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01/26/2019 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Branford girls’ basketball team claimed victory in two of its three games last week by defeating Career and North Branford to go with a loss against Sheehan. Branford now has an overall record of 7-7 and needs one more victory to qualify for the Class L State Tournament.
Branford kicked off last week by rallying for 51-45 home victory over Career to get its first win in SCC Hammonasset Division action this season. Branford trailed the Panthers 10-8 after the first quarter and was down 23-19 at halftime. However, the Hornets used their defensive pressure and transition game to have a big third quarter in which they outscored Career by a 15-3 margin. Branford brought a 34-26 lead into the fourth and then held off Career in the final frame to walk off the floor with the win. This game marked the third time this season that the Hornets trailed at halftime in a home game and came back to get the victory.
Junior Karly King stuffed the stat sheet by scoring a career-high 22 points to go with nine rebounds, five assists, and seven deflections. King had a huge second half, and her 11-of-15 performance from the free-throw line proved critical in the win. Senior Sophia Araneo recorded a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds, and she also had two blocks. Junior Issy Mannle chipped in with five points, four assists, five steals, and 10 deflections. Fellow junior Mikayla Brown added seven points.
Two nights later, the Hornets traveled to Wallingford to take on Sheehan for another Hammonasset game. Branford took a 70-32 defeat to move to 1-3 in the division.
Then on Jan. 25, the Hornets hosted North Branford for a non-conference matchup and earned a 48-36 victory over the Thunderbirds.
Boys’ Basketball
The Hornets dropped a pair of contests last week and are now 1-11 on the year.
On Jan. 22, Branford took a 68-29 defeat at West Haven in SCC Quinnipiac game to move to 1-3 in divisional play. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter and held a 37-12 halftime advantage on their way to defeating the Hornets. Junior Kevin Baxter scored 11 points for Branford. Sophomore Justin Elpi scored eight points, while fellow sophomore Kamryn Holmes had five points in the loss.
Three nights later, the Hornets hosted Shelton and took a 49-46 defeat. Branford was down 40-29 entering the fourth quarter and then outscored Shelton 17-9 during the final frame, although the Gaels came away with the three-point win. Baxter and sophomore Jack Van Gelder both scored 13 points for the Hornets. Elpi and junior Aidan Jacobson had nine points apiece.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Branford-Guilford boys’ swimming and diving team notched a big win by defeating North Haven last week. The Hornets hosted the Indians at Walsh Intermediate School and claimed an 88-87 victory on Jan. 22.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The Branford boys’ ice hockey picked up a tie against the Eastern CT Eagles last week and then defeated North Branford to clinch a berth in the Division II State Tournament. With these results, the Hornets improved to 7-2-3 on the year.
On Jan. 21, the Hornets earned a point by skating to a 2-2 with the Eastern CT Eagles in a non-conference game at Connecticut College. Two nights later, Branford hosted North Branford for a Southern Connecticut Conference/South-West Conference Division II matchup and notched a 9-3 home victory over the Thunderbirds to seal its spot in states.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Branford-North Branford-Sheehan-Lyman Hall (B-NB-S-LH) girls’ ice hockey stands at 5-7-1 this year after gaining a split of two home games last week.
The Wings hosted Masuk-Barlow-Newtown-Lauralton Hall (M-B-N-LH) on Jan. 24 and earned a 8-0 victory at DiLungo Rink. The Wings completed a season week of M-B-N-LH with the after having previously defeated the Panthers 6-1 on Dec. 12.
Then on Jan. 26, B-NB-S-LH took a 3-2 defeat against Hamden in another home game at DiLungo Rink.