Warriors’ Boys’ Hoops Loses Season Opener; Falivene Wrestles to 2nd at Derby Invitational
Boys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team played its first game of the season on the road last week against Shoreline Conference rival East Hampton and took a 91-68 defeat on Dec. 16. East Hampton got out to a fast start by going up 22-11 in the first quarter and led the rest of the way en route to the victory.
Seniors Ernest Jean-Pierre and Ben Weinstein had strong performances for the Warriors. Jean-Pierre scored 21 points to go along with 10 boards, three assists, and a steal, while Weinstein added 12 points with 15 rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Fellow senior Mitch Holdmeyer had 16 points, eight rebounds, and an assist on the night.
Wrestling
Junior Ben Falivene got his wrestling season started by placing second in the 220-pound division at the Derby Invitational on Saturday Dec. 16. Falivene trains, travels, and competes with the Morgan wrestling team, but represents Valley Regional at the Huskies’ meets.
In his first match, Falivene got the win by pin against Reilly Hills of East Catholic in the first round. After that, he pinned Kyle Neumann of Morgan in the semifinal. In the final, Falivene lost by pin to Matt Oliwa of Derby.