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01/12/2019 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional girls’ basketball squad is trying to get the necessary wins to qualify for postseason play as it enters the latter half of its campaign. The Warriors recently went through a rough patch that included a loss versus Cromwell, but then bounced back by picking up a much-needed victory over Haddam-Killingworth. The split of last week’s slate moved Valley’s record to 4-6 at the midway point of the regular season.
On Jan. 8, Valley hosted Cromwell and took a 52-31 defeat against a formidable Shoreline Conference foe. It was a tough matchup for the Warriors, who were missing three of their four senior captains, including top scorer Lexie Finnerty. With a squad that has no juniors, Head Coach Geoff Konstan decided to use a starting lineup that featured all sophomores.
Cromwell got out to an early lead by outscoring the Warriors 11-6 in the first quarter. The Panthers extended their advantage by winning the second quarter 18-8 and led the rest of the way en route to the 21-point win.
Sophomore Alena Crosby scored 10 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists for Valley Regional. Fellow sophomore Addy Marchese provided nine points, five boards, six assists, and two steals. Heather Jones was the lone senior captain who played for the Warriors in the game.
Even though the Panthers won the game handily, Coach Konstan was impressed with how his underclass athletes responded while squaring off against one of the top teams in the conference.
“I have four seniors, and three of them had to miss the game. So, I decided that we would look to the future. I was as proud of my team that night as I was after any win,” Konstan said. “Cromwell never took off the press, even in the final minutes of the game. The girls showed incredible poise, and Addy Marchese had one of the best games she could have had. She did really well against Cromwell’s defenders.”
Three days later, the Valley hit the road to play Haddam-Killingworth and picked up a 54-34 victory in another Shoreline Conference matchup. Valley jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, outscoring H-K by a 24-8 margin. The Warriors added on to their advantage by winning the second quarter 10-7 to bring a 32-15 command into halftime. The Cougars trimmed the lead after outscoring Valley 14-8 during the third quarter, but Valley quelled any thoughts of an improbable comeback by winning the final frame 14-5 to walk off the court with the 20-point win.
After missing a week due to injury, Finnerty came back with a big performance that saw her score 27 points against the Cougars. The senior captain was unstoppable in the first quarter as she drained three 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the frame. Crosby scored a career-high 16 points, while Marchese put up seven points in the victory.
Coach Konstan said the game came down to an outstanding first-quarter effort from his squad. H-K as unable to recover from the Warriors’ offensive onslaught that saw Finnerty take control of the contest.
“The first quarter was the best quarter of the season. Everything that we’ve been working towards worked. With most of the team healthy, we played like the team we are for the first time in a while,” Konstan said. “Lexie had a great night in her first game back. She scored 27 points against H-K with 18 in the first half. She couldn’t miss, whether it was 3-pointers or getting to the basket.”
With Finnerty back in action, and other players like Crosby, Marchese, senior captain Annie Cooper elevating their games around her, Konstan believes the Warriors can make a charge toward the playoffs with the wind at their back.
“I feel that we’ve really hit our stride. Addy was tremendous at point and played within herself. Also, Annie had a great game off the bench, altering shots and passing well. Alena has been our second-leading scorer all season. With Addy at the point and Lexie and Alena pouring it on, I’m really excited,” Konstan said. “We need to get to eight wins, and we’re halfway at the midpoint of the season. We had our toughest games at the beginning of the season. I feel we can win any of our games coming up as long as we play well.”
From the Sidelines
The Valley Regional girls' basketball team's varsity roster features senior captains Annie Cooper, Lexie Finnerty, Heather Jones, and Sadie Konstan; sophomores Reagan Brennaman, Elizabeth Cap, Alena Crosby, Hanah Jenkins, Addi Marchese, and Olivia Porcaro; and freshmen Ava Cunningham, Elizabeth Klomp, Salmi Miller, Madison Sheehan, Hannah Tejedor, and Campbell Toth.
Head Coach Geoff Konstan is in the midst of his fourth season at the helm of the Warriors. Konstan's coaching staff includes JV Head Coach Lauren Budney and assistant coach Allyson Pitney.
Thus far this season, the Warriors have earned victories over Amistad (60-35), Old Lyme (42-34), Hale-Ray (38-8), and Haddam-Killingworth (54-34). Valley has also taken defeats against Coginchaug (52-49), Morgan (55-39), East Windsor (38-29), East Hampton (38-25), North Branford (48-36), and Cromwell (52-31).
For the rest of the year, the Warriors have home games versus Portland, Old Saybrook, Haddam-Killingworth, Coginchaug, and Morgan on their schedule. Valley also has road games against, Westbrook, Old Saybrook, North Branford, Cromwell, and Somers.