Hall Comes Up Short Against Mercy in CIAC Class LL Championship Game - We-Ha

The Warriors conclude a successful season as runners-up in the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

The Hall team and coaches pose with West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor (right) after they are recognized as Class LL runners-up. Hall vs. Mercy Class LL girls basketball championship. Mohegan Sun Arena. March 17, 2018. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

By Marlon Pitter. Photos by Ronni Newton and Sue Gellerman

A title run 41 years in the making for West Hartford’s Hall High School fell short against No. 2 Mercy in a 49-37 loss in the CIAC Class LL girls basketball state championship game on Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“The little things that we’ve been doing all year, we didn’t do tonight,” said Hall head coach Brittany Huggins. “They were guarding [well] along the perimeter, but then we stopped attacking them. We started settling for those perimeter shots instead of attacking.”

Isabella Santoro (24 points) and Meghan DeVille (14 points) led the way for the Tigers – the former cashing in with her athleticism and the latter with her size and paint presence.

Santoro and DeVille each added nine rebounds, combining to match Hall’s total as a team. Overall, the Tigers outrebounded the Warriors 36-18. Mercy scored 28 points in the paint and tallied 15 second-chance points with its rebounding edge.

Hall trailed by just four at halftime, 26-22, but Santoro helped Mercy pull away with 16 second-half points. The Tigers stymied any attempts for Hall to generate offense in the second half, causing the Warriors settle for outside shots that would not fall.

Hall faced its largest deficit of the game trailing 45-28 with 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Warriors fouled to extend the game but could not force overtime.

Both teams started slowly, scoring a combined 17 points in the first quarter as Hall led 9-8 after the first eight minutes. Hall and Mercy each found their footing in the second quarter with 31 combined points.

Kameryn King made a 3-pointer with 1:41 to play in the second quarter gave the Tigers a 22-20 lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night.

Hall shot 35 percent from the field on 13 of 37 attempts and 22 percent from beyond the arc on four of 18 tries. The Warriors made only one of their 12 threes in the second half.

Mercy shot 39 percent from the field on, converting on 17 of 44 attempts.

The Warriors went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe (88 percent), while the Tigers made 14 of their 19 free throws (74 percent).

Olivia Bonee led Hall with nine points. Seniors Amber Raisner and Lexi Gellerman each chipped in seven points in their final game in a Hall uniform, while Maddy Mandyck added four points and four rebounds.

“[They were] such integral parts to our team,” said Huggins. “I’m proud of them and I wish them well in the future.”

The Warriors finish the season with a 24-5 overall record as runners-up of the Central Connecticut Conference and CIAC tournaments. Hall’s only state championship game appearance prior to Saturday was in 1977, a 37-35 loss to Lee (New Haven).

“At the end of the day, I’m proud of their effort,” Huggins said. “I think about what it even takes to get to this point, and I’m just so proud of their dedication, their commitment, their hard work. They’ll never forget this experience.”

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Hall’s starting lineup (from left: Lexi Gellerman, Amber Raisner, Maddy Mandyk, Jenna Zydanowicz, Olivia Bonee. Hall vs. Mercy Class LL girls basketball championship. Mohegan Sun Arena. March 17, 2018. Photo credit: Ronni Newton