Eight area teams won on the opening night of the state tournament.
Hand won at the buzzer over RHAM in Hebron. Now the Tigers get top-seeded Northwest Catholic.
No. 25 Stratford won at No. 8 Middletown rather easily, 66-57. That's two CCC teams down. Stratford plays at Avon next.
No. 20 North Haven won at No. 13 Bristol Eastern 55-53. The Indians now travel to Farmington on Wednesday. The fourth-seeded Indians gave the CCC a win, eliminating Lyman Hall 54-43.
No. 2 Career and No. 5 Branford held serve at home over Bristol Central (another CCC school) and Woodstock Academy, respectively. Branford will host - you guessed it - a CCC foe, Berlin, in the second round Wednesday while Career will have to face Wilbur Cross a third time at the Floyd Little Athletic Center at 6. Cross, The No. 15 seed, won at Bunnell 83-76 in a wild game that Cross led the entire way. Career won both regular-season matchups.

In Class S, congratulations to Amistad Academy for winning its first state tournament game, eliminating No. 19 Housatonic Regional 63-53. Now No. 14 Amistad plays at No. 3 Capital Prep on Wednesday.
No. 11 Haddam-Killingworth beat No. 22 East Windsor 64-37 and gets to face Coginchaug for a third time. The game will be Wednesday in Durham.