Nauset Girls Basketball ‘Closer’ Than Ever, Off To Best Start In Years

NORTH EASTHAM – Nauset girls basketball is off to their best start in years. Being a team on and off the court has been a huge reason why.

After a pair of road wins, Nauset began the year 2-0 for the first time since 2020. Having already eclipsed their win total from a year ago, the Warriors feel that they’ve come together as a unit and that it shows.

“We definitely noticed,” sophomore captain Brynn Kew said. “We're working really hard, and I feel like we're closer this year, because last year we were definitely separated.”

The Warriors opened the season with a 40-29 victory at Bristol-Plymouth, then followed that up with a 31-18 win at Dennis-Yarmouth. They dropped their home opener last Friday against Sandwich 56-25 but were optimistic after a strong first half.

“I'm personally really proud of the team,” junior captain Amari Brace said. “I'm seeing a lot of improvement and I'm really proud of us, but starting off on that 2-0, that was nice. I mean, D-Y — that's our rival, definitely felt great.”

Brace is the team’s primary ball handler, while Kew is a clear focal point on offense. Both played in the 33rd Cape Cod High School All Star Basketball Game held in Hyannis this past March.

Head coach Jean Leyton said the Warriors were “working on becoming a team instead of having a lot of different pieces.”

“I just want a team that can count on each other, that trusts each other,” she said.

In the two wins to start the season, Nauset played well on defense while getting some offense going on the other end of the court, according to Kew. They’ll look to bounce back Monday (after The Chronicle’s deadline) against Barnstable.

A big part of the Warriors’ early success has been their cohesion as a group, a sense of togetherness that maybe wasn’t felt as strongly in previous years. In a game like basketball, that synergy definitely counts.

“We feel like we know each other more this year, and I just feel like we're trying to build on everything, all our skills, shooting, just driving in, dribbling and breaking the press,” Kew said.

Brace said the team “definitely feels more of like a sisterhood” than it did the previous season. Last year, the players didn’t really know each other. They felt like a new team. They were strangers.

“I think we were a little bit separated, so it's really nice to see us coming together, and that translating on the court,” she said.

After the calendar turns to 2026, the Warriors will visit Mitchell College in New London, Conn., where they’ll see Nauset alum Jordyn Streitmatter play. They had tried to make the trip — an “outward-bound experience,” Leyton said — last season, but a rescheduled game muddled the plans. The team has some young leaders, and efforts are being made to jell and bond together. 

“It’s coming,” Leyton said.