Girls basketball at Riordan has developed greatly and has grown exponentially ever since its start in 2020. This season, they hit a significant milestone: being a part of the WCAL.
Excitement and other emotions swirled around the team for this notable accomplishment as they are now given the opportunity to compete in a very competitive league. A few players of the team spoke of their ambitions for the upcoming season.
Varsity player Taryn Nasol ’25 said, “I feel as if this is our statement year where we are ready to prove everyone else wrong.”
Teagan Radcliffe ’26, also on Varsity, stated, “It’s exciting to know that we are going to upset some teams this year. Not many expect a lot out of us and I hope at the end we can show why we belong in this league.”
Returning player Ashanti Dias ’24 remarked, “We hope to wake everybody up who’s been sleeping on us since the girls program started and let everybody know we are here, and we are not going where.”
Teammate Kona Dacoscos ’25 expressed, “Honestly, It feels surreal. I grew up watching and attending Riordan events and games my whole life. Hoping and wishing I could go to that school. So finally having the opportunity to attend and play basketball is such a blessing.”
The occasion is especially more momentous to the seniors of the team because of the hard work they’ve been putting in since their freshman year. They highlighted how proud they are as a team and as individuals.
Dias added, “Me being a senior and starting here as a freshman on the first girls basketball team here at Riordan, it feels great seeing how much the program has grown and improved. Also, how much support we’re starting to get and from now and going on it’s only going to get better and that’s for sure.”
Both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams have had promising performances in various pre-season tournaments. The Varsity team placed 2nd in the Jim Soden Tournament against Sacred Heart and the JV team won the Legends JV Tournament at Carondelet High School. These accomplishments have given both teams the full-fledged confidence in having a great debut season in the WCAL.
Dacoscos vocalized, “Our expectations and hopes for this season are to prove to everyone that may have doubted us in the previous years, but we belong in the WCAL.”
