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01/07/2018 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Valley Regional girls’ basketball team played two games in recent action and split the pair to move to 3-2 on the season. The Warriors defeated Hale-Ray and then lost to Cromwell in its last two contests.
On Dec. 29, the Warriors went up against Hale-Ray on the road in a Shoreline Conference matchup and prevailed 40-26. Valley got out to an early 14-6 lead in the first quarter, but Hale-Ray closed the gap to 19-16 by halftime. In the third quarter, Valley locked down on defense and held the Noises to just two points to bring a 32-18 lead to the fourth on its way to the 14-point win.
Junior Alexis Finnerty led the Warriors with 13 points, five boards, five steals, and three assists. Senior Paige Atkinson provided seven points to go along with seven rebounds, and junior Sadie Konstan had five points, four assists and two steals. Senior Carly Thompson added six points to the scoring effort, while senior Heidi Clark had five points and three boards.
Head Coach Geoff Konstan said that Hale-Ray’s size caused some problems for Valley, but he was happy with way his team settled in and responded in the third quarter.
“Hale-Ray is physical and big. It was a disjointed, lower-scoring game, even though we got 14 and 13 in first and third quarters. After a crazy second quarter, we let them back into the game and, next thing you know, it’s a three-point game at halftime,” Konstan said. “We regained our composure in the second half, and the third quarter was some of the better basketball we’ve played this season. It was our third win in a row. It was nice after starting with a loss to go on a three-game win streak.”
On Jan. 2, Valley headed to Cromwell and lost to the Panthers 68-31. Cromwell took a 24-11 lead in the first quarter and led the rest of the way. Finnerty scored 11 points to go with five boards, four steals, and three assists. Atkinson and Clark each added six points on the night.
After losing to one of the most formidable foes in the conference, Coach Konstan’s squad is anxious to get back on the floor and put that loss in the rear-view mirror.
“Everything just fell apart. We didn’t go to the ball and didn’t box out. Cromwell is excellent. They are a tremendous team, and they are tremendously coached. It was not indicative of who were are. I want to give Cromwell the credit they deserve, but that wasn’t how we play,” said Konstan. “In some small way, it can be a good thing. We had a long talk before practice the next day, and we had a great practice. The girls can’t wait to get back out there. This will be a defining week for this team to see how we bounce back. We’ll see if we’re as good as we think we are.”
Boys’ Basketball
The Warriors split two recent matchups and notched their first win of the season with a lopsided victory versus Hale-Ray.
On Dec. 28, Valley hosted Hale-Ray for a Shoreline Conference contest and won by the final score of 71-48. The Warriors took 18-8 lead in the opening quarter and never looked back by outscoring Hale-Ray in each subsequent frame. Leading the scoring attack for Valley were seniors Ernest Jean-Pierre and Mitch Holdmeyer, who both scored 17 points. Holdmeyer also hauled in 12 rebounds to go along with three steals. Senior Ben Weinstein had a big night with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Fellow senior Colin Sparaco had eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Then on Jan. 2, the Warriors went up against Cromwell at home for another Shoreline matchup and lost 75-56. Holdmeyer had 19 points, and he also led the team in rebounds with 10. Weinstein was next with 12 points, six boards, fours assists, and a steal. Jean-Pierre provided 11 points and two rebounds, while junior Kevin Fasulo scored six points and four assists.
Wrestling
Valley Regional junior Ben Falivene picked up a few more victories on the mat. On Jan. 3, Falivene defeated Trevor Hines by a 6-2 decision when Morgan hosted Haddam-Killingworth. Falivene scored his points on a take down and two reversals.
On Jan. 6, at the East Haven Duals, Falivene lost his first match to Qasim Khan of Foran, 6-3. He then won his second match by pin-fall in the first round.
Gymnastics
The Valley Regional gymnastics team had two recent meets at Flip-Flop Gymnastics in Deep River.
On Dec. 29, the Warriors competed against Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Hale-Ray and Mercy. Valley scored a 84.25 at the meet, while Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Hale-Ray turned in a 92.50, and Mercy recorded the highest score of the meet with a 131.15.
On Jan. 6, Valley had another meet at Flip-Flop and scored a 112.20 to defeat Hamden (111.8), while losing to Haddam-Killingworth/Morgan/Hale-Ray (120.05) and Mercy (130.50).