New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Double Dragons
Hamden makes it back-to-back state championships
UNCASVILLE — In the end, after the head-to-head games on four different courts, after taking turns at the top of the state poll, 2024 came down to a final minute between Hamden and Sacred Heart Academy for the Class LL state championship Sunday night.
One minute and two seconds, to be exact, for two schools 1.2 miles apart on the map and way closer on the scoreboard.
Top-seeded Sacred Heart, playing catchup all night, closed to within three on a 3pointer from Meghan Kirck, but No. 3 Hamden, led by game MVP Alana Philpotts, made the defensive stops, got the rebounds and hit enough free throws in the final 62 seconds to secure a 46-40 victory at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The win secured back-toback Class LL championships for Hamden, ranked No. 1 in the GameTimeCT top 10 poll and certain to stay there after Championship Weekend.
“You have two of the best teams in the state playing right here, a great environment,” said Hamden coach Amanda Forcucci. “Hopefully, everybody got a good show. It was a great game.”
Senior Alana Philpotts led Hamden with 14 points and seven rebounds. Her twin sister, Leah Philpotts, finished with eight points and nine rebounds despite picking up her fourth foul two minutes into the second half.
The Green Dragons walked a tightrope the rest of the way. Forcucci cycled Philpotts in for offense and pulled her out on defense.
It worked. Leah Philpotts was still on the floor when the final horn sounded.
“We were so concerned because we were doing offense to defense,” Leah Philpotts said. “But I had to know my teammates had my back, be vocal on the court, and get myself together so I could play offense and be there for my team.”
Emily Mennillo led Sacred Heart Academy with 13 points. Kirck hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine.
And so ended a remarkable season series that went from the Hamden city limits to Mo
hegan Sun Arena and it left both coaches grappling with heavy emotions.
“I’m proud, immense joy, my kids did it, but — it’s not sadness; it’s bittersweet,” said Forcucci. “We did that and now it’s over. I’m proud, and now they’re going. That’s it. You take it for granted: ‘I’ll see you again at tryouts.’ No. All my seniors are going.”
Among the seniors Sacred Heart coach Jason Kirck will see graduate is his daughter. Meghan.
“Sacred Heart basketball is like a family,” said Kirck. “Just to see them upset — not because we lost, just to see them upset after a game, to know they put their heart and soul into beating an unbelievably talented Hamden team. To come up short, it’s hard.”
Sunday marked the fourth meeting of the season between Hamden and SHA. Hamden won two of the first three, including one in overtime and then by 24 points in the SCC Tournament final.
The Green Dragons, though, knew there would be no repeat of the latter on Sunday.
“This game had to be defense,” said Leah Philpotts. “They’re a really good team. Everything to them. We knew it was going to be tough.”
The Green Dragons established a 13-6 lead in the first quarter. The gap would have been wider had they done better than 2-for-10 at the foul line.
This would prove to be a game-long trend. Hamden finished 12-for-28 at the stripe.
But Hamden was hitting the glass hard and that, too, would be a trend. The Green Dragons out-rebounded Sacred Heart 41-28, led by Aunee Brookshire’s 12.
Second-chance buckets from Brookshire and Kamora Moore snapped a 6-6 tie and sparked a 7-0 Hamden run over the final two minutes of the first quarter.
The dynamics did not change in the second quarter as Hamden extended the lead to 23-13 by the break.
But it was not done. The Sharks stormed out of the halftime locker room with new-found ferocity on the boards. Morgan Miller converted a rebound, Lauren Thompson drained a corner 3, Emily Mennillo took a steal in for a layup and the gap was down to 25-20.
Alana Philpotts stemmed the surge, hitting Moore for a pressbreak layup and sinking a 3-pointer, but the tenor had changed, especially with her sister now saddled with four fouls.
SHA closed the quarter with Mennillo feeding Lyla D’Errico with a pass across the paint for a short jumper in the waning seconds. The gap was back down to five, 33-28, heading into the final quarter.
Even the cheerleaders were dueling with courtlength flips.
The fourth quarter was a whipsaw. SHA closed to within 35-33 on a Meghan Burke 3-pointer. Leah Philpotts answered with board work that fed a 5-0 Hamden surge.
Miller drove for a three-point play. Hamden hit 3 of 6 at the line.
At 1:02, Meghan Kirck unloaded that trey from right in front of the Sacred Heart bench. Her father had a good look as it touched nothing but twine.
It proved to be the final basket Sacred Heart would score.
“I’m proud of my girls; I’m proud of my team,” said Jason Kirck. “We’ve come a long way in a short period of time, but it hurts not to get what we were after.
“With that said — please make sure you write this — Hamden is a great basketball team, Amanda is an unbelievable coach. They have very talented players. And they got us.”