The Valley Regional boys’ basketball team took its first step in the Division V State Tournament by earning a victory versus Kaynor Tech in a second-round matchup last week. Following a first-round bye, the 5th-seeded Warriors defeated No. 12 seed Kaynor Tech by a 55-49 score in Deep River on March 7. Valley improved to 17-6 overall and advanced to face No. 4 seed Nonnewaug in the Division V quarterfinals on Monday, March 11.

Head Coach Kevin Woods had a good idea of what to expect from Kaynor Tech after scouting the unfamiliar foe’s first-round victory—and he learned that the Panthers would be no pushover. Woods made sure the Warriors took nothing for granted going up against a capable opponent.

“We had a chance to watch Kaynor Tech’s first-round game. We saw that they’re pretty athletic, and they have good size, especially for a tech school,” Woods said. “They played some decent teams, as well. They beat Derby in the first round, and they played a pretty tough schedule during the regular season.”

Valley took care of business by earning a six-point win over the Panthers in front of its home crowd. Leading the scoring push for the Warriors were junior guards Cade Ensinger and Gavin Grabowski, who each scored 16 points in the victory. Ensinger also played a critical role in facilitating the offense with five assists on the night.

Coach Woods knows that Valley has an offensive weapon in Grabowski. Meanwhile, Ensinger makes a difference in every game he plays. Against Kaynor Tech, Ensinger made his presence felt by pouring in points and distributing the ball.

“We know Cade’s capable of that kind of scoring. He’s one of the top players in Division V and in the state. He can be the best player in the league when you consider the rest of his game,” Woods said. “Gavin’s not afraid to put it up at any time. He’s got a scorer’s mentality. We just need him to be himself, because he can keep putting the ball in the basket when he has that confidence.”

The Warriors outpaced Kaynor Tech by a 9-7 margin when the two teams squared off in the second round of states. Valley increased its lead with a 20-7 advantage during the second quarter to make it 29-18 heading into halftime. Kaynor Tech outscored Valley 31-26 in the second half, but the Warriors hung on for the 55-49 victory to move on to the quarterfinal round.

While his team jumped out to an early lead, Coach Woods felt that the game became closer than it needed to be. Thankfully, the Warriors played great defense throughout the contest.

“It came down to the wire. The big thing for us was that we played incredible defense,” Woods said. “Kaynor did a good job coming back. We held them to 28 points in three quarters. That’s a recipe for success. That was the key for us and why we were able to hold on.”

Other key contributors for Valley included senior captain guard Kevin Fasulo (6 points), junior guard Ryan Shasha (7 points), junior forward John Tibbetts (4 points, 5 blocks), and fellow junior forward Brian Rankin.

“Brian and Cade held Kaynor’s top scorer to just four points in the game. John Tibbetts was amazing off the bench with five blocks. He’s incredibly athletic, and he had the game of his life,” Coach Woods said. “Ryan Shasha played outstanding. He’s one of the best kept secrets on our team. He’s been sick or injured all year, and he’s healthy now.”

Valley hits the road to face No. 4 seed Nonnewaug (16-4) in the Division V State Tournament quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 11. With a victory, the Warriors would face the winner of No. 1 seed Innovation versus No. 9 seed Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy in the semis on Wednesday, March 13. The Division V State Tournament final will take place at Mohegan Sun on Saturday, March 16 or Sunday, March 17.

Coach Woods believes that Valley’s depth will be key if the Warriors want to get deeper into the Division V bracket. One big plus for Valley is that a few players who’ve been injured are starting to get healthy. Woods can mix and match people to keep the fresh legs on the floor or adapt to an opponent at any point in a game.

“We’re getting people back that have been injured. We’re getting contributions from the bench and up and down the roster. We have so many different guys that can come in and give us different things,” said Woods. “You never know what you’ll need in that big game. We can change our personality on the floor without changing what our guys are good at. Most teams have six or seven kids, and you are who you are. We can change the players we play to fit the personality we need.”