The Rye girls basketball team came into the 2025-2026 season with massive expectations and a good-sized target on its back. So far, the Garnets are living up to the advance building.
On Thursday night, the reigning Section 1 Class A champions continued their strong play to start the year, scoring a decisive 61-44 win over rival Harrison to improve to 2-0 on the young season. But although Rye has looked good thus far, head coach Margo Hackett says that the team will need to continue to tighten things up if they hope to make the most of their title defense this year.
“I thought we had spurts of good basketball tonight, but we need to find a way to play that way the entire game,” said Hackett. “It’s still early in the year and we’ve got to come together, especially against top teams, and figure it out.”
The Garnets started slow in the first half but were able to build up a 35-18 by halftime and never looked back. Rye freshman Charlotte Storz led all scorers with 17 points, while Phoebe Greto tallied 14 of her own. Elaina Cottini and Charlotte Hazelton had 12 points apiece for the Huskies.
Hackett said that she’s expecting big things from Storz—who made her varsity debut last year as a mid-season eighth-grade call-up—this year, pointing out that the sharp-shooting underclassman can impact games with her range on the offensive end.
“Charlotte was basically our sixth-man last year, but she started in the regional finals and we’re definitely expecting her to put he ball in the basket,” said Hackett. “Whenever she’s open, I expect her to shoot it; she’s only a freshman, but she plays like a senior. She’s a tremendous talent.”
Greto and Frankie Chiaravalle will continue to patrol the paint for the Garnets, giving them a long, talented front-court that gives Rye a distinct physical edge against most foes, while sophomore Stella Maresca will once again run the offense from the point. Annie Tolouse will be an important piece of the team, providing a level of grit and tenacity.
“We call Annie the ‘tornado’ because she’s all over the floor,” said Hackett. “That’s our makeup, that’s how we play and that’s our plan.
“On any given night, anyone can have that big game for us, scoring 10-12 points, and that makes us tough to stop,” she added. “When they’re stopping us in the paint with Frankie and Phoebe, we have Charlotte, we have Stella ready to hit those shots. And that’s going to be big for us.”
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