Holiday Tournament, while the boys’ varsity team traveled to West Hartford for a showdown at the University of St. Joseph. Meanwhile, both the girls’ and boys’ varsity hockey teams participated in the Watkins and Flood Marr Tournaments, respectively.
The girls’ basketball team kicked off their tournament with an exciting 40-39 victory over St. Paul’s. After a tough loss to BBN (47-71), the team quickly regrouped and fought hard to defeat Lawrenceville 58-56 in their final game. The girls showed resilience and determination, making a strong impression throughout the tournament posting a 2-1 record. They are scheduled to play away at Miss Porter’s School on Saturday at 2pm.
In West Hartford, the boys’ varsity basketball team earned an exhilarating 71-63 win over Newman School. Despite a challenging matchup against Mercersburg Academy, the boys kept the game close and showed impressive fight throughout. Though they couldn’t secure a second victory, their performance kept opponents on their toes. The boys will compete in Deerfield’s first game of the New Year at home against Avon at 6:30pm this Friday, January 10.
Over at the Flood Marr Tournament, the Deerfield boys hockey team secured a 3-0 victory over Salisbury school in their first game of the tournament. The next morning, they took on Milton Academy with another strong game. The boys outscored the Mustangs 6-3. In their final regular scheduled game, they fell just short to Phillips Andover 3-1. The boys competed against Kimball Union Academy in the third-place game. Big Green put up a strong effort from start to finish, but KUA were able to score four to secure a 4-0 win. The Doors will be back in action at home on Saturday against Salisbury at 4:30pm.
Over in Iorio Arena, the Deerfield girls’ varsity hockey opened the Watkins tournament with a 4-3 victory over Berkshire. Sophie Frost ‘26 opened the scoring, quickly followed by a goal from Brady Wierl ‘26. Frost scored again to tie the game and Keira Austen ‘26 scored the winning goal. All were greatly supported by beautiful assists from Olivia Austen ‘27.
In their second game, the girls edged out New Hampton 2-1 in a dramatic shootout. Gill Herr ’27 netted the first goal off a perfect pass from Amelia Healy ’27, while goalie Campbell Krotee ’25 stopped four of New Hampton’s five shootout attempts to secure the win.
It was a quick turn-around into the third game against Groton where the girls were fighting for a spot in the championship game. Despite the late start, the girls set the tone and pace for the game with an abundance of shots and possession all game. Chloe Cleaves ‘26 scored one for Big Green, ultimately falling to Groton 2-1.
The girls quickly bounced back for the third-place game defeating Proctor 6-0. Goals were scored by Chloe Cleaves ‘26, Olivia Austen ‘27, Allie Corrieri ‘25, Brady Wierl ‘26, Erin Dunne ‘28, and Julia Tamul ‘25, while Ava Giroux ‘26 (2), Sophie Frost ‘26, Gia Thompson ‘26 and Cleaves picked up assists. Izzy Kirby wasn’t busy but earned the shutout in goal. Campbell Krotee ‘25 and Frost were named to the all-tournament team. Big Green is ready to take their talent to the next level against Lawrenceville at home on Saturday at 11am.
Big Green teams return to action this week to kick-off their 2025 schedule. Mark your calendars with the complete winter line-up of contests or tune-in to support the Doors by watching Deerfield on the Livestream channel.