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02/23/2020 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional girls’ basketball squad wrapped up the regular season and played in the Shoreline Conference Tournament last week. The Warriors qualified for Shorelines by virtue of making the Class M State Tournament with a 7-13 record on the regular season. Valley lost its regular season finale against Morgan, and after that faced off with Westbrook in the play-in round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament. Then, Valley lost to Cromwell in the quarterfinal round of the tourney and have an 8-14 overall record on the year.
On Feb. 17, the Warriors’ week began with a 61-36 road loss against a Morgan team that they had beaten earlier in the season. Head Coach Jaimie Toto knew that this would be a very difficult contest with a hungry Morgan squad out for vengeance after the prior result.
“We knew that Morgan believed that they shouldn’t have lost that game at the beginning of the year. We knew they would come out and play really hard against us,” Coach Toto said. “We’re struggling to be consistent in games offensively, and defensively, Morgan had good pressure on us in a press. We telegraphed a bit too much when we tried to pass out of the press.”
Valley trailed the Huskies 5-4 after the first quarter, and in the second quarter, Morgan pulled away for good by outscoring the Warriors, 27-8. The Huskies continued to grow the lead in the second half en route to the 61-36 final score.
Junior captain Addi Marchese hauled in six rebounds and had three steals, and junior captain Alena Crosby had four points and three steals. Freshman Liz Allen had a solid game scoring nine points and gathering five rebounds on the evening, while fellow Freshman Lily Grow grabbed seven boards and four points.
It was a tough loss for the Warriors, but Coach Toto thought the defeat had a motivating factor as her team headed into Shoreline tourney play. On Feb. 20, No. 7 seed Valley claimed a 57-28 home victory over No. 10 seed Westbrook in the play-in round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
“Both the girls and the coaching staff felt it coming off some tough conference losses. We were locked in. We talked about what that game meant for us,” said Coach Toto. “Our practices were the best they’ve been. The girls were hungry for that win, and they weren’t going to let anybody get in the way. That mentality transferred onto the floor.”
Valley got out to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter, and by the end of the first half, the Warriors had mounted a 39-18 lead. After the third quarter, Valley had a 45-28 advantage, and in the final frame, the Warriors held the Knights scoreless to add some emphasis to the victory.
Crosby provided 14 points, while Marchese added seven. The two captains took it upon themselves to get their squad into the right mindset before the game according to Coach Toto.
“After those two losses, Addi and Alena asked to have five minutes with the team before we started practice to set the tone. Little things like that have helped,” Toto said. “Before the Westbrook game, we had a tough shoot around. Once Westbrook showed up, Alena and Addi wanted to talk the girls in the locker room before we went in and talked to the team. Whatever they do and say to their teammates is helping them focus in. For that to come from a different place than the coaches makes a world of difference.”
Freshman Lily Grow and Reagan Brenneman added five points apiece. Allen scored another 14 points in the victory and has been a key cog for Valley late in the season according to Coach Toto.
“Liz Allen has started a good amount of games this season. She really found her rhythm against Westbrook,” Toto said. “She was taking shots when she had open looks like she should. She was a threat. She hit early and that boosted her confidence.”
The Warriors’ Shoreline tourney run came to an end when they lost a 38-24 road contest against Cromwell in the quarterfinal. Valley fell into an early hole trailing Cromwell 9-0 after the first quarter, and at halftime the Panthers had an 18-6 edge. The Warriors scored 18 ponts in the second half to close the gap some, but Cromwell ultimately took the 38-24 victory.
Valley had a tough time on the offensive end against the Panthers, but Coach Toto took solace in the fact that her team played well defensively. Coach Toto was also encouraged to see her young team get valuable postseason minutes against a tough competitor.
“We definitely executed our defensive game plan well, and that was a big point of emphasis for us. Offensively, we just couldn’t get into a rhythm at the start. It would have been a totally different game for us had we seen some shots fall early,” Toto said. “We didn’t really take care of the ball well enough on offense. The decision making wasn’t where it was supposed to be, but it was a great learning experience. The atmosphere was completely different. I think nerves got the best of us at the beginning, but I’m so excited to have this group in spots like that for a few more years.”
Up next the Warriors will play in the Class M State Tournament beginning on Monday, March 2. While Valley’s Shoreline tourney run ended prematurely, Coach Toto hopes to see some positive results at states for her squad.
“We are a talented team. We just have to clean up the little things. We’re excited for states,” said Toto. “Odds are against us, but I don’t think that means we’re counted out. I hope the girls come ready to go.”
From the Sidelines
The Valley Regional girls’ basketball team’s roster features junior captains Alena Crosby and Addi Marchese; juniors Reagan Brenneman and Libby Cap; sophomores Ava Cunningham, Kaylee Hayes, Bitzy Klomp, Salmi Miller, Madison Sheehan, Hannah Tejedor, and Campbell Toth; and freshmen Liz Allen, Lily Frese, Lily Grow, Brooke Rankin, Siena Schaller, and Sophie Scrivo.
This is Jaimie Toto’s first season as Head Coach of the Warriors. Her coaching staff includes JV Head Coach Lauren Budney and assistant coach Allyson Pitney.
Valley’s wins during the regular season came against Coginchaug (38-33), Morgan (44-32), Somers (51-26), Haddam-Killingworth (48-46), Old Saybrook (45-37), Westbrook (60-38), North Branford (47-22). The Warriors losses during the regular season were to Old Lyme (41-34), East Hampton (37-30), Amistad (51-45), North Branford (46-43), Cromwell (64-45), Portland (39-36), East Windsor (45-41, OT), Lewis Mills (41-37), Haddam-Killingworth (48-41), Stonington (60-47), Cromwell (62-41, Coginchaug (57-45), and Morgan (61-36).