Colleen Lucey was a true leader for the North Haven girls’ basketball team while serving as a captain in both her junior and senior seasons. Colleen helped the Indians make some noise in the playoffs during each campaign and is one of the biggest reasons why the program is in great shape going forward.

In Colleen’s junior year, North Haven snuck into the Class L State Tournament following a seven-win regular season and then made good on its berth by defeating Bullard-Havens in the first round. Colleen and company fared even better this year by winning 12 games in regular season to qualify for both the SCC and Class L State tournaments, then notched a victory in each bracket.

A center, Colleen scored four points, grabbed four rebounds, and had two steals when North Haven earned its 38-32 win versus Lyman Hall in the first round of this year’s state tourney. It was Colleen’s final victory as a member of the Indians and a game that she will never forget.

“We’ve always kind of had this rivalry with Lyman Hall where one year we would beat them and the next year they would beat us. When we beat them, it was a really good feeling, especially a team we have been battling against for four years,” Colleen says. “It was a big moment for us. It showed that our team has grown. If we played that game one or two years ago, I don’t know if we would have won.”

Colleen started playing basketball in 3rd grade. She worked her way up the travel and AAU ranks before signing up for play for North Haven as a freshman. The girls’ basketball squad was coming off of a tough year and, while Colleen was nervous about making the jump to high school, she was also excited to compete for her hometown team.

By the time her high school career was finished, both Colleen and the Indians had made significant progress. Colleen became a more versatile player, while North Haven started to see more success on the floor.

“My freshman year, I was always the tallest, so I was forced into the center spot. My freshman and sophomore years, we were more of a guard-oriented team, where the post didn’t get as much attention,” says Colleen. “My junior and senior years, I developed more as a post player. I learned more post moves, and I got stronger. I was able to be more confident as a post player and use that in my game.”

North Haven welcomed a new coach to the fold for Colleen’s senior season when Tom Blake took the reins with the Indians. Although Blake only got to work with Colleen for one year, he quickly noticed that the senior captain brought leadership to the court each day and gave a 100-percent effort every time she went out there.

“Colleen worked very hard. I worked with the post players every day on post moves and, every day we did that, she worked hard at it. And she got better as the year went along,” Blake says. “Colleen never took a minute off. Being a captain, all the kids were looking at her. I always appreciated her hard work in that aspect. She got us some clutch baskets in some key games.”

Last year, Colleen was named one of North Haven’s captains alongside senior Leah Zeisner and fellow junior Laura Petrafesa. Colleen learned a lot that season and then applied what she learned while once again leading the team with Petrafesa as a senior.

“At the end of my sophomore year, I didn’t get a lot of playing time, but I knew I could contribute as a leader. I always liked being a role model for others. I decided to give a speech, and I ended up being named captain,” says Colleen. “In the beginning, I didn’t want to step on Leah’s toes. Going into senior year, I knew how important captains were to me and that I wanted to make sure we were a team and there was no clear divide.”

In addition to improving her game on the court, Colleen also played for North Haven’s field hockey squad. Colleen joined the team because a few of her friends played and she wanted to try something new. She wound up loving the sport and continued with it through her senior year. Although field hockey and basketball are vastly different, Colleen made a lot of friends while competing for each team.

When she graduates from North Haven, Colleen plans on attending Pace University in New York City to major in digital media/journalism. While she’s unsure about what her basketball future holds, Colleen will always love the sport and continue watching it for the rest of her life.

“I’m not going to find many field hockey games, but I could always watch basketball. March Madness being canceled was devastating,” Colleen says. “I watch both women and men play, and I’m able to relate. I know moves and techniques that the regular watcher might not know. I’m a big UConn women’s basketball fan, and there’s things in the post I notice that I don’t think many people would. I’ll always love watching basketball.”