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04/12/2019 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional boys’ basketball team put together a spectacular 2018-’19 season that included semifinal appearances in both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Division V State Tournament. The Warriors were a force in the Shoreline Conference and posed problems for opponents with their strong offense and staunch defense. Valley’s efforts led to an overall record of 18-7 on the campaign.
Head Coach Kevin Woods is proud of the Warriors for fighting tooth-and-nail to get deep into the postseason. Woods’s teams have seen tremendous success throughout the past decade and typically give the eventual champion a run for its money in the state tourney.
“Eight out of the last 10 years, the championship has either been won by us or had to go through us. That’s pretty amazing. We won two of them and, the six other years, whoever beat us in the semis or the finals won the championship. I’m incredibly proud of that stat,” Woods said. “For this team, I think it’s incredibly special what these guys were able to do, being so young. We were that close to Mohegan, but it’s still a great year, and it’s amazing what these guys achieved.”
The Warriors made it all the way to the state semifinals, where they lost to top seed and eventual champion Innovation by a 42-38 margin. Prior to that, Valley battled its way to a 55-49 victory versus Kaynor Tech in a second-round matchup and then rallied for a 58-56 win against Nonnewaug in the quarterfinals.
During the regular season, the Warriors’ signature win was a nail-biting 49-48 victory against Rockville that came down to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from senior captain Kevin Fasulo. Coach Woods saw Fasulo make one big shot after another while leading the Warriors to success this year. As a result, Fasulo earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention, the Warrior Award, and was named Valley’s co-Most Valuable Player. He also received the New Haven Tap-Off Club All-Area Scholar Athlete Award.
“The Warrior Award is the top award in the program. To me, it’s beyond the MVP. It’s who would you put on the front of your poster,” Coach Woods said. “Kevin is the perfect student-athlete. He’s an incredible personality in the community. It’s beyond just basketball, but it includes basketball, too.”
Another major contributor for Valley was junior Cade Ensinger, who made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team and shared the Warriors’ MVP Award with Fasulo. Ensinger averaged 10.5 points with 4.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 4.6 steals per game this season, although Coach Woods said that his impact goes way beyond stat sheet.
“Cade impacts the game so many ways. We know how valuable he is, but the rest of the league and the state don’t know that yet,” said Woods. “He’s incredibly special. He only cares about winning.”
The Warriors also received excellent play from Gavin Grabowski, a junior who averaged 15.5 points per game this season. Grabowski garnered All-State honors, earned All-Shoreline Conference Second Team recognition, and won Valley’s Most Improved Award in tandem with junior Dylan Sparaco. Coach Woods said that both athletes have grown by leaps and bounds.
“A lot of guys improved between last season and this season. Gavin was a JV player last year, and then he was a top-scorer and All-State player this year. That’s incredible,” said Woods. “Dylan was a JV guy and got a letter at the end of the year because of his hard work. He was impactful. He was huge in that game against Rockville. He’s not involved in the team like that at the start of the year.”
Making a difference on defense for the Warriors was junior Brian Rankin, who received the team’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. Rankin’s primary assignment was making life difficult for the opposition on the defensive end of the court.
“Every game he played in, he was a monster,” Woods said. “He shut down the best players on the other team. He our key piece when it comes to defense.”
Senior Jason Montecalvo was presented with Valley’s Coaches’ Award this season. Coach Woods respected the way that Montecalvo went about his day-to-day business with the team.
“He won the Coach’s Award because, in a different season, he’s probably a starter. He played on a talented team, and I don’t think he would have traded that for anything,” said Woods. “He was a big part in our [42-41] win against Coginchaug. He hit some big shots, and we won that game by a point. He’s a great kid who works incredibly hard. He was a workhorse all season. He had goals, and he had a vision. He never quit on it.”
Sophomore Keenan Pindar earned the team’s Sten Spinella Warrior Award. Coach Woods saw Pindar give a lot to his squad this winter and felt he deserved that recognition.
“It’s a combo of what he brings to the program when nobody’s looking,” said Woods. “Sten was on our 2013 team. He was second or third off the bench, but he could have been a starter on another team. Just like Sten, Keenan made everyone else better behind the scenes.”
Looking ahead to next season, Coach Woods feels confident that Valley Regional can have another quality campaign with so many key contributors returning. However, Woods also knows that Valley won’t be sneaking up on anyone, because its opponents will know what’s in store when they take the court against the Warriors.
“Next year, we’re not going to surprise anybody,” Woods said. “I think these guys’ goals next year are nothing short of winning the Shoreline and state championships, no matter what division we play. We’re not a team that just wants to win. They want to show they are the best.”
• The Valley Regional boys’ basketball squad’s varsity roster included senior captain Kevin Fasulo; senior Jason Montecalvo; juniors JT Dickson, Cade Ensinger, Gavin Grabowski, Jake Grow, Drew Kelly, Macklin Miezejeski, Brian Rankin, Ryan Shasha, Chris Sparaco, Dylan Sparaco, and John Tibbets; and sophomores Cameron Ruel, Marcus Santamaria, and Keenan Pindar.
• Head Coach Kevin Woods’s coaching staff included assistant coaches Anthony Pagano, Brad Pitman, and Lou Rolon, along with JV coach Scott Harger and freshman coach Bobby Sanchez.
• In the regular season, the Warriors earned two victories over Morgan (57-51 and 43-41), Coginchaug (53-38 and 42-41), North Branford (91-64 and 77-42), and Haddam-Killingworth (54-31 and 75-45) to go with one win apiece versus Old Saybrook (54-41), East Hampton (51-41), Windham (62-56), Hale-Ray (46-33), Portland (72-53), Westbrook (51-23), and Rockville (49-48).
• Valley also took two defeats versus Cromwell (70-56 and 42-36), along with losses against Old Lyme (59-50), Old Saybrook (88-79), and Amistad (69-50) during the regular season.
In the Shoreline Conference Tournament, No. 3 seed Valley Regional notched a 47-25 win over No. 6 seed East Hampton in the quarterfinals and then took a 66-47 defeat against No. 2 seed Old Lyme in the semis.
• In the Division V State Tournament, the 5th-seeded Warriors earned a first-round bye, before defeating 12th-seeded Kaynor Tech by a 55-49 score in the second round. Valley then defeated No. 4 seed Nonnewaug (58-56) in the quarterfinals, after which the Warriors took a loss against top-seeded Innovation (42-38) in the semis.