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02/05/2016 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Hand girls’ basketball team won all three of its games this past week by beating Lauralton Hall 64-41, Guilford 53-43, and Hillhouse 63-54. The Tigers improved their record to 13-4 on the season.
First, the Tigers defeated Lauralton Hall 64-41 on Feb. 1. Hand shot 46 percent from the floor and forced Lauralton Hall into 26 turnovers. The Crusaders did not attempt a shot outside the arc the entire game. Gillian Kraemer scored a game-high 15 points. She also dished out four assists. Gabby Martin stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, six steals, and five assists. Colleen Caruth added 12 points and six boards.
Hand used a pressure defense right from the tip to open a 19-6 lead. The Crusaders settled in and got within six at the end of the first. In the second quarter, Gabby Martin’s five points, including the only made three-pointer in the game, helped the host Tigers stretch the lead to 10 at the break. Hand came charging out of the locker room in the second half, starting the third on an 8-0 run. Six players got in the scoring column as the Tigers took a 46-30 lead into the fourth. The Crusaders twice had the ball with a chance to get to single digits, but the Tiger defense held the line, easing into the 23-point win.
“This was going to be a battle. After losing their first five, Lauralton had won seven of their last nine, including a win over Career on Jan. 29, so we knew we had to be locked in. They did a great job face-guarding Paula Materin all night and limiting her touches. But that’s the great thing about this group. You can take away one of our options and other kids are going to step up,” said Head Coach Tim Tredwell. “Gillian had another quietly efficient night. Kaitlyn Martin and Colleen are contributing on both ends. Gabby Egidio is starting to figure out how good she is. And Gabby Martin just keeps covering every inch of the court. It’s fun to watch kids as they start to realize how capable they are. Hopefully, they continue to gain confidence as we get closer to the postseason.”
The Tigersthen turned around and scored a 53-43 win at Guilford two nights later. Hand outrebounded Guilford 40-27 and hit 20-of-24 from the foul line. Martin led the charge with 18 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Egidio added 12 points and a pair of assists. Kaitlyn Martin and Caruth combined to grab 15 rebounds. Guilford put the visiting Tigers back on their heels early, taking a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. Hand found its way back, getting within three at the end of the first. A Materin three briefly tied the game in the second before Guilford went on an 8-2 run to take a 23-17 lead. The Tigers followed with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 25 at the half. Hand then opened the third with an 11-0 spurt before Guilford found its shooting touch with a trio of threes to get to 38-34 heading into the final frame. The Indians got the lead down to 42-40 with the ball, but were unable to connect on a pair of possessions. Hand took advantage, controlling the ball and hitting foul shots down the stretch as part of an 11-3 run to wrap up the victory.
“Guilford did a great job keeping us out of any kind of rhythm in the first half. Their zone was effective, they were hitting shots, and there was a great crowd in their new gym, so for a while, it was looking like it was going to be a long night. But I’m very pleased with how our kids responded. After a lackluster first half, we came out with energy in the third and got some separation,” said Tredwell. “Even when Guilford got hot and came back, they maintained their composure and did what had to be done. Going 20-of-24 from the foul line is a tremendous effort and clearly made a difference tonight. Once again, Gabby Martin made her presence felt all over the court. Gabby Egidio showed her aggressiveness getting into the paint. Kaitlyn and Colleen did a ton of dirty work inside. I’ll feel a lot better when we can put together a more complete effort, but I’m certainly pleased to get the win.”
The Tigers then had another division win the next night, defeating Hillhouse 63-54 in overtime to improve to 6-0 in the Hammonasset. Materin dropped 18 points, including three from long range, against Hillhouse on Senior Night. She also added five rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Kaitlyn Martin scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards. Gabby Martin racked up 12 points, 15 rebounds, seven steals, and three assists. Hillhouse jumped out to an early lead before Hand crawled back to take a 12-11 lead at the end of one. Kaitlyn Martin led the way in the second, scoring seven of her 14 points as the Tigers took a 25-22 lead at the break. Both teams struggled from the line in the third and Hand took a 38-31 lead into the final frame. Down 42-31 with five minutes to go, Hillhouse started to ramp up the pressure and the Tigers had difficulties converting, allowing the Academics back into the contest. With just two minutes to play, Hand hung on to a 49-44 lead. Hillhouse scored the final five points of regulation, netting a layup with 1:37 left to tie the game at 49. In the extra session, Materin’s three gave Hand a quick lead, only to have Hillhouse answer with a layup and a pair of free throws. Hand took over from there, converting from the foul line to finish the game on an 11-1 run to secure the win and at least a tie of the SCC Hammonasset Division crown.
“This is the kind of game that turns your hair gray. They say layups and free throws will make the difference and that certainly held true tonight. We had multiple chances late in the game and couldn’t finish. Hillhouse did a great job on their press in the fourth and we looked tired and rattled,” said Tredwell. “It’s tough to play three games in four days, especially against quality opponents, but you can’t make excuses. At this time of year, you have to be ready to go when they throw the ball up. In the end, we found a way to win and that’s what matters. Making foul shots in overtime with the game on the line says a lot about these kids. They were mentally tough enough to tuck away any mistakes they had made and convert. Throw in the fact that it was Senior Night and that this win put us in the driver’s seat for another division title makes it a pretty special win.”
Fencing
Facing North Haven on Feb. 2, Hand girls’ foil prevailed 5-4 as Chloe Moulin went 3-0. Girls’ épée lost 6-3. Boys’ foil took a close 5-4 loss, while their épée squad revailed 5-4 with Sam Soroko sporting a perfect mark of 3-0 on the night. Additionally, co-ed JV épée won 6-3, plus boys’ novice foil came out on top 5-4.
Against Guilford on Jan. 29, the Tigers earned a victory in girls’ foil (5-4) and took defeats in girls’ épée (5-4), boys’ foil (7-2), and boys’ épée (6-3).
Gymnastics
Hand took its second loss of the year by a 137.45-135.95 final to Fairfield Ludlowe on Feb. 2. Erin Naclerio was second for the vault (8.55), but won the bars (9.4), beam (9.2), and all-around (35.85. Grace Rogers was runner-up on the beam (9.0).
Wrestling
Hand took a 35-30 loss to Xavier on Feb. 2 to sit with a record of 11-4. Tigers’ wins came from Connor Sakmar (106, pin at 3:01); Mark Hartmann (113, pin at 0:35); Liam Sullivan (132, pin at 2:45); Rex Pardales (160, 9-6 decision); Luke Bernardo (170, 7-3 decision); Nathaniel Rogers (182, 8-6 decision); and Van Docker (195, 4-0 decision in overtime).