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02/18/2017 11:00 PMWrestling
The Tigers’ wrestling squad finished in third placed by scoring 143.5 points at the Class L State Championship, which was held at Bristol Central High School on Feb. 17 and 18. Bristol Eastern scored 231 points to take first place at the meet.
Hand boasted a state champion in Michael Burchell, who captured the crown in the 285-pound weight class by defeating Jasper Stone of Simsbury by a decision 3-1 in the final.
Also placing in the top six of their respective brackets for the Tiggers were Mark Hartmann (2nd, 120), Zakery Santoemma (3rd, 145), Christian Westphal (5th, 220), Dylan Brochard (6th, 113), and Adam Hendrick (160, 6th).
Girls’ Basketball
After completing its regular season at 17-3, Hand defeated Sheehan in its SCC Tournament opener to advance to the semifinals. The Tigers capped the regular season by beating Guiford 62-38 on Feb. 13 and Hillhouse 69-42 on Feb. 15. Three days later, the top-seeded Tigers recorded a 59-34 victory versus Shelton in the SCC quarterfinals at Sheehan High School. Hand faces No. 5 seed Hamden in the semis at Law High School on Monday, Feb. 20. A win there puts the defending SCC champions in the final against the winner of Guilford and Career on Feb. 22 with a 7 p.m. tip-off at East Haven High School.
Facing Guilford, Gabby Martin racked up 20 points, 12 rebounds, and seven steals; Kaitlyn Martin added 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six steals; and Halle Freund chipped in eight points and five rebounds. Hand struggled to find its rhythm offensively to start game, although its defense held Guilford to nine points as the Indians had a four-point lead after one. In the second quarter, Gabby Martin asserted herself by scoring seven of her game-high 20 points, leading the Tigers to a 26-17 lead. Guilford came out firing in the third as Amanda King and Camryn Craig scored all 15 of Guilford’s points. Nevertheless, Hand stretched its lead and brought a 43-32 advantage to the final frame. With Gullford forced to pressure with time running out, the Tigers outscored the visitors 19-6 in the fourth to close out the win.
“Guilford is always a challenge. It’s a rivalry game and the kids are always fired up for it. We’ve had some success against them recently, but none of that matters when it’s time to tip off,” said Head Coach Tim Tredwell. “After seeing them put 85 points on Shelton just a few days ago, we knew they were capable of lighting it up, so we wanted to make sure our defensive intensity was where it needed to be. Even when things got tight in the third, the kids never got down or rattled. A lot of that credit goes to Gabby Martin. She’s a special player and this is the time of year where players like her find an extra gear. She certainly did that tonight.”
Against Hillhouse on Senior Night, Emma Sullivan recorded a game-high 18 points, while adding three assists and three steals. Gabby Martin racked up 17 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and six steals; Gabby Egidio and Sara Wohlgemuth each chipped in 10 points; plus Freund grabbed 15 rebounds. Hand shot 50 percent from the field and forced Hillhouse into 21 turnovers. After Gabby Martin’s three-pointer on the opening possession, Hillhouse scored the next six points. However, that was all the Academics would get in the quarter as Hand took an 18-6 lead after one. Hillhouse pounded the offensive glass in the second and outscored the hosts 14-12 to get within 10 at the break. Hand turned the third quarter into a track meet by putting 23 points on the board thanks to a strong transition game. Heading into the final frame, the Tigers were up 53-30 and raced to victory in their regular season finale. Hand had already won the Oronoque Division title and this win put its record at 8-0 in the division this year.
“This game was nothing to be taken lightly. Hillhouse had just played Career very tough and had won five straight before that, so they had clearly figured some things out. Also, they were playing for a home game in the SCC Tournament, so we knew we had to be ready,” said Tredwell. “Throw in the fact that it was Senior Night and sometimes emotions can run high made this the kind of night that could potentially get away from us. Fortunately, the kids were ready to go. They played hard, they moved the ball well, they kept their composure and, as usual, everybody made plays to contribute to this win. I really can’t say enough about this group. To go 8-0 in the division again, to be the No. 1 seed in the SCCs and possibly the No. 2 seed in Class L are some remarkable accomplishments. They’re a very special team and I hope we are able to make a deep postseason run.”
Boys’ Basketball
The Tigers took a pair of recent defeats and are now 1-18. Last week, Hand lost to Guilford 66-57 and dropped a 58-51 contest against Lyman Hall.
Versus Guilford, Brendan Wray hit five three-pointers and scored 23 points. Garrett Noonan scored 10 points, Brett Bilcheck added eight points and eight assists, and Ken Ciotti scored eight points.
“Guilford is a very solid team and we played them tough. I am really proud of my team for battling,” said Head Coach Jim Economopoulos. “A lot of teams that have had the season we have had would’ve quit, but they keep fighting, and it says a lot about their character.”
Gymnastics
One week after winning its ninth consecutive SCC title, Hand posted a 134.25-117.2 win over Foran on Feb. 14. The Tigers had a tri-meet the following evening and scored 128.4 points to best Haddam-Killingworth/Hale-Ray/Morgan (102.00), while losing to Mercy (137.45). Hand finished the regular season at 16-2.
In the Senior Night win against Foran, Hand’s performances included Erin Naclerio (34.65 all-around, 9.25 on floor, 8.75 on vault, 8.65 on bars); Lily Spencer (33.45 all-around, 8.8 on vault and floor); Olivia Finke (32.00 all-around, 8.45 on floor, 8.25 on beam); Noelle Bergere (8.85 on floor, 8.5 on beam); Sam Mayhew (8.2 on vault, 8.05 on floor); Schylar Saliba (8.55 on floor); and Grace Rogers (8.0 on bars).
“Today was all about celebrating our seniors for Senior Night. We have five seniors [Spencer, Bergere, Finke, Mayhew, and Torrey Donoghue] and two senior managers [Jackie Havran and Megan Hayden], so it was a lot of fun to celebrate this group,” said Head Coach Kelly Smith. “This group has won four SCC team titles and three state championships and have been working hard all four years. It was great to watch them compete at home for the last time. It was a strong meet overall, despite the emotional letdown that follows the SCC Championship meet.”
In the Feb. 15 meet, Finke scored 33.7 in the all-around, an 8.6 on floor, plus an 8.4 on bars and beam. Mayhew tallied 8.9 on floor with an 8.4 on vault; Marisa Padelli and Grace Rogers scored an 8.0 on bars; Kelley Levis and Lexi Theel scored an 8.2 on floor; Carly Barba posted a mark of 8.35 on vault; Alara Nahar had an 8.05 on vault; and Delaney Skelly scored an 8.0 on vault.
Next up for the Tigers is the State Championship meet on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Pomperaug.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Tigers lost to Amity-North Haven-Cheshire by a 3-1 final on Feb. 15 to finish the regular season with a record of 11-7-2.
Next on the schedule for Hand is the SCC Division II Tournament. If the Tigers win their semifinal game, they’ll play for the title at Bennett Rink in West Haven at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
Hand took a 3-1 loss to Staples-Weston Shelton on Feb. 15, but then bounced back with a 4-3 decision over Trumbull on Feb. 17 to move to 8-9-1 on the season.