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12/27/2018 11:00 PMSenior captain Lexie Finnerty scored 31 points to lead the Valley Regional girls’ basketball team to a 42-34 road victory against Old Lyme on Dec. 21. Later in the week, Valley took a 38-29 defeat at East Windsor to move to 2-3 on the season.
In addition to her prolific point total, Finnerty also had seven rebounds to go with five assists and two steals when the Warriors upended Old Lyme. Valley Regional was bolstered by an outstanding defensive effort in victory, particularly from Annie Cooper. The senior captain proved a formidable presence in the paint by grabbing eight rebounds to complement her two steals and a pair of assists.
Head Coach Geoff Konstan was pleased to see his team pick up its first win in Shoreline Conference action this season. After Valley recently defeated Amistad, Coach Konstan felt that Old Lyme would provide a great test for the Warriors to see where they stand in the early goings of the campaign. Konstan saw his squad continue to grow more comfortable with the new motion offense, leading to a host of wide-open looks for Finnerty. With an efficient offense and a relentless defense, Valley Regional found its recipe for success.
“Everyone is willing to do their part. Lexie had the hot hand, and none of the kids care about their stats. I thought it was a complete team performance, because the kids made the extra pass that helped her to get open,” Konstan said. “Getting our first conference win is huge. This showed where we are as a team. I thought it was a very important game for us. As proud as I am of the how the girls performed on offense, it was probably the team defense that I would say kept Old Lyme from getting get back into it.”
Valley’s defense limited the Wildcats’ offense to single digits in three of the four quarters. The Warriors held a 10-8 edge following the first frame and were up 20-14 heading into halftime. Valley increased its lead to 31-23 entering the fourth quarter on its way to the eight-point win.
Then on Dec. 27, Valley traveled to East Windsor to face the Panthers and dropped a 38-29 decision in a non-conference contest. Finnerty turned in another great game by scoring 20 points to go with 12 rebounds and three steals for the Warriors.
Valley and East Windsor were locked in a 7-7 tie after the first quarter. The Warriors continued clamping down on defense in the second quarter to bring a 18-11 advantage into halftime. However, the Panthers outscored Valley 10-5 in the third quarter and then won the fourth quarter by an 18-6 differential to come away with the win.