Even though it held a small roster of 10 individuals this winter and was appearing in its first state championship game of the 21st century against a league rival that had only dropped one contest all season, the Valley Regional girls’ basketball team–much like it has all season–showed no intimidation or trepidation in emerging as a well-respected runner-up.

The Warriors were the No. 3 seed in the Class M State Tournament and earned three victories over Haddam-Killingworth, Granby, and Cromwell to send the team to the program’s first state final since Valley Regional’s last title in 1999.

There, under the bright lights of Mohegan Sun Arena on March 18, the Warriors vied for the top spot with fellow Shoreline Conference school and top-seeded East Hampton. Despite a heroic and hard-fought effort by Valley against the Shoreline Conference-champion Bellringers, the Warriors came up just short in a tight 31-29 defeat.

Valley, who finished its season an impressive 21-5 overall, overcame an early six-point deficit to East Hampton (finishing 26-1) in the first quarter and battled back to lead by one with just under three and a half minutes to go before the Bellringers tabbed five of the game’s final seven points to clinch the crown.

“I am so proud of the girls and how hard they fought,” said Head Coach Jaimie Bickelhaupt. “It was their first time playing at a venue like Mohegan, and it affected us early with nerves. Both teams played tremendous defense, but we just couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively. We got some chances to climb back and get in a position to win. Defensively, we executed our game plan almost to a ‘T’. We had some lapses in defensive rotations on their top girls, but I am so proud of their heart, effort, and intensity.”

Junior Olivia Cunningham led the Warriors offensively with 10 points, while senior Abby Bradbury added eight. Siblings in sophomore Regan (six points and 4-for-4 on free-throw attempts) and senior Lily (five points) Grow rounded out the output of points for Valley in what was the lowest-scoring CIAC girls’ basketball state final since 1990. Speaking of defense, Regan Grow wreaked havoc on the boards, pulling down a tremendous 13 rebounds off the glass after additionally overcoming an illness that same week.

“Regan was out of school Tuesday through Thursday that week with a fever,” said Bickelhaupt. “But she showed up on Friday to practice. She was not going to miss this game, which just shows her heart. She made huge rebounds and shots for us in the game.”

For the first quarter of the championship clash, following an early 3-1 Valley edge thanks to a three-pointer from Bradbury 89 seconds in, the Bellringers got out to an early 9-3 lead behind an 8-0 run that was stemmed by two free throws from Lily Grow with 1:36 remaining. Bradbury then added a pull-up jumper with 44 seconds to go to make it a four-point game at 11-7 as the first quarter concluded.

Bradbury knocked down another three with 5:56 before halftime to cut the Warriors’ deficit to one in the second period. Lily Grow then struck from beyond the arc with 37 ticks before intermission to keep it a single-tally tussle at the half, 16-15, in favor of East Hampton, who was held scoreless for the final two minutes and 59 seconds of the half.

In a third period where points were at a premium, Valley grabbed the first bucket of the quarter with 4:43 remaining and the lead at 17-16 with a basket by Grow and then increased its edge to 19-16 following a jump shot made by Cunningham (seven boards, two assists, two steals) five seconds later. The Bellringers then answered the call with a pair of layups to trail 21-20 as 3:19 was left on the clock. Both sides then knocked down a pair of shots at the line to move it to a 23-22 contest in Valley’s favor as the pivotal fourth and final frame commenced.

East Hampton took back the command at 25-23 with six minutes to play before calling a timeout. Out of the pause, Valley evened things up with a layup by Cunningham as 5:45 remained. Regan Grow gave Valley the lead back at 27-26 with 3:21 left on a completed two before the Bellringers answered right back to move ahead, 28-27.

East Hampton later increased its lead to three with only 1:59 to play. Regan Grow banged through another bucket to make it 30-29 with 59 seconds left following a Bellringers’ turnover. Valley then regained possession of the ball after a turnover and called a full timeout with 27 seconds of action left, though the Warriors were unable to garner that crucial go-ahead score as the Bellringers added a free throw to win the title by two, following a missed game-tying shot attempt by the Warriors as the game clock hit zero.

In the semifinal round on March 13 at Morgan, Valley avenged a Shoreline Conference Tournament semifinal loss by defeating 7th-ranked Cromwell 56-51 in the fourth meeting between the clubs this season, with the Warriors taking three of the matchups. Valley faced an early first-half offensive onslaught from the Panthers, including five shots from beyond the three-point line from senior Grace Mikan in the opening quarter, yet only trailed 28-27 at intermission.

Yet Valley turned the tide in the third quarter, as it held Cromwell to only four points in the frame while the Warriors conversely tallied 16 to lead 43-32 entering the fourth. During that period, the Panthers did claw back to only trail by three at 48-45 with just under two and a half minutes remaining in regulation, though Valley held off the late rally to complete its run to Mohegan Sun Arena and the program’s first state final berth in 24 years.

Lily Grow led the Valley offense against Cromwell with 15 points, while Bradbury poured in 14, and then Cunningham added 13.

“Our game plan was to let Grace shoot, and she had an amazing shooting night,” Bickelhaupt remarked on the Cromwell clash. “We battled offensively, but we knew tightening up on defense and rebounding would be the difference in the game. We came out in the third and did just that. The third quarter was the difference maker and, because of it, we were able to sustain their late rally.”

After receiving a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed, Valley dispatched No. 19 seed H-K, 52-37 in the second round on March 3 at home prior to downing 6th-seeded Granby by a 51-30 final in the quarterfinals on March 8.

For the regular season, Valley defeated North Branford (67-54 and 73-56), Haddam-Killingworth (57-22 and 49-43), Ledyard (65-57), Granby Memorial (42-31), Morgan (59-31 and 62-35), Coginchaug (60-35), Cromwell (49-45 and 41-35), Portland (88-24), Old Lyme (76-25), Westbrook (69-24), Hale-Ray (68-11), Fitch (68-49), and Old Saybrook (58-32). The Warriors’ lone losses came against East Hampton (74-50 and 44-39) and Northwest Catholic (45-42).

In the Shoreline Conference tournament, Valley was seeded second and routed No. 7 North Branford 83-55 in the quarterfinals prior to falling to No. 3 Cromwell in the semifinals, 40-37.

Valley’s roster this season was comprised of seniors Bradbury, Siena Schaller, Lily Grow, Elizabeth Allen; juniors of Sharmel Rivera and Cunningham; sophomores in Emma Gibson and Regan Grow; and finally freshmen Ella Smith and Ella Martinez.

Bickelhaupt, who now completed her fourth season at the helm for Valley, was assisted by newcomer Bryan Field and Amanda Baldwin, who came back for her second campaign on the bench.

Field served as the Warriors’ interim head coach while Bickelhaupt was on maternity leave from the start of the campaign in mid-December until the end of January. Yet no matter who was steering the ship, the girls took control of their destiny with their determination.

“Dating back to the end of last season when I found out I was pregnant, my first thought was about this season and the seniors and being there to help them get to the finals,” said Bickelhaupt. “I would not let their final year go to waste, and Bryan was a great addition to our staff. The girls were so resilient and persevered through everything. I just can’t put into words how proud I am of them and everything they accomplished this year.”