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03/18/2019 12:00 AMThe Hand girls’ basketball team was playing in its second state final in three years when the Tigers faced Hillhouse for the Class L title last weekend. While Hand didn’t come away with the ultimate prize this time, the Tigers made quite a statement by going on an incredible playoff run with a young club.
Hand lost a 39-34 decision versus Hillhouse in the Class L State Tournament final at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 16. The 19th-seeded Tigers had advanced to the final by knocking off three higher seeds during the tournament, earning victories versus No. 14 seed RHAM, No. 30 North Haven, No. 6 Pomperaug, and No. 2 seed Windsor. After going 9-11 for the regular season, Head Coach Tim Tredwell’s squad finished its year with an overall a record of 14-13.
In the state final, 4th-seeded Hillhouse held a 10-point lead after the first quarter and was up by nine at halftime. However, as was the case all season, the Tigers remained unfazed by any adversity. Hand outscored Hillhouse 15-8 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 29-27 entering the fourth. The Tigers tied the score early in the final frame, but the Academics closed the game on a 10-5 run to come away with the title.
Junior captain Sara Wohlgemuth and sophomore Julia Kuhn both scored 12 points for Hand. Wohlgemuth also had three assists and two steals. Junior Summer Adams grabbed 12 rebounds in the defeat.
Hillhouse jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Hand with 3:54 remaining in the first quarter of their state final matchup. Hand settled things down throughout the rest of the period, outscoring the Academics 6-2 down the stretch to make it 16-6 after one.
The Tigers went on a 5-0 run to start the second quarter, capped off by a layup from senior captain Anna Beccia. From there, it was a slow scoring finish to the opening half. Hillhouse held a 5-1 advantage the rest of the way to bring a 21-12 lead into intermission.
Hand cut it to 23-19 on a 3-pointer by Adams two minutes into the third quarter. Hillhouse increased its lead to 29-21 with three minutes to play in the period. The Tigers finished the quarter on a 6-0 spurt and trailed 29-27 heading into the fourth.
Adams tied the score at 29-29 by making a layup with 6:23 remaining in regulation. Hillhouse scored eight of the game’s next 10 points to take a 37-31 lead with 1:58 to play. The Academics then held off Hand’s comeback attempt in final minutes to secure the victory.