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03/04/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team squared off against Cromwell in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinals and lost by the final score of 66-53 on Feb. 27. The 6th-seeded Warriors moved to 14-8 on the season with the defeat, while No. 2 seed Cromwell went on to lose to East Hampton in the Shoreline championship game. Valley is competing in the Division IV State Tournament beginning this week.
In the Shoreline semis, the Warriors were neck and neck with the Panthers throughout the entire first half, which ended in a 28-28 tie. However, in the third quarter, Cromwell pulled away by outscoring the Warriors 18-6 in the frame.
Valley Head Coach Kevin Woods thought that his team played with the right kind of effort, although the Panthers were able to force the Warriors into making some mistakes, and then turned them into baskets on the other end of the floor.
“We played a tough first half, but we got down a couple of baskets, and we were playing from behind in the third quarter. Give [Cromwell] credit...They had a good game-plan,” said Coach Woods. “I was proud of the effort from our guys and thought it would lead to a better result.”
Mitch Holdmeyer led the Warriors in scoring with 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five blocks versus Cromwell, while Ben Weinstein had eight points, 10 boards, an assist, and a steal. Colin Sparaco scored 12 points; Ernest Jean-Pierre had six points, an assist, and a steal; and Zach Stevens contributed three assists for Valley.
Valley is playing in the Division IV State Tournament that began on March 6 (after press time), when the 13th-seeded Warriors hosted No. 20 seed Windham (10-10) in the first round. If the Warriors win, they will play at No. 4 seed Goodwin Tech (17-3) in the second round on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. The quarterfinals are on Monday, March 12; the semis take place on Wednesday, March 14; and the championship game is at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on either Saturday, March 17 or Sunday, March 18.
Coach Woods believes the Warriors will be prepared for whatever team comes their way in states. He’s made it a point to scout as many potential opponents as possible heading into the tournament.
“We’re not going to be surprised, because I’ve seen every team,” he said. “We’re going to be prepared...There are some pretty talented teams out there, but I think we can do well. It’s all about matchups.”
Girls’ Basketball
The Warriors’ girls’ basketball squad saw its season came to an end last week, when they took a 42-14 loss at top-seeded Northwestern in the first round of Class M State Tournament on Feb. 26. With the defeat, Valley finished the season with an overall record of 9-14. The No. 32 seed Warriors had played their way into the first round after defeating No. 33 Haddam-Killingworth 48-37 in the qualifying round just two days prior.
Against Northwestern, Valley junior Alexis Finnerty had to leave the game with an injury at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter. Head Coach Geoff Konstan knew that it would be difficult for the Warriors to defeat Northwestern without Finnerty, and they struggled from the floor throughout the game, hitting just six field goals despite getting some good looks.
“We had plenty of open looks, and we weren’t taking difficult shots,” Konstan said. “We had layups and open looks from three, and we ran our plays. They worked in that they got us open shots, but we didn’t make them.”
With his third season as Valley Regional’s head coach in the books, Coach Konstan is hoping that the Warriors use what they learned from competing in the playoffs this year to their benefit next winter.
“I think the disappointment of this loss will help the players come back more determined next season,” said Konstan. “There isn’t a doubt in my mind that this squad will use the way this season ended as motivation next year.”