Hall defeated crosstown rival Conard, 48-35, on the Titans’ Senior Night.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Kelly Fleischmann. Photos by Craig Rosenberg and Nicholas Cruz

On Friday night, Hall girls basketball bid farewell to its six seniors as they celebrated their victory over crosstown rival, Conard.

The night started bittersweet, with the Titans head coach, Ernestine Faienza, sharing her gratitude to Hall’s six seniors for all they’ve brought to the program. These seniors include Anya Leshem, Chloe Lynch, Minna Ahmed, Leah Berey, Brooklyn Baylor, and Emma Hynes.

For an intense start to the game, Conard dominated the jump. Ryelle Gomes secured the first points of the game with her back-to-back layups, bringing the Red Wolves up by 4. Anya Leshem for Hall scored the first points for her team with a layup, later followed by a 3-pointer, bringing the Titans into the lead.

Both teams had exceptional defense, so Conard only managed to get one more point on the board with a free throw by Ashley Gorman. Before the buzzer sounded, Hall senior Leah Berey drove to the net and got a layup, increasing the Titans’ score by two. Quarter one ended with the low score of 8-5, Hall in the lead.

Hall came in hot for the start of the second quarter, with Alexa Reilly getting her first points of the game with a layup for the Titans. Conard quickly responded with Gomes securing four more points for the Red Wolves with two layups.

Maya Reilly scored four points for Hall with two layups back-to-back. Conard’s Bree Wilmes landed her first 3-pointer of the night towards the end of quarter two, and Clara McClay got her first points on the board with a 2-pointer.

A halftime, the score was tied at 14-14.

Similarly to the start of the second quarter, Hall’s Alexa Reilly drove to the basket and got another two points to begin the second half. Freshman Abby Graham nailed a 3-pointer, putting the Titans in the lead by 5.

Both teams got a few points on the board, but things started moving quicker when Berey nailed a couple of layups, a 2-pointer, and a foul shot, which improved the Titans’ score by seven points. Hall let up on defense, though, which CC Cersosimo made the most of by making a layup, a foul shot, a 3-pointer, and another foul shot successively.

Bree Wilmes continued the energy by drilling a 3-pointer, tying up the game 26-26. The Titans managed to get a few more points on the board towards the end of the third quarter, and the score was 29-26, with Hall in the lead, heading into the final frame.

The Titans came out strong in the last quarter, with Maya Reilly and Berey nailing two 3-pointers. Conard took back possession with sophomore Kiara Foley driving to the basket and getting a layup to improve the Red Wolves’ score by two, making it an eight-point game.

Leshem nailed another 3-pointer for Hall, later followed by a layup, and Conard called a timeout with 2:08 left in the game.

The Red Wolves had new energy coming in from the timeout, especially Wilmes, who drilled a 3-pointer followed by a 2-pointer. However, her efforts did not significantly alter the outcome of the game, as the Red Wolves were still eight points behind.

The Titans ended the game solidly with a layup and a 3-pointer, further improving their lead. The last whistle was called, ending the game 48-35, with Hall taking the win.

This game was the last game of the regular season for both Conard (4-12) and Hall (10-10).

Both teams will continue play in the postseason. Despite their record, Conard, as a Division I team, automatically qualifies for the CIAC state tournament. Hall, seeded No. 20 in Division III, also will play in the state tournament, which begins late next week. Neither team qualified for the CCC tournament, which begins this week and features West Hartford’s Northwest Catholi, 19-1, as the top seed.

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