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02/02/2013 11:00 PMDespite losing two of three contests last week, the Tigers not only snapped a four-game losing streak with an 83-38 win over Law on Feb. 1, but also qualified for the SCC and Class L tournaments with the victory. The win came following losses to Hillhouse on Jan. 29 (62-45) and to Branford (47-45) on Jan. 30. Hand is now 8-8 (4-3 in SCC Hammonasset Divisional play).
First, Hillhouse made their initial five shots in jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but the Tigers closed the quarter strong, outscoring the Academics 12-10 in the final four minutes. Hand continued its strong play in the second, winning that quarter 14-13 and going into the half down nine. As Hand’s defense was solid in the second, their offense went cold with only managing six points in the third quarter. The quarter proved to be the difference in the game as Hillhouse stretched its lead to 49-34. Hand’s offense, led by Sam Jablonski’s 12 points, improved in the final quarter, but could not close the gap.
“To beat a team as good as Hillhouse, you need to play as perfect as possible for 32 minutes,” said Coach Frank Rossi. “I think we played as well as we’re capable of playing in the final three minutes of the first quarter and all of the second and we beat them. They are such a great third quarter team and we couldn’t match their energy to stay in the game. Hopefully we are recognizing our potential, and realize how good we are capable of playing.”
Against the Hornets the next night with just over one minute to go, Hand controlled the game with a two-point lead and the ball. A missed layup gave Branford the opportunity to hold for the final shot before a missed shot and offensive rebound for the Hornets gave them another shot. Branford’s Jeff Mahon made short jumper in the lane to tie the game at 45 with 20 seconds remaining. On the following Hand possession, Branford’s Rustinel Lomotey made a steal and layup to put Branford up 47-45. In what turned out to be Hand’s final possession, Brendan Hughes was called for an illegal screen, giving the ball back to Branford, and forcing the Tigers to foul with six seconds remaining. Mahon missed the free throw, but Hand was unable to advance the ball up the court for an attempt to tie. Ryan Wallack led all Tigers with 10 points, while Jablonski added eight and Marcel Barnaby chipped in with six and seven boards.
“This was our 3rd loss in which we blew a fourth quarter lead,” said Rossi. “For whatever reason, we just don’t seem to understand the importance of patience, controlling tempo, and shot selection in the fourth. We rushed every possession, never put Branford in a position to commit fouls, and took terrible shots, which is a formula for disaster. That’s on us as the coaches, and we’ll have to figure that out soon.”
Finally in what would be the postseason clincher, Hand snapped a four-game losing streak and at the same time, keeping the Lawmen winless on the season. It was a delightful dozen for Hand as 12 players scored for the Tigers led by Chris Teeling (16 points, seven rebounds), Matt Wallack (13), and Barnaby (12).
“This was a great way to end a tough week,” said Rossi, whose club played three games in four days. “We had a really good practice yesterday following that bad loss Wednesday night, which flowed into today’s game. We played with a ton of energy, attacked the rim with confidence, took great shots, and did a nice job executing. Everyone is feeling good right now; hopefully we could build on this and continue to get better. This was a good leap toward our goal of playing the best possible basketball at the end of February.”