The last two weeks were a big ones for the Valley Regional girls’ basketball team and new coach Geoff Konstan. After the young Warriors went through some growing pains while dropping their first two contests, they notched their initial victories of the campaign by earning a 49-41 home win versus Coginchaug on Dec. 23 and then blowing out fellow Shoreline Conference foe Hale-Ray 45-23 in Deep River one week later. Konstan’s squad also took a 60-22 loss at Bacon Academy in between those two games and closed its recent stretch by beating Old Saybrook 58-43 at home on Jan. 2 for a record of 3-3.

On Dec. 23, Valley faced off with Coginchaug and started fast by jumping out to a 13-9 first quarter lead. The Warriors poured it on in the second quarter and increased their advantage to 26-13 at the half by using pressure defense to hold the Blue Devils to just four points in the quarter and create easy baskets on the offensive end. Valley brought a commanding 37-21 lead to the fourth period, although finishing games has been a problem thus far for the Warriors and they had some trouble again in this one. Coginchaug cut the score to 45-39 with a few minutes to play, but Valley hit its free throws down the stretch to secure the team’s first victory of the season, 49-41. Freshman Alexis Finnerty led the way by scoring 18 points and collecting seven rebounds, while junior co-captain Libby Spitzschuh chipped in with nine points, six steals, and three assists.

“It was great to get our first win. It was definitely a nice moment and great to see the smiles on the girls’ faces and the support we have received from everyone at the school,” said Coach Konstan. “We are still learning how to win. We had a few close ones so far, so it was good to get a real win and not a moral victory, but as a team, we need to finish games strong. The win is a great Christmas present and to see how happy the girls were was the best feeling.”

Valley traveled to Class L powerhouse Bacon Academy for a non-conference duel on Dec. 26 and lost 60-22. Finnerty and junior co-captain Francesca Daniels each had four points for the Warriors.

Then on Dec. 30, Valley returned home and defeated Hale-Ray 45-23. The Warriors had a sluggish start and missed more than 20 shots in the first half, yet still owned an 18-15 advantage at halftime. Valley began the second half with a tenacious full-court man defense, which led to the Warriors outscoring Hale Ray 15-2 in the third quarter to seize control of the game. Finnerty led all scorers with a season-high 22 points to pace the Warriors and junior Brianna O’Brien had a stellar defensive game by snagging three steals to go along with seven points and four rebounds.

“We went into the half and had a spirited conversation. The team came out with a purpose and played smothering defense as we outscored them 15-2 in the third quarter. I think we forced nine turnovers in the third period alone,” said Coach Konstan. “Our defense is starting to find itself and, when we can do that for an entire game, we will be a good team. We have a lot of great athletes and we have to use that ability to create pressure and work hard because, in most games, we are going to be the smaller team.”

Then on Jan. 2, Valley hosted Old Saybrook and won its third game of the season 58-43. Sophomore Carly Thompson returned to action for the first time since injuring her knee early in the second game of the year and led the Warriors with 20 points. Thompson shot 10-of-13 from the field and added four rebounds with three assists. Finnerty continued her hot start to her high school career by scoring 18 points to go along with six rebounds. The Warriors led 35-22 at halftime and scored the first six points of the second half to put some distance between themselves and the Rams. The Warriors have won three of their last four games and now have a record of 3-2 in the Shoreline Conference to complement their overall mark of 3-3.

From the Sidelines

The 58 points scored against Old Saybrook was the Warriors their best offensive output this season.

Sam Torrenti is Valley’s only senior on the squad this season.

Francesca Daniels and Libby Spitzschuh are junior co-captains for the Warriors.

This is Geoff Konstan’s first high school head coaching job. He was previously an assistant at John Winthrop Middle School.