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02/16/2020 11:00 PMThe last time the Valley Regional boys’ basketball team lost a game, it was still 2019. The Warriors have piled up victory after victory in recent weeks and, with two more wins last week, they extended their win streak to 14-consecutive games to improve to 15-3 this winter.
Last week, Valley defeated Shoreline Conference opponents Cromwell and Coginchaug to further cement their stranglehold on second place in the conference standings. With the postseason approaching, Head Coach Kevin Woods’s squad looks primed to make some noise in the playoffs.
The Warriors featured a talented and versatile roster from their starting five down to their bench. Coach Woods said that everyone on the team has something in common: playing great defense. Woods believes that the Warriors’ success is predicated on their defensive prowess.
“The defense shows up every game,” Woods said. “If you’re a good defensive team, you can win every night. That’s why we’re where we are right now.”
That defense travels well, too, as it showed up in Valley’s 64-39 road win over Cromwell on Feb. 11. The Warriors stifled Cromwell right from the start staking a 16-6 lead in the first quarter, and then doubling up the Panthers by halftime with a 35-17 edge. Cromwell never got any closer with Valley outscoring the Panthers 29-21 in the second half. Coach Woods, knows that his team is firing on all cylinders, but he was still impressed to see a solid team dismantled by his squad.
“We played really well against Cromwell, and we were up for that whole game,” Woods said. “We won that game because defensively, we didn’t let them do anything. We really played a complete game.”
A big contributor to that win was the play of senior captain post player Chris Sparaco who tallied 17 points, nine rebounds, and two assists in the win. Woods believes that Sparaco is proving himself as a top player in the Shoreline with his recent play.
“I think what your seeing right now is Chris playing within himself. He’s always been a capable player, but he’s playing great basketball and not forcing things,” Woods said. “He’s taking opportunities when he has them and finishing on those. He gets in good position to rebound, and I think he’s the most dominant big man in the league. In terms of back-to-the-basket, you aren’t getting better than Chris Sparaco.”
Senior captain Gavin Grabowski also had a nice showing against the Panthers as he continues to lead the team in scoring along with fellow senior captain Cade Ensinger with 12.6 points per game. Against Cromwell, Grabowski had a modest 11 points, three boards, three assists, and a steal, while Ensinger supplied eight points, seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals. According to Woods, Grabowski is happy to score, but only if it helps the team win, and that’s something he has in common with Ensinger.
“Gavin’s been very unselfish this year, not that he was ever selfish. Overall, he wants to win. If that means he has to score a lot, he will, and if he has to pass the ball, he will do that,” Woods said. “Cade leads by example, and he doesn’t have to score a lot of points to be the best player on the floor. We have a lot of guys that could easily be selfish, but they’re not. These guys have one goal, and that’s to play deep into March.”
Also putting up key stats against Cromwell were senior John Tibbetts (10 rebounds, 4 points, 3 blocks) and freshman Jeremy Arnum (6 points, 7 rebounds).
Three days later, the Warriors hosted Coginchaug and scored a 60-43 home victory over the Blue Devils. Valley posted a 10-6 lead through the first quarter, then exploded on offense to complement stifling defense in the second quarter to take a 37-13 lead at halftime. Coginchaug had a big third quarter, but still trailed 51-39 after three. Valley slowed the pace in the fourth and ultimately scored a 60-43 victory.
Coach Woods thought that the Blue Devils’ offensive outburst in the third quarter was a good wake-up call for his team.
“We got a little complacent in the second half. Sometimes we get complacent against teams that we’re better than and make games more interesting than they need to be,” Woods said. “We just have to be consistent the rest of the way. We lost our focus, but it’s a good reminder that we are beatable. If we don’t do the things we’re supposed to do, then we won’t be playing in the big games.”
Senior Jake Grow had a huge night for the Warriors draining six threes in the game and scoring 18 points to lead Valley’s scoring attack. Sparaco secured a double-double with 14 points, 13 boards, two assists, and a block. Senior JT Dickson (6 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 rebound) and freshman Jeremy Arnum also had nice games.
“JT Dickson had a really big game against Coginchaug. He hit some big shots and made some big passes. He played pivotal minutes for us. We pushed the lead, and it took us in another direction,” said Woods. “Jeremy can be a power forward to a shooting guard. He’s versatile, and he plays defense. He’s been a nice piece to have, even when he doesn’t score. He affects the game in so many different areas.”
As the regular season is about to close, Coach Woods has been happy to see the way that this recent win streak has shown his team different paths to victory. He believes that will come in handy come tourney time.
“We haven’t always played fantastic basketball during this streak, but we’ve found ways to win. When things aren’t going well and you can find a way to win, that’s championship basketball,” Coach Woods said. “We can have our worst stuff and still win. That’s what championship teams do. Grit and perseverance equate larger than talent. I would take those two characteristics any day of the week over just talent.”
• The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team’s varsity roster includes senior captains Cade Ensinger, Gavin Grabowski, Chris Sparaco, and Dylan Sparaco; seniors JT Dickson, Jake Grow, Macklin Miezejieski, Brian Rankin, and John Tibbetts; juniors Marcus Santamaria and Keenan Pindar; sophomores James Marsden, Simon Partyka, and Saeger Patel; and freshman Jeremy Arnum.
• Head Coach Kevin Woods’s coaching staff includes assistant coaches Anthony Pagano, Brad Pitman, and Lou Rolon, along with JV coach Scott Harger and freshman coach and David Bradbury.
• In the final stretch of the regular season, the Warriors will play a home game against Morgan and a road game versus Amistad before competing in the Shoreline Conference and Division V State tournaments.