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02/20/2016 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Valley girls’ basketball team split a pair of close road contests week by losing to Coginchaug 50-49 in the final seconds and then defeating East Granby 37-35. Unfortunately for the young Warriors and first-year Head Coach Geoff Konstan, they came up just one victory short of a guaranteed spot in the Shoreline Conference and Class M state tournaments by finishing the regular season at 7-13.
First up was a trip to Coginchaug on Feb. 15 in Durham, where Valley lost a heartbreaker by the final of 50-49. The game was extremely competitive the entire way and the first quarter ended tied 11-11 with all of Valley’s points coming from its the top three scorers on the season in junior captain Francesca Daniels, sophomore Carly Thompson, and freshman Alexis Finnerty. Foul trouble caused Daniels and Finnerty to sit for much of the second quarter, but other players stepped up in their absence and Valley took a 23-20 lead into halftime.
A 19-point outburst in the third quarter for Coginchaug helped the Blue Devils take a 39-36 lead into the final period. With Valley trailing 46-40 and just over three minutes remaining, Daniels and Finnerty took over and Valley surged to a 49-48 lead with less than two minutes to play. Coginchaug added a free throw and the game was knotted at 49-all. Neither side could find the basket for a while, but Valley had the ball with 16 seconds remaining. Looking to hold for the last shot of the game, the Warriors committed a costly turnover that gave Coginchaug back the ball and the Warriors were called for a foul with 4.4 seconds remaining. Coginchaug went to the line, made one of two free throws, and Valley was unable to get a shot off before the final buzzer sounded.
“I felt so badly for the girls as they had really given their all in this game. The Valley Regional girls’ basketball team has qualified for postseason play just once in the past 16 years. To come so close, but lose it at the end was heartbreaking and a few of the girls just dropped to the floor at the final buzzer,” said Coach Geoff Konstan. “It was a pretty quiet bus ride home back to Valley.”
Thompson led the Warriors with 12 points, while Daniels and Finnerty added 11 each.
Next on Feb. 19, Valley traveled to East Granby and won the non-conference matchup 37-35.
“Knowing our goal of qualifying for postseason play was over after the loss to Coginchaug, the girls were still determined to end the season on a winning note,” Coach Konstan said. “Additionally, the team won four games two years ago and six games last year. A win over East Granby would give us seven wins for the season and continuing to show improvement was another season-long goal. We ended up getting the win, but it was perhaps the most-difficult one of the seven we got all season. It was [East Granby’s] Senior Night and their top three players are seniors. They were extremely motivated to finish their careers with a win and their coach told me after the game that their team definitely played the best they had all season.”
Freshman Finnerty was unable to play due to a sore back and her absence was felt right away as Valley struggled to run its offense smoothly. Sophomore Thompson took control by scoring all nine of Valley’s first quarter points. The Warriors took a 9-8 lead into the second quarter, but foul trouble to junior captains Daniels and Libby Spitzschuh meant they had to spend much of the period on the bench. Valley struggled without its missing players and East Granby took a 19-18 lead at the half. Things went from bad to worse for Valley in the third quarter as sophomore forward Paige Atkinson, who had been playing her best basketball of the season and had been moved to the starting lineup, was knocked out of the game during a collision with an East Granby player while diving for a loose ball. Then Spitzschuh picked up her fifth foul and was done for the day. Daniels, who scored all eight of her points in the second half, helped the Warriors keep the game close until she also fouled out in the fourth. The Warriors somehow clung to a 37-35 lead when sophomore Heidi Clark, who played her best game of the season while filling in at the guard position, stole a pass in the final seconds to seal the victory.
Thompson led the Warriors with 15 points, while Daniels chipped in with eight.
“The game wasn’t pretty, but the girls overcame every kind of adversity to end the season on a high note,” Coach Konstan said. “We knew this was going to be a tough season as we’re a young team and the girls had to adjust to a new coach and learn all new plays. Finishing 7-13, while disappointing to get so close to making the tournaments, was a good season, in my opinion. We bring nearly everyone back next year [only losing our one senior Sam Torrenti] and I expect that we’re going to be much improved over this season.”
Boys’ Basketball
The Valley boys’ hoops squad had a chance to secure a spot in the Class M State Tournament by gaining its eighth win of the season last week, but the Warriors were unable to get it as they lot to Coginchaug 43-36. Valley is now 7-12 on the season.
The game took place at Valley and Warriors started fast to take a 13-7 first quarter lead. However, when the teams switched baskets for the second period, Coginchaug reversed the score by winning the quarter 13-7 to send the game into the break tied at 20.
In the second half, the teams battled back and forth with Coginchaug (12-6) winning the third by two points, 9-7, to hold a slim 29-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. Coginchaug then limited the Warriors to just nine points in the fourth came away with the victory behind 15 points from Cam Powers. Nash Eppard led the Warriors with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Jordan Moran chipped in 10 points.
Wrestling
Austin Guasp and Ben Falivene represented Valley Regional at the Class S State Championship last week. After a first round bye in the 195-pound weight class, Guasp, a senior, lost in the second round to No. 8 seed Xavier Torres-Viera of Windham in the first period and then lost to Nathaniel Rivera of Rocky Hill in the third period.
Falivene, a freshman, who was seeded 16th in the 220-pound weight class, defeated Tyler Kreh of Northwestern by pin at 3:47 in the second period. Next, he faced No. 1 seed and eventual champion Seiji Arzuaga of Windham and lost by pinfall in the first period. Falivene also faced No. 9 seed Dominic Peterson of Stafford in the consolation round and lost in the second period.