The 2019-20 season was a special one for Newfield girls basketball. Not only did the Trojans win their first IAC championship in 40 years, they also made a Section IV Class C semifinals as the top seed. It also represented the last time they had made the postseason… until this year.
The Trojans wrapped up the regular season with a 9-10 record, clearing the minimum .400 winning percentage needed to qualify for sectionals. Making the playoffs wasn’t actually a goal of theirs at the beginning of the year. But after the first couple weeks, it became clear that it was an attainable aspiration.
“You can tell they have a lot of pride in it,” said head coach Brandon Steinorth. “They know it isn’t something that’s happened over the last half decade or so, and you can tell that they’re really proud that they were the ones that were able to get us back over that hump.”
There were a few key reasons as to why this year’s team was the one to deliver a postseason appearance. Buying into their identity of playing fast on offense and physical on defense was one factor. Bringing in Gracie Gardner—a All-State player at Newark Valley who helped the Cardinals make the 2022 Class C state championship—as their assistant coach was another factor. But outside of basketball, their strong camaraderie off the court certainly translated to their on-court success.
“They like each other,” Steinorth said. “They sing together, they laugh together, and they eat together. There’s a lot of joy on our bench. There’s joy in our locker room. There’s joy on the bus rides. That alone isn’t going to win you basketball games, but it does help, and it sure makes a ride a lot more pleasant, too.”
Newfield is one of the most improved teams in Section IV after winning just one game last season. One of the biggest areas of growth has been their defense. The Trojans went from allowing 54 points per game last season to 41 points per game this year. Simplifying what style of defense they played turned out to work like a charm.
“A couple weeks into our season, we decided that we were going to play the best man defense that we could,” Steinorth said. “It wasn’t going to be about the element of surprise or anything like that. We were going to decide that we’re a team that played good man defense, and at times can play good full-court man defense. That was a change for us schematically this year and mentally this year.”
On the other end of the floor, Egypt Smith-Henderson has spearheaded the Trojans’ offense. The junior is their top scorer and has been efficient from anywhere on the court, in particular shooting over 30 percent from beyond the arc. It’s no surprise to see Smith-Henderson flourish given how dedicated she is to the sport.
“She’s hungry to get better,” Steinorth said. “She watches a whole ton of video… She’s always asking me questions about trying to find that right balance of when the time is to attack and when the time is to get her teammates involved and to get rid of the ball. She’s just a real student of the game.”
While the Trojans don’t have a ton of experience with eight of their 14 players in their first year on varsity, seniors Emily Taylor and Sierra Lynch have provided a veteran presence and tremendous leadership that’s helped make their final high school basketball seasons memorable.
“They’ve faced a lot of twists and turns in their varsity career,” Steinorth said. “They’ve been coached by numerous people, and throughout that, they’ve stayed true to the program, and their hard work has meant so much to us as a program. They lead on the floor. They lead in practice. We’re still pretty young, so for them to anchor things for us and to be that steady presence has meant a great deal to us.”
Rounding out the starting lineup are a pair of sophomores. Guard Keziah McCoy and forward Taylor Frisbie have both made their presence known on the defensive end.
“Keziah is one of the best ball defenders that we’ve had,” Steinorth said. “She moves laterally so well. When we’re talking about any success we’ve seen defensively, a lot of it has started with her up top.”
“Taylor loves to be athletic and loves to be physical,” Steinorth continued. “She can jump through the roof and loves to get off her feet. It’s nice for me to watch a pack of rebounders and just to see her just swoop up and come out of that pack.”
The Trojans won’t know their first round opponent in sectionals until February 19 when the brackets are released. No matter who they’ll face and no matter what the outcome will be, it’s been a season worth celebrating to see Newfield girls basketball return to the big dance.
