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02/27/2019 11:00 PMSara Wohlgemuth has helped the Hand girls’ basketball team achieve some great feats throughout the past three seasons. A couple of weeks ago, Sara recorded an remarkable accomplishment when she scored the 1,000th point of her high school career as a junior.
Sara is a guard who plays basketball at the AAU level, in addition to competing for the Tigers. In her freshman season, Sara proved a key contributor for Hand when the team won the Class L state championship during the 2016-’17 campaign.
Following a solid sophomore year, Sara is having a huge junior season that’s seen her average 18 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.8 steals per game, while helping the young Tigers qualify for the SCC and Class M State tournaments. On Feb. 16, Sara netted career point No. 1,000 when Hand squared off against Wilbur Cross in the quarterfinals of the SCC bracket.
“It was an honor and privilege to hit 1,000,” Sara says. “[Head Coach Tim Tredwell] put me in a great position to succeed, and I learned from great former players and teammates. My teammates around me this season also helped me a lot to get there.”
Sara likes high-tailing it to the hoop in order to score points. However, Sara gets her greatest satisfaction when all five Tigers on the floor work together and find ways to create open shots.
“I love just driving to the basket to score, but I also like catching and scoring off a good pass and hitting a jump shot,” says Sara, who also plays AAU hoops with the CT Starters. “I’d rather have the whole team involved with a basket.”
The experience that Sara gained from helping Hand claim a state title in her freshman year gave her confidence to thrive in pressure situations. Sara also learned a lot as a result of competing alongside a collection of exemplary veterans.
“Having someone like Gabby Martin as a team leader to set a tone and example was really helpful. I saw her and wanted to follow her and have success with the team,” Sara says. “Playing with those great players helped prepare me for what was to come. Also playing competitive players in the SCC every year has helped me learn and become more patient.”
This year, Hand earned a season-defining victory when the team defeated Mercy in the first round of the SCC Tournament, resulting in Mercy’s earliest exit since 2003. It was win that surprised everyone except the Tigers.
“We knew the whole year would be tough with the schedule, but we stayed close every day,” Sara says. “We knew we could take down a team like Mercy one day. Our defense helped us, but it was just a great team win.”
Coach Tredwell says that Sara has shown tremendous potential since he first saw her step on the court. Tredwell adds that Sara never rest on her laurels, and he feels that’s of the biggest reasons she reached the 1,000-point milestone during her junior season.
“Sara is an incredibly driven student-athlete. Her talent and skill has been evident since she attended our summer camp as a 6th-grader, but what’s most impressive is her work ethic. She is always looking to improve or to push her limits. Her desire to compete is unmatched, and it forces everyone around her to raise their game,” Tredwell says. “For Sara to score 1,000 before the end of her junior season is extraordinary. She has been competing at a high level against some of the top programs in the state since she stepped on campus as a freshman. I’m so proud to be her coach, and I look forward to seeing how much she can accomplish.”
Sara and the Tigers are competing in the Class L State Tournament this week. Sara says that Hand is taking a patient, piecemeal approach as the team looks to go on another deep playoff push.
“We just focus on one game at a time,” Sara says. “We have a one-game-season mentality, and we will just work hard.”