Trumbull, CT — It is one thing to set lofty goals. It's another thing entirely to accomplish all of them. An unbeaten regular season... An FCIAC championship... And now a trip to their first state final for a chance to complete an undefeated, championship run. The Ludlowe girls basketball team has checked off all but one item from their preseason list, defeating Newtown 55-35 in the CIAC Class LL semifinals Monday night at Trumbull High School. Ludlowe (26-0) advances to face Hamden (26-0) in the Class LL final at Mohegan Sun either Saturday or Sunday for a battle of unbeaten teams making their' first appearances in a girls basketball state final. Hamden defeated Newington “This is a special group and have been playing together since fifth grade,” Ludlowe coach Sara Kinsley said. “We had a goal in December to get here and we all did it together, players and coaches. Now the dream is true and we got one more game to go.” No. 3 seed Newtown kept pace early and the game was tied, 22-22, with 1:45 left in the second quarter. But No. 2-seeded Ludlowe closed the half on a 5-0 run and Newtown never recovered. The Falcons made their free throws and scored in transition in the second half, expanding the lead to 37-28 after three. Newtown, which was paced by 21 points from junior guard Izzy Caron, ends its season at 19-5. “Our girls believed in everything from Day 1," Newtown coach Jeremy O'Connell said. "It’s really hard to get to a state semifinal when you average 35-points a game, but they grinded out every game and got here by defending everyone. "Tonight, the effort was there. If couple of plays here and there went another way, it might have been different. But it didn’t. I have left a few games this year mad, but tonight I am just sad because it’s the last night with this team and I am so proud of them.” Ludlowe had a scare in the first quarter when state MVP candidate Madison Roman went down with an ankle injury and was helped off the court. Roman returned to the game later in the quarter with her ankle wrapped, sparking her team with her energy, defense and passing. She finished with seven points. “Madison brings an energy to the team that is unmatched by anything I have ever seen as a coach,” Kinsley said. “It doesn’t matter if she is on the floor or not. "Our biggest concern was her being OK and once we knew she was, she got all her teammates riled up. Once we got the high-low going with Caitlin (Finnegan) and Madison, we went on a roll.” Junior guard Phoebe Shostak added 14 points for Ludlowe. PLAYER OF THE GAME Caitlin Finnegan, Ludlowe: Newtown did not have many answers for the 6-foot Finnegan in the paint. The senior center scored 18 points and picked up a few key blocked shots for the Falcons. QUOTABLE “We had to work together and stay focused and poised on defense and controlled the tempo of the game on offense. I have known some of these girls since we were 8, and doing this together feels so surreal and nothing is going to stop us now.” — Finnegan Ludlowe 55 Newtown 36 NEWTOWN 14 8 6 8--36 LUDLOWE 18 9 10 18--55 NEWTOWN: Macey Cuomo 2 0-0 4; Sam Diaspro 0 0-0 0; Bella Gerace 3 1-3 10; Bridget McCleary 0 0-0 0; Izzy Caron 6 8-13 21; Allie Bradley 0 1-2 1; Ava Rochester 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 10-18 36 LUDLOWE: Rory Kudzy 2 3-4 7; Amelia Keresey 0 0-0 0; Phoebe Shostak 4 4-8 14; Caitlin Finnegan 7 4-5 18; Taylor Mehta 0 0-2 0; Madison Roman 2 3-6 7; Kate Cimador 3 2-2 9. Totals: 18 16-27 55 3-point field goals: N—Gerace 3; Caron. L—Shostak 2; Cimador Fouled out: N—Gerace; Bradley; Rochester