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02/04/2024 11:58 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Old Saybrook girls’ basketball team won three of four games to bring their record to 9-4 on the season. The Rams won a thriller at North Branford, 47-45, on Jan. 17. This win came behind Breleigh Cooke's 23 points and clutch shooting from Alex Ling, along with Kylie Lake's 4-for-4 free throws in the closing minute. Lake also dominated the glass both offensively and defensively, and added nine points. Nora Kulmann and Sanai Baker turned in outstanding all-around floor games, and the Rams got key contributions from Sam Hanover as well, scoring five points at key moments.
Later in the week, the Lady Rams dropped a tough 58-46 contest at home on Jan.19 to Haddam-Killingworth, despite a great performance from Lake, as she scored 24 points and took down 14 rebounds. The Cougars came out very strong, and put together a seven point lead by the end of the first quarter, extending it to 11 points at the half.
Old Saybrook closed the gap to six points by the end of the third quarter behind the dominance of Lake, and a pair of three point shots from Cooke and Kulmann. The lead was cut to two points early in the final period, but fouls played a key role, and H-K was able to pull away in the last four minutes to secure the victory.
“We were off on our perimeter shooting and only able to go 9-for-18 from the foul line, which really hurt our comeback,” said Head Coach Steve Woods after the game.
Old Saybrook then grabbed two wins at home on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25 vs. Cromwell and Portland, respectively. The Rams put up a very balanced attack vs Cromwell, winning 67-43 behind four players in double figures - Cooke (19 points), Kulmann (17 points), Lake (13 points), and Ling (11 points). Cromwell was resilient and hung in through the first half, trailing 37-29 at the intermission despite a 23-point second quarter by the Rams. Old Saybrook put away the Panthers in the second half, with a 30-14 margin.
In the game vs. Portland, Old Saybrook ran out to a 19-5 first quarter lead, and a 33-11 halftime advantage. The second team and some younger Old Saybrook players played most of the second half, putting up an impressive 19-point third quarter and coasting to a 56-28 victory over a scrappy but overmatched Highlander team. Kulmann led the way, with 13 points in just over two periods of play, while Lake had 10 points, Cooke added nine, and Baker and Jen Neigel scored seven points each.
This past week, Old Saybrook won all three of its games, defeating Hale Ray at home on Jan. 29 by a score of 46-24, behind 18 points from Cooke and 12 points from Kulmann. The Rams defense was outstanding, led by Sanai Baker , Kylie Lake and Alex Ling. Old Saybrook got out to a great start, leading 12-1 after the first period and 23-11 at the half. Although Hale Ray displayed its improvement from earlier in the season, led by MacKenzie Purdell's 16 points, Old Saybrook cruised to the victory.
On Jan. 31, the Rams traveled to Griswold to take on a solid Wolverine squad, led by the very talented and high-scoring guard Abbie Matheson, who is one of the best players the Rams have faced all season. Old Saybrook met the challenge with a stifling defense to open the game, which would last for two and a half quarters. This included a margin of 17-2 at the end of the first period, denying Matheson from getting many touches. By the half, Old Saybrook held a 36-17 margin with a scoring attack.
After sustaining an accidental finger polk in her eye just before halftime, Cooke bounced back by nailing five "3-point shots and 17 points in the third quarter alone. The Rams scored a season-high 28 points for the quarter, and the game outcome was not in doubt at 62-32 going into the fourth quarter. The final frame featured all the younger Rams finishing off a 72-45 victory. Old Saybrook was led by six points from Cooke, who also played a great floor game with steals, assists, and rebounds, while directing the Rams attack from her point guard position. Lake also had a huge game, with 22 points ,12 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Guard Lauren Kapp came in off the bench and had a great game, scoring 13 points. Team defense was the key to the victory, led by Baker, Ling, and Kulmann. Matheson finished with 19 points for Griswold.
On Feb. 2, Old Saybrook took on rival Westbrook at home, and defeated a scrappy Knights squad while playing without key injured players. The Rams held only a 14-13 lead against their upstart neighbors, but opened it up in the second period, when they outscored Westbrook 20-1 in the quarter for a 34-14 margin. The team never looked back after that, and they cruised to a 61-33 victory.
The Rams were led by Lake, who scored 16 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Cooke (12 points), Kulmann (11 points), and Baker (eight points), all contributed to the scoring. Ling flew under-the-radar with an outstanding all-around floor game, which included exceptional passing, defense, and rebounding.
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Hand girls’ ice hockey co-op team hosted Hamden Co-op on Jan. 31 and ended in a 3-3 tie. Faith Minickene recorded a hat trick, with three unassisted goals.
On Feb. 2, the team played host to Masuk Co-op and lost 2-1. Hannah Rich scored the goal, unassisted, for the Tigers.
Hand rounded out the week at West Haven/SHA on Feb. 3, where the team grabbed a 3-2 win. The first goal was scored by Kendall Dobratz, assisted by Minickene. Taylor Manchanda found the net, assisted by Jaimey DiNapoli, and DiNapoli scored a goal of her own, assisted by Rich.