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03/22/2021 12:00 AMBoys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball squad added a pair of wins as it wrapped up the regular season schedule last week. The Warriors improved their record to 8-4 on the season as they get ready to play in the Shoreline Conference Tournament this week.
On March 15, Valley headed to Durham to take on Coginchaug, and the Warriors grabbed a 57-41 road win over the Blue Devils. Valley got out to a 10-4 lead after the first quarter, and extended the advantage to 26-12 by the conclusion of the first half. Though the third quarter was more closely contested, the Warriors still outpaced the Blue Devils, 20-17 and, with a 46-29 edge heading into the final frame, Valley easily held on for the 16-point win.
Junior James Marsden led the scoring attack with 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Senior captain Marcus SantaMaria added 11 points and five rebounds, junior Simon Partyka supplied 11 points, eight boards, seven assists, and three steals. Junior Saager Patel provided nine points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Sophomore DiAngelo Jean-Pierre scored four points and dished four assists to go with two boards. Senior captain Keenan Pindar added three points, two rebounds, and a steal. Senior Kyle Montecalvo grabbed three boards, senior Cam Ruel had a rebound and an assist, and senior Tommy Burch had a rejection.
Three days later, the Warriors posted a lopsided 64-29 road win over North Branford. Valley came hot out of the blocks to take a 22-2 lead after the first quarter and held a 34-11 advantage by the end of the first half. The Warriors built on their lead and were up 50-20 after three quarters and, with a 14-9 scoring advantage in the final frame, Valley secured the 35-point victory.
Marsden notched another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with three assists and three blocks. SantaMaria added 12 points, seven rebounds, a steal, and an assist, while Patel supplied 11 points, 11 boards, and two steals. Ruel provided eight points, five rebounds, and an assist, meanwhile Jean-Pierre added six points, seven assists, five rebounds, and a steal. Sophomore Andrew Yermenson scored six points to go with six boards, two steals, and two assists. Senior Kyle Metz notched four points, three rebounds, a block, and an assist, while Pindar also tallied four points. Sophomore Sam Hutchinson grabbed three rebounds to go with an assist and a point. Burch added four boards, and Montecalvo added a rebound, an assist, and a steal.
The No. 3 seed Warriors went up against No. 6 Seed Old Lyme in the Shoreline Conference Tournament quarterfinal on March 23 (after press time). A victory in that game would secure a semifinals matchup on Thursday, March 25 against the winner between No. 2 seed Cromwell and No. 7 seed Haddam-Killingworth. The Shoreline Conference final is slated for Saturday, March 27.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The East Haven co-op boys’ ice hockey squad returned from a team quarantine to compete in the SCC-SWC Division II Tournament last week. In its first game since Feb. 27, the 11th-seeded Yellowjackets took a 4-1 loss at No. 6 seed Watertown-Pomperaug (W-P) in a first-round game on March 18. East Haven finished with an overall record of 0-5 for the season.
With the game tied 0-0 after the first period, W-P scored two goals in the second period to take a 2-0 lead into the third. East Haven cut it to 2-1 when Valley Regional junior Duncan Rider scored a goal during the final frame. However, W-P came back with more two goals and went on to get the 4-1 victory. Junior goalie Ethan Roach of East Haven made 22 saves in the loss.