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03/01/2020 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional boys’ basketball team took its first step on its postseason path last week with a victory over Haddam-Killingworth in the Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinal. The No. 2 seed Warriors topped No. 7 seed H-K in a 58-47 home contest after wrapping up the regular season with a loss against Amistad earlier in the week. Head Coach Kevin Woods’s squad had won 15-straight games prior to the loss against Amistad, and with the victory over the Cougars in the playoffs, the Warriors’ overall record moved to 17-4 on the year.
Valley is pushing to make big things happen with a deep roster chock-full of senior talent. Coach Woods knows that as great of a regular season that his team had, everything comes down to the next month in the Shoreline Conference and Division V State Tournaments.
“For us, it’s trying to figure out how to win in March,” Coach Woods said. We don’t care so much about all the wins we get in January and February. It may help with seeding, but in the end we know where we’re trying to get to.”
Valley hosted Haddam-Killingworth in the Shoreline quarterfinal and defeated the Cougars by a score of 58-47. Valley Regional got out to a 21-13 lead after the first quarter and grew that lead to 36-26 by the end of the half. The Warriors turned up the intensity in the third and extended their lead to 51-34. H-K ate into the lead a little bit with a 13-7 final frame, but it was too little too late as Valley went on to the 58-47 win.
“We played well against H-K. The final score was a little deceiving. We had a great third quarter, but we didn’t play very well in the last four minutes,” Woods said. “Overall, we played very good team defense. That was the biggest part.”
Senior captain Cade Ensinger stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals to his credit. Fellow senior captain Gavin Grabowski led the team in scoring with 15 points. Coach Woods appreciates what his two captains bring to the table every game.
“Chris and Gavin had outstanding games for us. Gavin can always put up points like that for us, but some games he can affect the game without scoring,” Woods said. “Cade’s value on the court goes way beyond just scoring. If anybody was doing a Shoreline Conference fantasy draft, he would be your first pick. What Cade brings to the team is unparalleled. He passes the ball, scores, steals, rebounds, and affects plays. That’s Cade. I’m just glad he’s on our team.”
Other players who had a big impact on the game were senior captain Chris Sparaco—notched a double-double with 12 points and 16 boards—and John Tibbetts—who added 10 points.
“John Tibbetts had a bit of a great break-out game for us. It’s been a while since he scored like this. He hit really big shots when we needed them, and he shut down one of their top scorers. Johnny had a great game,” said Woods. “Chris Sparaco’s a back to the basket guy. He’s a little old school. He showed why he is by far one of the top big men in the league. Once again, I’m just happy he’s on my team.”
Seniors Jake Grow (7) and Dylan Sparaco (6) also provided some points for the Warriors.
Earlier in the week, the Warriors lost their final contest of the regular season versus Amistad. On Feb. 25, Valley headed to New Haven to face the Wolves and dropped a 57-44 decision. Valley took a 15-9 lead in the first quarter, but the Wolves came back with a 17-9 second quarter to take a 26-21 edge into halftime. Amistad added two more to the lead after a 10-8 third quarter, and the Warriors could not catch up in the final frame as the Wolves outpaced them 21-15.
Coach Woods knew that Amistad was going to be a worthy opponent for the Warriors after they had reeled off 15 wins in a row, and he thought his team just didn’t have everything clicking that night.
“It was one of those games where we didn’t have our best stuff. We still could have won that game, but we uncharacteristically missed some of our shots, and they hit some really tough shots. That was the difference,” said Woods. “In all honesy, Amistad is a good team. I feel like we’re a better team, you can’t afford to miss layups and have sloppy turn overs.”
Ensinger led the scoring attack for Valley with 13 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Chris Sparaco provided 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jake Grow added nine points and two boards. Grabowski (4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals), John Tibbetts (6 points, 1 assist), and Macklin Miezejeski (4 rebounds, 1 points) also made their way onto the score sheet.
Coach Woods is hoping that the lost against Amistad came at just the right time, because from here on out, a loss means a playoff exit for the Warriors.
That’s why I scheduled that game at the end of the year. I knew that Amistad would be a good out-of-conference opponent, and if you’re not on top of your game, anything can happen,” said Woods. “I didn’t want to wait until the tournament to learn that lesson.”
Next, the Warriors will host No. 3 seed Morgan in the Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinal on Tuesday, March 3. A win in that contest will pit Valley against the winner of top-seeded Old Lyme versus No. 5 seed Cromwell in the final at Polson High School on Thursday, March 5. Coach Woods believes his squad is ready to take on all comers.
“We’ll have to work our way into the final. The bottom of the bracket was not easy. H-K was no pushover, and we know Morgan is tough, talented, and big,” said Coach Woods. “It’s better for us to play tougher teams, and I think that will pay dividends. Our guys have bought into being a team that’s about playing hard and doing what it takes to get wins.”
From the SidelinesThe 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.
Valley has earned wins this season versus Coginchaug (46-34 and 60-43), North Branford (61-40 and 62-31), Cromwell (55-44 and 64-39), Haddam-Killingworth (58-49 and 63-49), Morgan (69-56 and 59-34), East Hampton (57-43), Portland (51-43), Old Saybrook (82-38), Westbrook (62-48), Windham (54-34), and Hale-Ray (52-37). The Warriors losses came against Xavier (56-41), Waterford (64-53), Old Lyme (61-53), and Amistad (57-44).