The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team notched a 70-58 victory versus Holy Cross in the quarterfinals of the Class S Tournament on March 16 to advance to the semifinals. The No. 6 seed Warriors (21-5) will face the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA) at Sheehan High School in Wallingford at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18. SMSA, the No. 2 seed, is 21-1 and reached the semis by defeating No. 10 Terryville 55-41. If the Warriors win that game, they will play for the title once again at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on either Saturday, March 21 or Sunday, March 22. Valley would face the winner of top-seeded Sacred Heart and No. 4 Bloomfield.

Hosting No. 14 Holy Cross (15-10) in the quarters at Deep River, Valley trailed 14-12 after one quarter and led 29-27 at halftime before outscoring the Crusaders 22-12 in the third quarter en route to victory. Both teams scored 19 points in the fourth.

Senior captain Chris Jean-Pierre scored 21 points with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals for the Warriors. Junior Nash Eppard had 17 points and eight rebounds, senior Evan Smith scored 12, senior Hunter Linfesty put up 12 points go to with five boards and three steals, and senior captain David Bradbury scored eight with 10 assists, six rebounds, and a trio of steals.

In Valley’s prior contest against Morgan, Warriors’ point guard Bradbury demonstrated why he was named Player of the Year for the Shoreline Conference. After all, the senior captain is renowned for his hustle plays and long-range three-pointers, as well as saluting Valley hoops fans after he makes his shots. Now, Bradbury is going to be remembered by those fans for one of the biggest shots of his career—a two-pointer in the final seconds of the Warriors’ 56-54 victory versus Morgan in the second round of the Class S State Tournament.

With the game tied with under 40 seconds to play, Bradbury had a chance for a final shot and drove past defenders for a tough lay-up that gave his team the lead with four seconds left. Morgan’s last-gasp heave fell short at the buzzer and Bradbury’s clutch bucket had helped save the Warriors’ state title hopes as they knocked out conference foe Morgan and advanced to the quarterfinal round with a two-point win in Deep River on March 12.

Bradbury made two treys, three twos, and two free throws en route to scoring 14 points while adding three assists and two steals in the Morgan victory. After the final miss by the Huskies, he celebrated with his teammates as they avoided an upset.

“It feels great. I work hard and I don’t think I’m better than anyone else. I think there’s a lot of good players in the Shoreline and I know that when you work hard, good things come to you,” said Bradbury. “Life will always reward people if you work hard.”

Head Coach Kevin Woods did not call a timeout for the Warriors’ final possession—a tactic that worked in their favor. Valley wasn’t at all nervous at the end of the game after losing a seven-point lead and facing a potential early exit from the tournament.

“We had a big play at the end and they made things happen, too. They outplayed us at the end is what it really came down to,” said Woods, whose club had previously earned an 87-55 first round win over Wheeler and stood at 20-5 at week’s end. “To our credit, they made the big shot and we could of panicked, but we didn’t. I didn’t call timeout because we know what we’re doing. We know what we’re doing at the end of the game, don’t need to diagram it, and David made a terrific shot to win.”

Woods feels thankful to have a talented star like Bradbury to not only help his team win while facing pressure, but to also lead through his poise, hard work, and enthusiasm.

“He’s Player of the Year for a reason. He handles pressure incredibly well, brings composure to our team, leadership. He’s a floor general. He’s amazing,” Woods said. “He’s a great role model for not just our program, but I really think any program in the state that wants to show what hard work can do. He’s a self-made player and a very special guy and you don’t see a lot of these guys around the state.”

Jean-Pierre echoed Coach Woods’s sentiments regarding his fellow captain.

“He’s a crazy kid,” said Jean-Pierre. “The emotions he plays with are through the roof and I’m so glad I’m his teammate.”

Jean-Pierre stole the show late in the first half by scoring eight points in the final 1:51. None was more thrilling than his last-second steal and buzzer-beating three-pointer to extend Valley’s lead to nine at 35-26 at halftime. Jean-Pierre’s impressive 8-0 run to end the half sparked the excitement inside Valley’s home court. Jean-Pierre tallied a team-high 17 points and added six rebounds with four assists, three steals, and two blocks.

“It was crazy. It was just a tribute to my teammates that I try to get open for them [his three-pointers] and make the difficult shots. That’s what I do,” said Jean-Pierre.

The Warriors broke out to a 16-9 lead with 3:22 left in the first quarter, but were unable to stop the 22

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-seeded Huskies (12-10) from scoring as the game was tied 16-all after one.

Valley took a 24-17 edge with senior forward Phil Dee scoring a deuce early in the second and then senior forward Justin Cheverier’s lay-up with 4:44 left in the period. Valley’s offense then stalled and kept Morgan in the game with another tie at 24 apiece with 3:24 to go in the half. Senior guard Smith (14 points, 4 boards) drained one of his four threes to break the tie and help Valley finish the half on a 11-3 run with eight of those points scored by Jean-Pierre.

In the third quarter, Valley was held to 10 points and allowed Morgan to score 17 to cut the Warriors’ lead to 45-43 entering the fourth.

The Warriors stormed to a 50-43 advantage in the final frame and later led 54-47 lead following a Smith three and Jean-Pierre free throw with 4:05 remaining. Morgan hit a shot and then both teams were held scoreless until the 1:00 mark, when a Huskies’ basket-and-1, plus their tying two pulled the game to a stalemate before Bradbury’s dramatic shot sent his team to the Class S quarters and one step closer to where they ultimately want to finish their campaign.

“I’m so excited. This is our ‘Run to the Sun,’” said Jean-Pierre. “Every game, no matter what the score is, if you win, you keep advancing and that’s the beauty of it. I’m just so excited and happy for my team.”

Additionally versus Morgan, Eppard scored five points with eight rebounds, Linfesty scored two and grabbed three rebounds, and senior Alex Cassells posted three boards with two blocks.

Hosting 27

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-seeded Wheeler for a first round game earlier in the week, Valley prevailed 87-55. Jean-Pierre had a triple-double by virtue of his 16 points, 12 boards, and 10 assists to go with seven steals and a block. Eppard scored 23 points and had eight rebounds with a steal, Bradbury scored 20 with five assists and a steal, and Cheverier chipped in with 13 points for the Warriors, who led 43-35 at halftime before blowing the game open in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, when Valley outscored Wheeler (10-12) by the count of 26-9.

Additionally for Valley, Linfesty had four points with seven boards and two steals, Smith scored four points, Dee scored three, junior Jacob Meketa scored two points, junior Kelvin Peterson had a pair of steals, and Cassells notched three boards and a block.