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02/02/2020 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball squad played a pair of games last week and won both contests. The Warriors stretched their win streak to 10 games with the wins and improved their overall record to 11-3 on the season.
On Jan. 28, Valley headed to Westbrook to face off with the Knights and claimed a 62-48 victory in the game. Valley got out to a 19-13 lead after the first quarter and expanded that lead to 33-20 by halftime. Westbrook trimmed the gap to 10 points at 47-37 after three quarters, but the Warriors pulled away in the fourth to secure the 62-48 road win.
The Warriors had a nice spread on the offense with Cade Ensinger leading the team with 14 points to go with 11 assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Meanwhile, Chris Sparaco added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Gavin Grabowski also supplied 13 points along with five boards, five assists, and three steals. Jake Grow added 10 points and four rebounds.
On Jan. 31, Valley was on the road again and earned a 69-56 win against Morgan. The Warriors got out to a 15-12 lead in the first quarter, and the Huskies cut that lead to two points at 27-25 by halftime. Valley added to its lead with a 23-20 third quarter and a 19-11 fourth quarter to defeat Morgan 69-56.
Ensinger notched a triple double with 20 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in the win to go along with seven steals. Grabowski also tallied 20 points and also added five rebounds in the victory. Grow supplied seventeen points and two boards, while Chris Sparaco added eight points and four rebounds.
Girls’ Basketball
The Warriors played two games last week and won one of those contests. With these results, Valley’s record moved to 6-7 on the season.
On Jan. 28, the Warriors host Westbrook and took a 60-38 win over the Knights. Valley posted a 15-8 lead after the first quarter, but Westbrook nearly drew close to even by halftime with the Warriors leading 25-24. Valley pulled away in the third with a 21-8 period and the Knights were unable to close the gap en route to the 50-38 Warriors’ victory.
The next day, Valley lost a 45-41 home contest in overtime to East Windsor. The Warriors took an early 10-6 lead after the first quarter, and built on the lead in the second for a 20-14 edge at halftime. Both teams played nearly even in a 9-8 third to lead to a 28-23 score at the end of three quarters, and East Windsor came from behind to tie the game at 38-38 at the end of regulation time. In the subsequent overtime period, East Windsor outscored the Warriors 7-3 for the eventual 45-41 overtime loss.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Valley Regional (H-K/M/VR) boys’ swimming and diving team competed against three teams in a pair of road meets last week. The Cougars came away from the stretch with three victories to remain undefeated with a record of 7-0 this winter.
On Jan. 28, the Cougars earned two wins by sweeping a tri-meet at Waterford High School, earning a 111-71 victory against Waterford and a 114-24 win over St. Bernard. Junior Kyle Mazziotti took first place in the 50 freestyle with a time of 26.45 seconds and also won the 100 backstroke at 1:04.15 to help the Cougars get the sweep. Senior Eli Houlton finished first in the 100 freestyle (1:01.48) and 200 freestyle (2:11.75), while Zach Houlton earned top honors for both the 400 freestyle (4:31.27) and the 100 breaststroke (1:16.07). Freshman Jack Ferguson finished first in the 200 individual medley with a mark of 2:29.89.
The Cougars’ 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Ferguson, senior Jimmy Clemente, and Zach Houlton finished in first place at 2:00.90; and the 400 freestyle relay featuring Ferguson, Eli Houlton, Mazziotti, and Zach Houlton was first with a time of 4:03.85.
Two days later, H-K/M/VR was back on the road to face Lyman Hall-Coginchaug and prevailed by a 98-83 final at Sheehan High School. Earning first-place finishes were Ferguson in the 200 freestyle (2:00.78) and 100 breaststroke (1:07.47), Eli Houlton in the 200 individual medley (2:06.02) and 100 butterfly (59.45), Mazziotti in the 100 freestyle (52.59) and 100 backstroke (56.59), Clemente for the 50 freestyle (25.22), and Zach Houlton in the 500 freestyle (5:02.60).
The Cougars’ 200 medley relay of Mazziotti, Zach Houlton, Clemente, and Eli Houlton finished first (1:47); the 200 freestyle relay featuring Ferguson, sophomore Colby Kish, junior Egan Rothrock, and Clemente took first place (1:41.19); and the 400 freestyle relay of Eli Houlton, Mazziotti, Ferguson, and Zach Houlton also came in first place (3:37.45).
Girls’ Ice Hockey
The Hand-Coginchaug-Valley Regional-Old Lyme (H-C-VR-OL) girls’ ice hockey squad split a pair of games in recent action. The Tigers now have a record of 4-9 on the campaign.
On Jan. 27, the Tigers took a 6-5 overtime loss to Trumbull-St. Joseph in a non-conference game at the Sports Center of Connecticut.
Two days later, H-C-VR-OL claimed a 3-1 home victory against Masuk-Barlow-Newtown-Lauralton Hall-Shelton at Northford Ice Pavilion in an SCC contest. The Tigers improved to 2-4 in the SCC with the win.