Valley Regional shook off a lackluster first half with a mammoth comeback in the second, and shut out Morgan in the fourth quarter altogether in a 51-27 Shoreline Conference girls basketball win Friday night.
Abby Bradbury led three Valley players in double figures with 16 points.
The Warriors won all four of their games this week to improve to 16-2, their best mark in nearly 25 years. Valley won the Class S championship in 1999, but that team entered the tournament with a 12-8 record.
At home on Friday, the Warriors struggled on the offensive end at the start, falling behind 13-9 after one quarter and 21-14 at the half.
“We were short on shots and had little energy all of the first half,” Valley coach Jaimie Bickelhaupt said. “At halftime we kept it extremely positive, talked about the adjustments we had to make and applied pressure through our press and great half-court defense. The girls responded so well and came out with a bang.”
Valley took the lead in the third quarter and led 30-27 entering the fourth. The Warriors outscored the Huskies 21-0 the rest of the way. Morgan scored just six points after halftime.
“The press gave us life and the bench brought amazing energy,” said Bickelhaupt. “We got the ball to the basket and stopped settling for outside shots. It was truly fun to watch that second half.”
Liz Allen and Lily Grow added 10 points for Valley. Caeley Ayer led Morgan with 12 points.
MORGAN (9-8)
Caeley Ayer 5 2 12, Ava Johnson 0 0 0, Katie Martin 1 0 2, Sofia Passante 1 0 2, Victoria O’Neill 2 2 6, AJ Luke 0 0 0, Glenda Zhiminaicella 0 0 0, Lili Torres 0 0 0, Eva O’Sullivan 2 0 5, Alana Zirlis 0 0 0. Totals: 11 4 27.
VALLEY REGIONAL (16-2)
Ava Cunningham 2 0 4, Abby Bradbury 7 1 16, Bitzy Klomp 3 0 6, Liz Allen 3 1 10, Olivia Cunningham 0 0 0, Siena Schaller 2 1 5, Lily Grow 4 2 10, Regan Grow 0 0 0, Rubee Cecchini 0 0 0. Totals: 21 5 51.
Score By Quarters
Morgan……13 8 6 0–27
Valley………..9 5 16 21–51
3-pointers: Morgan–O’Sullivan 1; Valley–Allen 3, Bradbury 1.
Up next: Morgan vs. Cromwell, Monday, 7; Valley at Cromwell, Tuesday, 6.
In other girls basketball games Friday:
North Branford 58, Cromwell 55
North Branford rallied from an 8-point deficit with a 25-point fourth quarter to defeat Cromwell in North Branford. Braeden LeBeau shot 10 of 18 from the field and also grabbed 14 rebounds for the T-Birds. Keana Criscuolo had 17 points and 7 assists. Adela Cecunjanin had 14 rebounds to go with her 8 points for the Panthers. North Branford has won 5 straight.
CROMWELL (12-4)
Grace Mikan 2 0-0 4, Cameryn Hickey 5 3-6 13, Jessica Grodzicki 4 3-5 11, Nevaeh Clark 6 2-4 14, Adela Cecunjanin 2 2-2 8, Kayla Nappi 2 1-2 5, Brynn Kovacs 0 0-0 0, Hope Greaves 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 11-19 55.
NORTH BRANFORD (14-5)
Callie Holzer 2 0-1 4, Braeden LeBeau 10 2-5 22, Keana Criscuolo 7 3-4 17, Delaney Norman 5 0-2 13, Marissa Ricardo 0 0-2 0, Natalia Lucibello 1 0-0 2. Totals: 25 5-14 58.
Score By Quarters
Cromwell………..8 17 16 14–55
North Branford..13 12 8 25–58
3-pointers: Cromwell–Cecunjanin 2; North Branford–
Up next: Cromwell vs. Canton, Saturday, 2:30; North Branford at East Hampton, Monday, 7.
East Hampton 49, Haddam-Killingworth 29
EAST HAMPTON (16-2)
Amber Murphy 0 0 0, Olivia DeMartino 2 1 6, Liana Salamone 6 5 18, Delaney Russell 0 3 3, Jackie Russell 0 2 2, Jordan Murphy 4 0 8, Katie Ireland 4 0 12, Madison Yorker 0 0 0. Totals: 16 11 49.
H-K (4-14)
Cheyenne LaTouche 1 2 4, Ella Commerford 0 1 1, Julia Favalora 6 2 15, Kaleigh Bodak 1 1 3, Ana Garcia 1 2 4, Audra Yazmer 1 0 2. Totals: 10 8 29.
Score By Quarters
East Hampton…11 12 15 11–49
Haddam-Kill……..3 9 7 10–29
3-pointers: East Hampton–Ireland 4, Salamone 1, DeMartino 1; H-K–Favalora 1.
Up next: East Hampton vs. North Branford, Monday, 7; H-K at Morgan, Tuesday, 7.
Coginchaug 62, Portland 36
Behind Chloe Shafir’s game-high 22 points, the Blue Devils won their fourth straight to get over the .500 mark for the first time since Jan. 18. Coginchaug already has qualified for the Class S tournament.
COGINCHAUG (9-8)
Allison Sambor 2 0-0 6, Hannah Nielsen 4 0-1 8, Serena Fournier 3 2-2 9, Katie Farr 4 2-4 10, Alyssa Woodward 0 1-2 1, Mia Poturnicki 2 0-0 4, Allison Strang 1 0-0 2, Chloe Shafir 8 1-2 22. Totals: 24 6-11 62.
PORTLAND (4-11)
Hannah Brunk 6 0-2 12, Kendra Shoeps 3 0-4 6, Morganne Pineda 2 2-3 6, Sam Lasky 4 2-2 10, Leah May 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 16 4-10 36.
