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12/31/2014 11:00 PMOn the heels of his team winning a state title two years ago and reaching the Class S final last winter, Coach Kevin Woods and Valley boys’ basketball are once again setting their sights on some big-time prizes for 2015. But of course, you can’t just fast forward to mid-March and so the Warriors first have to focus on getting their bearings while refining their game throughout the regular season in order to ensure premium performances once the postseason arrives. So far, Woods is pleased with how the campaign is unfolding as his squad owns a record of 4-2 and won its most recent game against Bulkeley by the score of 60-46.
“We’re not afraid to talk about where we ultimately want to end up. We talked early about what we want out of this season and what our ultimate goals are and winning the state championship and Shoreline championship are two of them,” said Coach Woods, whose team lost to Cromwell in the Shoreline semis and then to Sacred Heart in the state final for a 21-7 mark last season. “There are a whole bunch of goals we put together at the beginning of the year. From that point on, it’s just about winning the day and winning every day. That is a goal. You can only worry about what you can do today and, tomorrow, you don’t know what that brings. We really take it day by day and not just games, but practices, too.”
Woods added that prior to the season he had told a friend that his team would be in good shape if they could get out to a 4-2 start and that’s exactly where Valley stood following the Bulkeley contest—a Dec. 30 matinee that took place on the Warriors’ home floor. Bulkeley (2-2) held a 17-9 lead after the first quarter before Valley outscored the Bulldogs 16-9 in the second to draw to within 26-25 at halftime. The second half was all Warriors, who capitalized on their size advantage to score 15 in the third to Bulkeley’s eight for a 40-34 lead, after which Valley ran away with the double-digit win following a 20-12 advantage in the fourth.
“I’m not sure what clicked in after that first quarter, but we played really well on defense, which is what it came down to. We want that to be a staple throughout the year and have our kids buy into our defensive concept. You may not have your best stuff offensively every night, but you can play great defense every night,” said Woods, who’s in his sixth season as hoops head coach and recently helped Valley football win a state crown as its offensive coordinator. “Bulkeley is an out-of-conference team with very good speed at the guard position and so we had to make adjustments because we don’t typically see that amount of speed, but we actually ran our offense well.”
5-foot-11 point guard David Bradbury led the offensive effort by scoring 19 points and fellow senior captain Chris Jean-Pierre—a 6-foot shooting guard who started on the state championship team two years ago and recently quarterbacked the football squad to its perfect season—put together a great all-around game by scoring 13 to go with 13 boards, five assists, four steals, and two blocks. Woods complimented the duo for how they played in beating the Bulldogs, along with the leadership they’ve displayed through the early portion of the season.
“David’s energy was huge for us. We depend on him for his energy and leadership and he turned it up against Bukeley with a season-high for points. He hit some really big baskets and we kind of leaned on that a bit in the first half. Chris Jean-Pierre has been a beast. He’s getting his basketball legs back and has been tremendous on the boards. He’s had double-doubles in three games and been close in two others so he’s getting back into the flow of things,” said Woods. “As captains, they’ve done a great job. Last year, we had unbelievable senior leadership in Peter Barry and Jake Luster, who led the way with how leadership should look. It’s tough without those guys and it’s a learning process for David and Chris, but that Bulkeley game is a good indicator that they will be great captains for us this season. We know we have the talent. If we get the leadership, we’ll be in great shape.”
Also aiding the effort versus Bulkeley were 6-foot-4 junior forward Nash Eppard with 12 points and eight rebounds, as well as senior center Hunter Linfesty (6-4), senior power forward Brennan Joy (6-5), senior guard Evan Smith (6-0), and first-year senior forward Justin Cheverier (5-11),
“Nash is a talented player and the best big man in the league, even though he doesn’t have much experience. His offensive game is pretty legit,” said Woods, who’s assisted by JV coach Anthony Pagano, freshman coach Scott Harger, plus Brad Pitman. “Hunter played well inside and is finishing better than last year. Brennan has been our most consistent player so far who’s hit some threes and rebounds well. Evan Smith played well and came in with some energy when we switched our lineup early because of the matchups. And Justin came off the bench, battled on the boards, and scored a big basket.”
Prior to the Bulkeley showdown, Valley played in the Shoreline Conference/Eastern Connecticut Conference Challenge in Waterford and defeated conference foe Old Saybrook 67-46 in the semis on Dec. 26 before taking a 55-50 defeat versus ECC opponent Fitch in the final the next night.
Against Old Saybrook, Jean-Pierre had 19 points, Eppard scored 16, and Bradbury totaled 12. Jean-Pierre added eight boards, seven assists, and two steals; Eppard grabbed six rebounds, Bradbury handed out five assists, and Smith and Linfesty each had a pair of steals for Valley, which led 16-9 after one and 35-19 at halftime in the blowout. Valley is 3-1 thus far in Shoreline games.
Facing Fitch, the Warriors were down three and had possession with 20 seconds left, but missed the subsequent shot and came away with the defeat. Jean-Pierre had 17 points with 13 rebounds and Bradbury added 14 points.
“Old Saybrook is a big rival who came in fired up and we played really well. It was a good start to the tournament and I was proud of the kids,” Woods said. “In fairness to Fitch, we are the better team that did not win that day. We did not play well. We missed 17 lay-ups and you won’t win many of those.”
Prior to the tournament, Valley won at home against Hale-Ray 73-17 on Dec. 23 and dropped a 54-42 contest at Coginchaug on Dec. 20.
Against Hale-Ray, the Warriors led 15-6 after one quarter and were up 34-9 at intermission. Jean-Pierre (12) and Eppard (10) led the balanced scoring effort and Jean-Pierre additionally posted eight rebounds with three steals. Joy added two thefts and senior Phil Dee contributed five blocks.
Hale-Ray plays in the Small Division of the Shoreline Conference (as does Old Saybrook) and Valley is in the Large Division, alongside Cromwell, Morgan, Haddam-Killingworth, and North Branford, and Coginchaug. Playing on the latter squad’s home floor in Durham, the Warriors were right in the game and facing just a 37-34 deficit entering the fourth quarter, but were then outscored 17-8 in the frame and took a 12-point defeat. Jean-Pierre scored 13 and Bradbury had 10. Jean-Pierre added seven boards and two steals, Smith had five rebounds, Linfesty snagged six boards, and Bradbury added five assists for the Warriors.