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12/29/2016 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team owns a record of 1-3 on the year, having most recently competed in the Shoreline Conference/Eastern Connecticut Conference Challenge, where the Warriors beat Old Saybrook 66-59 in the semifinals before taking an 89-66 defeat against Waterford in the championship game. In the previous week’s action, Valley dropped a 62-61 home decision to Coginchaug in its season opener on Dec. 20 and then lost a 61-53 contest at home versus East Hampton the following night.
Facing Coginchaug in their first game of the season, the Warriors trailed the Blue Devils 18-13 after the first quarter. Valley outscored Coginchaug 25-21 for the middle two frames to draw within a point entering the fourth. It was anyone’s game down the stretch, but Coginchaug came away with the one-point victory.
Senior Jordan Moran started his season with authority by netting 31 points for Head Coach Kevin Woods’s squad. Moran shot 13-of-24 from the field and hit five from three-point land en route to the monster night. Sophomore Kevin Fasulo added seven points for the Warriors, who also received nine rebounds from junior Ben Weinstein, along with two steals apiece from senior Ryan Kelly and juniors Ernest Jean-Pierre and Adrian Sperzel. Jean-Pierre, who captains the team with Moran and junior Colin Sparaco, also had five rebounds in the loss.
In the East Hampton game, Valley fell into a 20-12 hole at the end of one. The Warriors chipped away, won the third quarter 19-14, and were only down four going into the fourth, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Moran once again led the way in the scoring column by pouring home 21 points on an 8-of-18 shooting performance. Moran also dished out seven assists. Kelly scored 13 points and had three steals for Valley. Jean-Pierre scored six and added six boards, junior Brian Tonks had five points with three steals, and senior Cory Craco scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds.
In the first game of the Shoreline/ECC Challenge, Valley Regional battled conference foe Old Saybrook at Fitch High School in Groton on Dec. 27. The Warriors trailed 43-39 after the third quarter, but then went off for 27 points in the fourth, while holding the Rams to 16, and emerged with a 66-59 victory to advance to the final.
Sparaco scored 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including four-three pointers, and gathered 10 rebounds with two steals for Valley. Moran had 14 points, six assists, and four rebounds, Weinstein scored 12 points with eight rebounds and three assists, plus Kelly added seven points.
Then on Dec. 28, Valley Regional faced ECC opponent Waterford, which had won its semifinal game against host Fitch the previous night. The title game was also at Fitch and Waterford outscored Valley 27-9 in the first quarter on its way to the 89-66 victory. Moran (16), Sparaco (13), Fasulo (13), and Craco (12) were Valley’s leading scorers on the night. Craco also had eight rebounds with three blocks, Jean-Pierre collected seven boards, and Sparaco had three steals for the Warriors.
Girls’ Basketball
The Warriors’ girls’ basketball squad earned its first win of the season by netting a 45-28 victory at Shoreline Conference foe Old Saybrook on Dec. 23. Valley, which had previously dropped a 45-43 contest at East Hampton on Dec. 19, has a record of 1-2 for the year.
Valley came storming out of the gates against Old Saybrook and had an 11-1 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors extended their lead to 21-8 at halftime. Valley Regional then outscored Old Saybrook 14-6 in the third quarter and had a 35-14 command through three on its way to the win.
Francesca Daniels scored 12 points and had five rebounds to lead the Warriors’ effort. Libby Spitzschuh scored six points and grabbed eight steals to go with three assists. Alexis Finnerty scored five points and had 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals for Valley. Carly Thompson also scored five to go with nine boards. Additionally for the Warriors, Paige Atkinson scored had four points with seven rebounds, Heidi Clark chipped in with four points, and Brianna O’Brien came up with three steals in the win.
In the East Hampton game, Valley took a 40-33 lead into the fourth quarter, but was outscored 12-3 in the final frame, and took a two-point defeat.
Spitzschuh had a big night on offense by shooting 11-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, on her way to scoring 25 points. She also added three assists and a pair of steals. Finnerty scored seven and had five boards, Daniels had seven points with four assists, Atkinson reeled in five rebounds, and Brianna O’Brien had three steals with two blocks for Head Coach Geoff Konstan’s squad.
Gymnastics
Valley Regional opened up its season by hosting a meet at Flip-Flop Gymnastics on Dec. 27. The Warriors posted a score of 129.10 to defeat Haddam-Killingworth/Hale-Ray/Morgan (98.60), while also taking a loss to Mercy (135.9).