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02/24/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
Last week, the Valley Regional boys’ basketball team wrapped up its regular season posting wins against Coginchaug (63-52) and Windham (76-66), after which the Warriors posted a 60-35 rout at Old Lyme 60-35 in the Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinal round on Feb. 24.
The No. 6 seed Warriors matched up with the No. 3 seed Old Lyme and defeated the Wildcats decisively by contributions across the board. The win puts Valley at 14-7 as the team prepares to head to No. 2 seed Cromwell in the semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. With a victory against the Panthers, Valley would face the winner of No. 1 seed East Hampton and No. 5 seed Old Saybrook in the Shoreline Conference final at Wilbur Cross High School on Friday, March 2.
Warriors’ Head Coach Kevin Woods was ecstatic with his team’s victory against Old Lyme in the Shoreline quarters, especially the way his entire team got involved on both sides of the ball. Woods said that Valley’s experience in high-pressure games gave them an edge against the younger Wildcats, plus the Warriors were able to impose their will physically.
“It was a coach’s dream, a full team effort. I knew coming that Old Lyme is relatively young and, ultimately, I knew our advantage was that we’ve been in big games before,” said Woods. “We’re also stronger physically. I think that was the key to the game. Our offseason weight room regimen really paid off. They have a lot of really good skill players, and they’ll be a really tough team in the future.”
Valley stifled the Wildcats by only allowing 10 points in the entire first half, and the Warriors cruised to victory after that. Valley spread the scoring around with four players reaching double digits in points. The Warriors’ presence in the paint was huge as All-Shoreline Conference First Team recipient Mitch Holdmeyer scored 12 points to go with 14 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Ben Weinstein, an All-Shoreline Honorable Mention, put in 12 points and notched 13 boards with three assists.
“Our bigs really dictated the game. They really stepped up. We shut down the opponent’s bigs,” Woods said. “Mitch Holdmeyer was outstanding and so was Weinstein. He goes under the radar. I wish I could have a Ben Weinstein on every team I coach. It’s amazing what he brings with his intangibles.”
Other notable performances came from Colin Sparaco, who scored 13 points, as well as Ernest Jean-Pierre with 11 points, and Cade Ensinger with seven points. Zach Stevens supplied three assists in the victory
Earlier in the week, the Warriors hosted Coginchaug on Feb. 18 and defeated the Blue Devils 63-52. Valley jumped out to 21-8 lead in the first quarter, and Coginchaug was never able to get back in the game. Jean-Pierre led the team in scoring with 17 points to go along with two assists and two steals. Holdmeyer had 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Weinstein scored 13 with 13 boards. Adrian Sperzel scored eight points, led the team with five assists, and also added two steals.
The next day, Valley had another home game against Windham and won 76-66. The Warriors were up by one with an 18-17 lead after the first quarter, and then putpaced the Whippets dramatically in the second to take a 38-22 lead into the half. Windham narrowed the deficit to just five points at the end of the third, but the Warriors sealed the deal with a 23-21 fourth-quarter edge to earn the 10-point victory.
Wrestling
Junior Ben Falivene represented Valley Regional at the State Open Wrestling Championship at the Floyd Little Athletic Center on Feb. 23. Falivene went 1-2 in the 220-pound weight class and earned four points for the Warriors on the day. Falivene had qualified for the Open by finishing sixth in his division at the Class S state meet the week prior.
In the round-of-32, Falivene faced Michael Guzman of Bristol Central, who finished third in the Class L. Falivene went down 3-1 early, but he caught Guzman in a headlock, and won the match by pin at 2:36 of the second period.
In the next round, Falivene took on Matthew Oliwa from Derby, who had earned second place in the Class S Tournament. After a scoreless first period, Falivene was pinned by Oliwa at 2:35 of the second, and thus went to the consolation bracket.
In the consolation round-of-16, Falivene faced off against Derrick Pommilis, who had tken sixth place in Class L for Notre Dame-West Haven. Falivene’s season came to an end when he lost a 1-0 decision to Pommilis.