North Branford's Brave Ladies Triumph Over Haddam-Killingworth in Epic Title-Defense Victory!
Skylar Gage scored 12 points, including the final four for North Branford, to lead the Thunderbirds to their CIAC Division IV semifinal win over Haddam-Killingworth on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Jim Fuller/For Hearst Connecticut Media) MERIDEN - Skylar Gage grabbed the ball one last time and raced up the court as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Once her final shot of the night dropped through the net, she was greeted by screams of joy from her teammates as North Branford punched its ticket to the CIAC Division V girls basketball title game with a 39-36 victory over rival Haddam-Killingworth on Monday.
Gage gave seventh-seeded North Branford the lead on a 3-pointer with just over a minute to play. Maizie Irons pulled the 11th-seeded Cougars back within a point. After a North Branford turnover, the Cougars had a chance to win the game on their final possession.
However, North Branford's Emma Preiss forced a turnover. Gage took the inbounds pass and put the finishing touches on the semifinal victory to set up a championship matchup with Innovation. "I just knew it," said Gage, who scored seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter.
"I knew we were finally going, we made it and we deserve every bit of it. " The CIAC will release the schedule for this weekend's championship games at Mohegan Sun later this week. North Branford defeated Haddam-Killingworth in three of the four meetings this season.
In those games, the Thunderbirds scored 204 points - two more than the Cougars. "It is what you want for girls basketball, two teams evenly matched, great players on both sides," Haddam-Killingworth coach Ann Deibert said. "Execute the playbook and show the magic that is the game of basketball.