Basketball is a team sport, and that concept was exemplified beautifully by the East Haven girls’ basketball team on its road to winning the Class M state championship this winter. Senior captain Marley Herard served as a prime example of the Yellowjackets’ selflessness. Although she didn’t score a ton of points, Marley used her grit on the defensive end of the floor to give the Easties valuable minutes throughout the season.

“I didn’t have a scoring role. I was more of a defensive player,” says Marley. “Between Kylie [Schlottman] and Makenzie [Helms], we had plenty of scoring. My role was to get in there, annoy people, and grab rebounds.”

Marley thrived in that role with the Yellowjackets as the 5-foot-9 guard used her height advantage on the perimeter to make life miserable for the opposition. When East Haven faced Career for the Class M title, Marley collected five rebounds to go with a block in seven minutes played during her team’s 49-47 victory.

“It’s an advantage for me, because I’m taller than most guards, but I’m just as mobile as they are. Being taller, it’s easier for me to box out and grab rebounds. I’m also a nuisance on defense and can annoy them as much as possible,” Marley says. “I always enjoyed being on the perimeter and was a good shooter throughout my career.”

Marley has also performed well in the classroom throughout her time in East Haven. This year, she was the high school’s female recipient of the Southern Connecticut Conference Scholar Athlete Award, joining indoor track athlete Joe Castellano in earning the distinction.

“I think it’s really important to be a good role model on the court and in the classroom. It shows the people in school and the other girls on my team that it’s just as important to be a good performing student,” says Marley. “I think sports and school go hand in hand. It keeps me on track and helps me keep my studies in order. It’s important to be a good student.”

East Haven girls’ basketball Head Coach Anthony Russell calls Marley “a model student-athlete.” Russell appreciates how Marley is a team-first player who took on her role with no hesitation and brought a great attitude to the Yellowjackets on a daily basis.

“Marley was a great young lady to coach, because she is so intelligent, diligent, and versatile. She has played every position on our team over the past four years and was accepting of any role that was asked of her,” says Russell. “She never complained once about playing time, because she knew she was on a team with a lot of depth. I mean, she would have started on many other SCC teams. She was a great leader and a great teammate. She was so important to our state championship run this season. She will be missed next year.”

Marley was also one of the Yellowjackets’ captains this season. Marley says there was a lot of strong leadership on the squad, and she found her niche as a leader by getting her teammates revved up for tip-off.

“We all lead and help each other. It’s fun to have that title and nice to be a role model. It was a good feeling to have coach look for us when stuff was happening within the team to figure things out,” says Marley, who was also a four-year member of East Haven’s girls’ soccer squad. “I enjoy pumping the girls up, because sometimes it’s hard to get going. Trying to get them excited for games that might not be important, we needed to remind everyone those games helped us earn a better seed. It was really just important to keep everyone’s minds on the goal we were trying to reach.”

The Yellowjackets’ primary goal this year was to bring the program’s first state championship back home to East Haven. The team accomplished that goal by defeating Career in the Class M final, thus putting a bow on a dream season for Marley and the Easties.

“Being a part of that team was crazy. It was such a rollercoaster ride and a lot of fun to be with the girls,” says Marley. “As a team, we’re really close. To be the first team to get to and win a state championship was crazy. It still feels unreal, still feels like it hasn’t even happened.”