The Branford boys’ basketball team saw its season come to a close with a 66-43 loss at Bethel in the first round of the Class L State Tournament on March 7. The contest also marked the final game for Jake Palluzzi as head coach of the Hornets. Palluzzi coached Branford for 29 seasons and won 302 games during his tenure. This year, Branford went 9-11 for the regular season to qualify for both the SCC and State tournaments, earning the No. 26 seed in the latter bracket. The team finished the campaign with an overall record of 9-13. Bethel (16-5) was the No. 7 seed in the Class L bracket and lost against E.O. Smith in its second round matchup.

—Chris Piccirillo