For the Hand girls’ basketball team, it has already hit the first target of its season.

The Tigers defeated Shelton, 51-25, on the road on Jan. 13 prior to them defeating SCC Hammonasset Division foe Law, 56-48, on Jan. 17 to up their record to 8-4 (4-0 in the division) and clinch a state tournament berth.

Facing the Gaels, Hand jumped out to a 21-3 first-quarter lead behind Lily Taylor’s 10 points and never looked back, owning a 16-point edge at the half. Hand did not let up after the break with six different Tigers contributing to a 17-8 third quarter. Cori Ouellette scored a game-high 14 points, while Taylor added 12 points to compliment her two assists, two rebounds, and two blocks. Lauren Brandau led the team with 11 rebounds and four steals, and Gege Catalano scored eight points and grabbed five boards. Michelle McCloskey pulled in eight rebounds and had two blocks.

Versus the Eagles, Ouellette and Gillian Kraemer scored five points each as Hand took a 16-9 lead at the end of one. Taylor (11 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds) knocked down a pair of threes in the second to stretch that lead to 30-20 at the half, but Law didn’t go away quietly. Down 12 heading into the fourth, the Eagles went on a run, and Hand only scored one field goal in the final frame. Law got within two on two separate occasions; however, Hand’s defense stayed strong behind Catalano (11 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Cassidy Wygonik (12 points, 12 boards, and 3 blocks) to hold on for the win, as Brandau also grabbed 10 rebounds in the victory.

“Law is a scary team. They're young, hungry and talented. At this point in the season, we need to be at our very best if we want to come out on top, and we were lucky tonight to get away with a win,” said Head Coach Tim Tredwell. “We struggled from the foul line and almost gave it away [22-of-37 at the line; 9-of-16 in the fourth quarter]. Fortunately, we had a number of kids with the ability to contribute who did just that. Gege, Cassidy, and Lauren did a great job on the boards. Lily showed just how valuable and efficient she is by filling the stat sheet. On a night where Sophie couldn't find her stroke, other kids stepped up and got the job done. We obviously have some things to work on, but I'm proud of these kids for taking care of business.”