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02/13/2021 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The Branford boys’ basketball team opened up the 2021 season by playing a pair of road games during the first week of play. The Hornets started the year with a convincing win at Hamden and then took a loss in a road game versus Lyman Hall.
On Oct. 10, Branford was on the road to face Hamden in its first matchup of the season. The Hornets defeated the Green Dragons by the final score of 71-49 to begin their year with a victory.
The Hornets stormed out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter against Hamden. Branford then outscored Hamden in both the second (18-15) and third (20-9) quarters to take a 57-31 advantage into the fourth.
In the first game of his Hornets’ career, freshman Jake Palluzzi netted 19 points to help Branford blow out the Green Dragons. Senior Justin Elpi turned in a fine offensive performance in his own right by scoring 19 points in the victory.
Senior Tucker Jacobson scored 11 points for Branford in the game. Junior Dylan Sachs had seven points, and senior Dominic Bonanno scored six points to help the Hornets prevail.
Two days later, Branford was back on the road to face Lyman Hall for another road contest. The Hornets took a 52-40 defeat against Lyman Hall to stand at 1-1 after the first week of the season.
Elpi scored 15 points for the Hornets in the game. Palluzzi scored nine points, and junior David McDonald scored six points for Branford.
Girls’ Basketball
The Branford girls’ basketball squad tipped off its campaign with a home game against Hamden on Feb. 10. The Hornets dropped a 58-55 decision to the Green Dragons in their season opener at Branford High School.
Branford and Hamden were locked in a 24-24 tie at halftime of their matchup. Hamden outscored the Hornets by a 24-18 margin in the third quarter and then hung on in the fourth to get the three-point win.
Freshman Lauren Thompson made a great debut for Branford by scoring 22 points in the first game of her high school career. Sophomore Lauren Kendrick also had a solid game by netting 16 points for Head Coach Rob Manghnani’s squad. Senior Gabby Lucertini added 11 points on the night.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The Branford boys’ ice hockey team started off its season by hosting Lyman Hall for a game at Northford Ice Pavilion last week. The Hornets took a 5-3 loss to Lyman Hall in the matchup on Feb. 11.