Guilford Girls' Hoops Splits a Pair

Sitting on the outside of the postseason and looking in when last week began, the Guilford girls' basketball team knew its playoff window could soon be slamming shut. Two wins for the Indians would have kept that window open just a little bit longer, but after an impressive win over Hamden, Guilford lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Law.

On Jan. 24, the Indians (4-10) played their fifth of nine straight games on the road at Hamden, knocking off the Green Dragons, 49-48. Senior Lucy Faulkner nailed four clutch free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Faulkner led the way with 11 points, while Carla Pucchini chipped in with 10, and Kathleen Rooney notched nine.

Guilford wasn't quite as lucky on Jan. 27, again on the road in a close game, coming up just short in overtime against Law, 59-58. Law came out on fire and hit nine threes in the first half to take a 33-22 lead to the locker room. The Indians tightened up their defense, playing what Coach Bob Welsh called "a sterling second half of man-to-man defense," shutting Hamden down in the third quarter and closing the gap to two points.

It was Faulkner again who hit a driving lay-up and a free throw to knot the score at 55-55 at the end of regulation. Unfortunately, Guilford missed three free throws in overtime and the Green Dragons hit two straight with 11 seconds remaining. The Indians then missed an inside lay-up opportunity as time expired.

"A win would have been just what the doctor ordered," Welsh said. "Instead, our backs are against the wall with three games on tap for this week."

Faulkner again led the scoring with 18 points, Presley Altieri added 15 off the bench while knocking down four three-pointers, Cait Sobolewski chipped in with 13 with a season-high 15 boards and five blocked shots, while Rooney dished out a season-high 10 assists.

The Indians finally return home Feb. 3 to take on rival Hand, looking to avenge a 62-44 loss on Jan. 13.