The Hall boys basketball team hosted Farmington on Monday night in West Hartford, beating the River Hawks by more than 30 points.

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Zach Anderson hits the late layin for the Titans. Hall vs. Farmington boys basketball. Jan. 6, 2025. Courtesy photo

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Colby Hurlock led all scorers with 17 points as Hall used a tenacious defense to smother Farmington 63-31 on Monday night in West Hartford.

“I’m really happy for Colby,” said Hall head coach Bryan Moretti. “He’s been such a role player for us.”

The Titans started cold, allowing the River Hawks to race out to a 6-0 lead before Hall’s Ashton Garcia put in a rebound at 4:30. It didn’t take long for the home team to turn things around, thanks to a suffocating full court press that lead to multiple  turnovers.

Anthony McKeown’s steal and dunk saw Hall go up 10-8 with 2:15 left in the first, and the Titans never trailed the rest of the game. They would round out the opening quarter with a pullup jumper from Hurlock and a 3-pointer from Aiden Delaney with just :02 to play to make it 15-11.

“We are just pushing to play our best at both ends of the court,” said Moretti after the game.

Eli Kramer shoots from long range. Hall vs. Farmington boys basketball. Jan. 6, 2025. Courtesy photo

Hall continued its defensive pressure in the second and held the River Hawks to just seven points while rolling off 15 of their own. Hurlock hit a pair of 3s and had a steal and basket as part of the second quarter attack. The exclamation point to the opening half came when Hurlock hit one of his 3s from the top of the key with under :30 to play. Farmington pushed the ball up court but missed its shot and Hall’s Eli Kramer raced down court and threw up an off balance shot with just 0.2 on the clock – only to be fouled on the play. He hit one of the two foul shots to make it 30-18 at intermission.

Aiden Delaney of Hall guards Tyler Thompson of Farmington. Hall vs. Farmington boys basketball. Jan. 6, 2025. Courtesy photo

When  the third quarter started, Hall went on a 7-0 run before Farmington could answer with a 3. Despite the big lead, Hall kept up the hustle, first with Kramer hitting the left-handed layin, then Delaney hustling up and down the court to score the next basket. Farmington had a 2-1 break, but Delaney raced back, broke up the pass, saved it from going out of bounds, and was rewarded at the other end when Hall converted for the 21-point lead at 4:19.

Not to be outdone, teammate Austin Garcia blanked back-to-back shots on defense and dropped in a couple of jumpers at the other end to help push it to 49-23 entering the fourth.

The last quarter saw Hall outscore Farmington 14-8, and coast to the final of 63-31.

Next up for the Titans is a showdown with Bristol Central on Wednesday. “We beat them last year and I know they will be ready for us,” Moretti said.

Hall. 5-1, will wrap up its week on the road against winless Avon on Friday night. The Titans are currently sixth in Division II with the only blemish on their record being a 58-55 loss to Lewis Mills. In that game, Hall missed a 3-point shot at the buzzer that would have tied things.

Anthony McKeown finishes the break with the jam. Hall vs. Farmington boys basketball. Jan. 6, 2025. Courtesy photo

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