With its new cast of characters, the Hand boys’ basketball team is gradually learning in phases how to succeed in the SCC and that was evident in its Dec. 30 home contest against Xavier.

The Tigers suffered a close 57-53 defeat to the Falcons in a matchup that saw Hand down eight in the fourth quarter before climbing back into it to trail only by one with 90 seconds remaining. Hand had two looks at a potential game-tying three-pointer on its final possession, yet they fell short and Xavier went to the line for the 13

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and final time in the frame to help seal the decision.

“Really a lot of everything happened on the defensive end tonight; we weren’t making a lot of things happen defensively and creating easy shots for them, but I thought we did a good job of executing offensively, yet we just didn’t finish” said Head Coach Frank Rossi. “We missed some good shots, and the game got away in the third when we allowed them to establish their low post game. They really dominated in the paint, plus we didn’t rebound. Late in the game, we ran a lot of new sets that Xavier had never seen before and we executed them well, yet we just didn’t follow through quite enough. They had too many second and third-chance points and too many times on those, we fouled them to send them to the free-throw line, and that’s what the game came down to, but I give our kids credit in fighting back late.”

Junior guard Pat Kerins led the Tigers with 23 points while senior tri-captain and center Jack Driscoll added 13. Junior forward Jeff Allen also dropped in seven points as Rossi points out that his club is getting accustomed to playing within the varsity ranks.

“Pat has been so big for us all year after not playing last year due to an ankle injury. We didn’t know what we were going to get with him, but he’s lived up to our expectations and is developing into one of the top scorers in our league,” said Rossi. “[Senior guard] Dante Egidio as a point guard is ready to evolve and our bigs are becoming more confident in the paint. We played eight players tonight and six of them never played varsity prior to this year, so they are progressing. They still have a lot of learning to do, but they’ve risen to the occasion and taken the little steps.”

In the first, Xavier (4-1) launched a shot from downtown to go ahead 9-6 with 1:40 left in the first, but it was from there that the Tigers (2-3) went on a 12-0 tear overlapping the first and second periods to grab an 18-9 command.

The Falcons went on a 7-0 run on their own as the game saw four lead changes and a trio of ties in the half’s final four minutes that ended with the score being knotted at 27.

Hand opened the third with an Allen free throw to make it a 28-27 contest, although that was the home team’s final lead of the battle. The Falcons were able to muscle their way inside for buckets and free throws to go up 40-36 heading into the final frame.

Xavier knocked down four straight shots from the charity stripe to hold an eight-tally cushion to start the fourth. Allen then put back a missed strike at the line as 2:50 was left before netting another basket to cut the Tigers’ deficit to 52-51. After the Falcons hit two free throws with 37 ticks to go up 56-53, Allen and Kerins had looks at the equalizer from beyond the arc, but neither fell the Tigers’ way.

“We talked before the game about toughness in terms of the little things like offensive rebounds and loose balls—things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, and that’s what a lot of it came down to,” said Rossi. “We executed when we had to, yet we weren’t strong enough defensively versus their bigs. But I’m proud of the fight in them. For a young team, we could’ve packed this game away.”

The Xavier contest came on the heels of a close 61-59 loss to Hewlett, New York on Dec. 29 at Branford in the finals of the Hornets’ Holiday Festival Tournament. Prior to that in the first round on Dec. 27, the Tigers knocked off West Haven 67-62. Kerins had 17 points while Allen added 10 with eight rebounds. Driscoll reached double-double territory with 15 points and 10 boards, plus Egidio chipped in with six points and four assists.

On Dec. 22, Hand evened its mark at 1-1 after a 74-60 victory at North Haven. Kerins again led his squad in scoring with 21 points as Allen dropped in 19 points and nine boards. Driscoll secured 11 points, 14 rebounds off the glass, and two blocks. Senior tri-captain and guard Justin Freund tallied 15 points.

“This is a tough break with three games in four days, and I don’t want to use that as an excuse, but it’s tough on the kids,” said Rossi following the fight with the Falcons. “For us this season whether it’s a win or a loss, we have to have a short memory and keep moving forward. We’ve had some good wins and tests, but we have to focus on our own abilities. Our focus every year is winning a banner and we don’t want to look far ahead, yet we know what we have to work on.”