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03/22/2021 12:00 AMBoys’ Basketball
After splitting its last two games of the regular season, the Hand boys’ basketball team notched a victory versus Cheshire in the first round of the SCC Division II Tournament last week. The Tigers, who have an overall record of 8-5 this season, are playing East Haven in the semifinals of the tournament this week.
On March 15, Hand was on the road to face Guilford and defeated the Grizzlies 41-27. Junior Tyler Favre scored 18 points for the Tigers in the win. Seniors Scott Testori and Nick Donofrio had six points apiece.
The following day, Hand hosted Xavier for its regular-season finale and took a 57-51 defeat. Donofrio scored 17 points in the loss. Sophomore Hudson Geremia scored nine, junior Danny Hilmer had six, and Favre added five points.
Then on March 20, 3rd-seeded Hand opened up the SCC Division II Tournament by claiming a 69-54 home win over No. 6 seed Cheshire in a quarterfinal game. The Tigers jumped out to a 22-13 first-quarter lead and were up 37-22 at halftime. The Rams outscored Hand 17-12 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 10 points entering the fourth, but the Tigers won the final frame by a 20-15 margin to come away the 15-point victory.
Donofrio netted 17 points, while Hilmer scored 15 for the Tigers. Favre scored 11 points, senior Chris Porte had six points, and Geremia and junior Jack Balletto both scored five points.
Hand played at No. 2 seed East Haven in the SCC Division II semifinals on March 23 (after press time). If the Tigers won that game, they will face the winner of top-seeded Lyman Hall and No. 4 Branford for the title on Friday, March 26.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The Hand boys’ ice hockey team won its last two regular-season games after returning from quarantine and was then scheduled to play Cheshire in the quarterfinal round of the SCC-SWC Division II Tournament. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they were forced to withdraw from the tournament after going into another quarantine due to potential exposure to COVID-19.
Hand claimed a 9-2 victory versus North Branford at Northford Ice Pavilion on March 15. The next day, the Tigers played Guilford and won the contest by a 5-2 score. Seniors Ethan Massey and Logan Massey both scored a goal for the Tigers, who also received goals from senior Tatum Fitzmaurice, senior Joshua Ruotolo, and junior Jeff Pinover.
Hand earned the No. 4 seed in the SCC-SWC Division II Tournament and was slated to play a quarterfinal game versus No. 5 Cheshire on March 20, but the game was canceled as the team went back into quarantine. The Tigers finished at 4-1 on the year.
Girls’ Fencing
The Hand girls’ fencing team finished its regular season with a record of 10-0 after defeating Guilford and Morgan last week.
The Tigers earned an 18-9 home win versus Guilford on March 19 and then posted a 17-10 road win over Morgan the following day. Senior Cameryn Brown won all three of her foil bouts versus Guilford to help Hand work toward its undefeated season. Brown went undefeated in her own right with a record of 24-0 on the year.
Boys’ Fencing
The Hand boys’ fencing squad picked up recent wins versus Guilford and Morgan to finish the year with a mark of 9-1.
On March 19, the Tigers hosted Guilford and prevailed by a 17-10 score. Senior Luke Newtown had a big day to help the foil team earn a 6-3 win over Guilford and go 10-0 this winter.
The following day, Hand defeated the Huskies 17-10 in a road match. The Tigers’ épée team claimed a 5-4 win to help Hand notch the overall victory.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
Junior Alex Hauser finished in sixth place for the Tigers when he competed at the SCC Diving Championship last week. Hauser scored 332.45 points on his way to taking sixth place at Sheehan High School on March 20.
The points that Hauser scored for Hand at the Diving Championship will carry over to the SCC Virtual Championship that is being held this week. The Tigers and their fellow SCC teams will be swimming at their respective venues during the week, and then all of the performances will be tabulated in order to formulate the team standings for the championship.
Gymnastics
The Hand gymnastics team finished its regular season with a record of 3-1 by earning a 134.8-120.0 victory versus Foran in a virtual meet. Hand competed at ABC Gymnastics on March 16, and the Lions turned in their performances at the gym at Foran High School the following day.
Sophomore Morgan McMahon took first place for Hand on the floor routine with a score of 9.25. McMahon also came in first place on the vault by scoring a 9.0 for the Tigers. McMahon took third place for the all-around with a total of 34.75 to help Hand get the victory.
Senior Kayla Cataldo and freshman Hadley Reiss finished in a tie for third place on vault with their respective scores of 8.4. Sophomore Ellie Davern scored an 8.4 on bars to take second place in the event, while Reiss claimed third place with an 8.3.
Hand is participating in the SCC Virtual Championship meet that takes place this week. The gymnastics squads in the conference will be competing at separate venues, after which their performances will be tabulated in order to score out the meet.