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01/06/2019 11:00 PMLast year, the Valley Regional boys’ basketball team won 16 games while advancing to the semifinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the quarterfinals of the Division IV State Tournament. This season, the Warriors are looking to get back to both of those tourneys and go even deeper. Valley is off to a great start with a record of 6-1 after claiming victory in all three of its games last week. Head Coach Kevin Woods’s squad earned wins versus Windham, Hale-Ray, and North Branford during the recent stretch.
On Dec. 29, Valley traveled to Willimantic to take on Windham and rallied for a 62-56 victory over the Whippets. Valley enjoyed double-digit scoring efforts from three players on the night. Junior Cade Ensinger scored 19 points, fellow junior Gavin Grabowski had 15 points, and senior captain Kevin Fasulo also scored 15 for the Warriors. Ensinger also had two rebounds, five assists, and six steals, while Fasulo provided five boards, two assists, six steals, and one block. Junior Chris Sparaco scored nine points to go with seven rebounds and two assists in the win. Fellow junior Ryan Sasha added four points and five boards.
Coach Woods felt that his club put in a good effort, although Valley still trailed Windham as late as the fourth quarter. It wasn’t Warriors’ most complete performance, but Woods was pleased to see them turn it up at the right time to come away with the win.
“I don’t think we played our best game, but we scrapped and we fought. We showed our ability to fight through adversity,” Woods said. “There’s no quit in our guys. We were down by four in the fourth quarter, but our pressure got to them. Within a span of 30 seconds, we had a 7-0 run that was the turning point of the game.”
On Jan. 2, Valley hosted Hale-Ray and prevailed 46-33 in a game where neither team was able to put the ball in the basket consistently. The Warriors started strong by taking a 15-3 lead in the in the first quarter, but Hale-Ray outscored Valley 17-8 during the second quarter to trim the deficit to 23-20 at halftime. The Warriors won the third (12-9) and fourth (11-4) quarters to emerge with the 13-point victory.
Sparaco posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Valley. Ensinger provided 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and six steals. Fasulo had six points, five boards, two assists, and three steals. Junior Drew Kelly gave Valley lift off the bench by scoring six points to go with four rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
Coach Woods couldn’t recall a game in which the Warriors had a more difficult time on offense, yet they still pulled out the win. Woods said that Valley’s excellent defensive effort helped his team emerge victorious.
“We had a tough game offensively. So many good, open looks didn’t fall for us. We didn’t have many bad shots, but we didn’t put the ball in the basket,” said Woods. “Still, we had a double-digit win, because our defense was so good. For a young team to win on such an off night, I think that’s really impressive. It’s the commitment on the defensive end. We have a special thing going right now.”
Two days later, Valley scored a blowout 91-64 win against North Branford on the road. The Warriors’ offensive struggles from the Hale-Ray game were long gone as they stormed out to a 27-8 advantage in the first quarter. Valley increased its lead to 51-29 at halftime and then put away the game by outscoring North Branford 28-10 in the third.
Grabowski had a big night by scoring 25 points, while Sparaco recorded another double-double on 18 points and 10 boards to go with two assists, three steals, and one blocks. Ensinger contributed 14 points, three boards, three assists, and two steals for Valley Regional. Fasulo handed out seven assists to complement his four points, four rebounds, and four steals.
Coach Woods thought this win provided a huge boost of confidence for the Warriors’ offense. With such big lead, Woods was able to get several bench players some additional varsity minutes on the court—something that could prove beneficial later in the season.
“We went up 16-0 in the first few minutes, and they had to use some timeouts. We played really good defense. We were able to rest some of our starters, and that’s good, because we have a tough stretch coming up,” Woods said. “I told every one of these guys that if they are on the varsity bench, they aren’t there just to be there. They earned it and will get in at some point. Just because someone doesn’t have big stats doesn’t mean that they don’t play a big role. We have a solid bench, and we’re pretty deep. I’m forward to seeing how these guys can contribute the rest of the way.”