The Morgan boys’ basketball team traveled to Deep River to face Shoreline Conference rival Valley Regional for the first time this season inside a crowded gym on Jan. 10. Both teams came into the game with the urgency to secure a victory, but in the end, Morgan defeated the Warriors 59-57 when senior captain Jake Anselmo hit a tie-breaking buzzer-beater to give the Huskies their first win of the year.

The game was tied 42-42 entering the fourth quarter and, following an intense period that saw the squads trade baskets, it was deadlocked at 57-all with 58 seconds to play. The Huskies inbounded the ball from half court and swung it around the arc. Morgan’s plan was to remain patient and take the last shot. With 10 seconds left and the ball in Anselmo’s hands, junior Tyler Newfield set a high screen, Anselmo came right off it, and sank a shot from just inside the three-point line as time expired to stun the Warriors. Coincidentally, Anselmo had previously hit a shot at the buzzer right before halftime.

“Valley has really good defense. In practice, we tried to prepare for their pressure by learning and executing situational events,” said Anselmo, a 5-foot-8 guard. “The result of tonight’s game was because we were resilient and never gave up. I play my heart out every game and, as captain, I have to lead by example.”

The dramatic victory was pivotal for Head Coach Ken Beeman’s inexperienced Huskies, who had dropped their first four games of the campaign.

“I have a super young team. None of my players have varsity experience,” said Beeman, whose club lost 48-27 at home against Creed three days later to move to 1-5. “Even my seniors are first-year varsity players, though it is our effort level that we can control out of everything else in the game. So it is important for us to play relentless in every game as we continue to develop our skills.”

On the other side of the equation, the loss marked Valley Regional’s fifth of the season. The Warriors later bounced back to defeat Haddam-Killingworth 86-65 at home on Jan. 13 to stand at 4-5 this year.

“We had a good game-plan coming into tonight’s game. We have the ability to get stops and create turnovers. We just didn’t capitalize on all of them,” Head Coach Kevin Woods said. “Additionally, Jake Anselmo played well. He might have had his best game yet.”

The entire game was a back-and-forth battle. Morgan struggled to find its offensive rhythm at the start of the game. Valley senior Ryan Kelly scored the night’s first points with a three at the top of the key, followed by a field goal from junior captain Colin Sparaco. Nonetheless, Morgan’s momentum was spurred by a remarkable performance from Anselmo as he ended the first quarter with an “and-1” play and then dished an assist to fellow senior John Urban, who knocked down a three-pointer to tie the score at 13 at the end of one. Anselmo finished with a game-high 25 points.

Valley grabbed hold of the lead in the second quarter. Senior Jordan Moran, who scored 16 points, was a threat from the outside as he knocked down consecutive threes to put the Warriors up 26-19. However, with just two just two minutes left in the first half, Morgan rallied with an 8-2 run. From just outside the arc, Urban threw a lob pass to junior Patrick Markovics (8 points) for a lay-up. After that, with Valley having exceeded the limit for fouls, Morgan took two trips to the free throw line and went 3-for-4 with Anselmo hitting two of them. Anselmo’s explosive penetration to the hoop, coupled with his ability to stop on a dime to release a smooth shot, made things difficult for the Warriors’ defense. With the clock dwindling down in the opening half, Anselmo buried a three at the buzzer to cut the lead to 28-27 at the break.

Valley’s pressure defense disturbed the Huskies throughout the game, forcing Morgan into double-digit turnovers. However, Coach Beeman’s club was poised entering the second half and continued to claw its way through each possession. With 2:59 left in the third quarter, Morgan took its first lead of the night after Anselmo drained two more foul shots for a 35-34 Huskies’ advantage. Both teams continued going toe to toe and exchanging buckets, resulting in a 42-42 stalemate at the end of the third quarter.

“We kept calm and had better possessions,” said Urban, who scored 10 points for Morgan. “We made an adjustment after halftime and it led to a win.”

There was plenty of anxiety in the stands throughout a fourth quarter that featured five lead changes. Sophomore guard AJ Fritz hit a three early in the frame to give the lead back to Morgan, but the Warriors struck back on a mid-range shot from junior Brian Tonks, plus another three by Moran. The Huskies responded with back-to-back lay-ups to go up 52-49, yet sure enough, Valley answered again, this time on a three by Kelly (14 points) to tie the game at 52-52. The contest remained knotted until the very end, when Anselmo beat the buzzer to put Morgan on the board with its initial victory of the campaign.

Of course, Coach Beeman was happy to see his team win the game with some offensive heroics, but he was equally pleased that the Huskies gave an excellent defensive effort on their way to the victory.

“Our man-to-man defense was definitely one of our team strengths that was revealed in tonight’s game,” said Beeman.

From the Sidelines

Additionally in the game against Valley Regional, Anselmo had three rebounds with three steals, John Urban had three boards and three assists, AJ Fritz grabbed five rebounds to go with two assists, and Patrick Markovics added six rebounds for the Huskies.

Facing Creed later in the week, Anselmo had six points, three rebounds, and four steals, while senior John Venerio added six points for Morgan.

Morgan will face Valley Regional again, this time at home, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10.