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Darien High's girls basketball team looks ready to make some noise in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference when the season resumes next week.
The Blue Wave improved to 5-2 on Wednesday with a 48-45 win over Foran High in the finals of the LaVista Tournament. Tournament MVP Nicole Buch scored 16 points while sophomore Meg Marren added 18 points and eight rebounds to spark the Blue Wave.
Darien also defeated Greenwich in the first round Tuesday, 49-25, as Marren scored 17. The sophomore center is averaging 19.3 points per game and is among the state's top scorers.
The Blue Wave won their first three games of the season before dropping a 62-44 decision to Trumbull (5-1). Its other loss was a 46-44 setback to New Canaan. Marren scored 30 points in that contest.
The LaVista tournament could be a confidence-builder for Darien as the FCIAC season starts in earnest after New Year's. Darien meets winless Harding on Jan. 7 and then faces Norwalk, Fairfield Ludlowe, Staples and Ridgefield in an 11-day span. Those contests could go a long way in determining whether the team qualifies for the league playoffs.
The team continues to make strides under Gary Peterson, in his second year as coach. Two years ago, the team finished 4-16. The Blue Wave improved to 11-10 last year but lost five games by six points or less. The Blue Wave lost a few seniors from that squad. Buch, a senior, and Marren picked up valuable experience and have emerged as the leaders. Buch serves as team captain along with Julia Boulton and Shannon Burke.
There's a long way to go, but the start is encouraging. Darien could be noisemaker heading down the stretch of the FCIAC season.
Join the discussion: Do you think Darien's girls basketball team will be one of the eight teams in the FCIAC playoffs?
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