New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
No. 1 Hamden holds off rally by No. 2 Hand
HAMDEN — When Hamden guard Leah Philpotts left the game late in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury her twin sister Alana knew she had to step up.
That’s just what Philpotts did, scoring 14 of her gamehigh 21 points in the second half and hustling down the court and blocking a layup with two seconds remaining which would have tied the game.
It all added up to a 51-48 win for Hamden (9-0), ranked first in the GameTimeCT Top 10 Poll, over No. 2 ranked Hand.
“It was a lot of pressure but we had to put it aside and go do it,” Alana Philpotts said. “There were a lot of runs and we had to withstand that last run and trust our teammates to do the right thing.”
Hand trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter and was down 10 with just over three minutes remaining before rallying but eventually falling short.
“I’m really proud of how we fought back, but it’s also disappointing because if we had started playing like that
before the third quarter, we might be up 10 right now,” Hand coach Tim Tredwell said. “We came out timid and flat. I’m not sure if that is a hangover from the Mercy game or playing three games in four days and knowing we have Sacred
Heart and North Haven next week? We are in the middle of it right now. This group has impressed me because they don’t flinch and they don’t back down but in the first half it looked like we backed down a little bit.”
Coco Rourke sparked the Tigers run with several key steals, scoring 10 of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Annie Goodrich added 13 points for Hand, which fell to 7-1.
This was Hand’s second top-10 opponent of the week after beating No. 5 Mercy 53-50 Wednesday night.
Hand hosts North Haven on Monday at 7 p.m. and will entertain No. 3 Sacred Heart Academy Wednesday at 7 p.m.
In the first half, it was Hamden’s defensive intensity carrying them to a double-digit lead, going into halftime up 27-15 and expanding that to 15 midway through the third.
“Coming in 1 vs 2 and two good teams, I think it is always about defense first and we start with that focus first,” Hamden coach Amanda Forcucci said. “There is concern for a teammate when Leah gets hurt. Then there is that moment of having focus on what we have and focusing on playing hard and everyone else doing what they have to do. Next player up.”
Hamden will host Foran (6-1) Tuesday at 6 p.m. and plays at No. 5 Mercy next Friday at 5:30 p.m.
After Hamden missed a free throw with just under 10 seconds left, Hand advanced the ball up the right side passing into the middle to a free player streaking down the key.
Philpotts busted her tail from half court, sprinting to the key and blocking the game-tying attempt which went out of bounds off the Hand player.
Philpotts made one of two free throws to end the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME Alana Philpotts, Hamden:
The junior did it all, scoring 21 and getting key steals and blocks throughout the night.
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“Alana knew she had to do what she had to do once Leah went down,” Forcucci said. “We talk in practice all the time that you never know when your number is going to be called in terms of either getting on the court or a starter having the shot falling today.”