Score By Quarters
Coginchaug….18 20 12 12–62
Portland……….10 4 12 10–36
3-pointers: Coginchaug–Shafir 5, Sambor 2, Fournier 1.
Up next: Coginchaug vs. Cheshire, Saturday, 3:30; Portland at Hale-Ray, Tuesday, 7.
Old Lyme 44, Hale-Ray 11
HALE-RAY (0-17)
Kenzie Purdell 0 0 0, Julia Anderson 2 0 5, Jennafaye Haentjens 2 0 4, Gabby Aguilera 1 0 2, MaKenzie Albert 0 0 0. Totals: 5 0 11.
OLD LYME (11-7)
Ava Roth 3 0 7, Mary Surprenant 2 0 4, Ella Curtiss-Reardon 3 0 6, Kate Walsh 3 0 6, Melanie Warren 1 0 2, Alexis Fenton 5 0 11, Kelly Sheehan 1 0 2, Megan Loflin 3 0 6. Totals: 21 0 44.
Score By Quarters
Hale-Ray…….0 6 0 5-11
Old Lyme….18 5 17 4–44
3-pointers: Hale-Ray–Anderson 1; Old Lyme–Roth 1, Fenton 1.
Up next: Hale-Ray vs. Bolton, Monday, 6; Old Lyme vs. Old Saybrook, Tuesday, 7.
Westbrook 46, Old Saybrook 28
OLD SAYBROOK (3-15)
Breleigh Cooke 4 1 9, Alex Ling 1 0 3, Sophia Barker 3 0 6, Sanai Baker 2 0 4, Cassie Johnson 0 1 1, Ella Hagelston 1 0 2, Kylie Lake 1 0 2 , Meghan Wilcox 0 1 1. Totals: 12 3 28.
WESTBROOK (9-9)
Jami Sacco 4 5 14, Sadie Susi 4 0 12, Alex Zanzalari 0 0 0, Adrianna Stranieri 4 2 12, Leticia Pires 3 0 6, Gianni Salisbury 1 0 2, Tati Vallejo 0 0 0. Totals: 17 7 48.
Score By Quarters
Old Saybrook….9 9 6 4–28
Westbrook…….13 10 15 8–46
3-pointers: Old Saybrook–Ling 1; Westbrook–Susi 4, Stranieri 2, Sacco 1.
Up next: Old Saybrook at Old Lyme, Tuesday, 7; Westbrook at Coginchaug, Monday, 6.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cromwell 66, North Branford 31
NORTH BRANFORD (2-16)
Ryan Monde 0 2-2 2, Drew Girardi 0 0-0 0, Jack Meehan 4 1-2 9, Drew Pearson 2 0-1 5, John Onofrio 0 5-5 5, Ben Stegina 5 0-0 10. Totals: 11 8-10 31.
CROMWELL (15-0)
Gianluca Albert 6 1-1 14, Louis Friend 1 0-0 2, Victor Payne 6 1-1 14, JJ Feehan 3 2-2 9, Logan Mure 1 0-0 2, Jake Salafia 4 0-0 10, Tyler Danielle 1 2-3 4, Luke Gagnon 1 0-0 2, Keanu Gomez 1 0-0 3, Sam Stergos 3 0-0 6. Totals: 27 6-7 66.
Score By Quarters
North Branford…3 11 10 7–31
Cromwell……….22 11 14 19–66
3-pointers: North Branford–Pearson 1; Cromwell–Salafia 2, Gomez 1, Albert 1, Payne 1, Feehan 1.
Up next: Cromwell vs. Morgan, Monday, 7; North Branford vs. East Hampton, Monday, 7.
Hale-Ray 58, Old Lyme 55
OLD LYME (6-11)
Nick Cox 1 0-0 3, John Almy 2 0-0 5, Jacob Ritchie 6 4-5 16, Frank Sablone 2 0-0 4, Caden Monte 9 0-3 19, Mav Swaney 3 2-3 8. Totals: 23 6-11 55.
HALE-RAY (12-5)
Drew Conroy 0 0-0 0, Loudon Chupas 9 0-0 19, Mamush Ciccarello 5 0-0 13, Nate Matetich 8 2-3 19, Miles Gagne 3 0-0 7, Braden Lankrage 0 0-0 0. Totals: 25 2-3 58.
Score By Quarters
Old Lyme…..9 20 14 12–55
Hale-Ray….15 19 11 13–58
3-pointers: Old Lyme–Cox 1, Almy 1, Monte 1; Hale-Ray–Ciccarello 3, Chupas 1, Matetich 1, Gagne 1.
Up next: Hale-Ray at Portland, Monday, 7; Old Lyme at Norwich Tech, Monday, 5:15.
Old Saybrook 58, Westbrook 45
WESTBROOK (5-10)
Bran Naccarato 5 3-7 14, Joey Caslin 6 0-0 16, Jesse Whitney 0 0-0 0, Sammy Freeman 3 1-2 7, Evan McIntyre 2 0-0 4, Vin Naccarato 1 0-0 2, Ryan Engels 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 4-9 45.
OLD SAYBROOK (10-5)
Wes Nobile 0 0-0 0, Jake Butler 0 1-2 1, Riley Lawson 3 4-6 10, Ryan Stratton 9 4-6 23, Auggie Albert 2 3-4 7, Bradley Kulmann 1 2-2 5, Aaron Tolve 4 2-4 12. Totals: 19 16-24 58.
Score By Quarters
Westbrook………8 18 9 10–45
Old Saybrook..13 10 16 19–58
3-pointers: Westbrook–Caslin 4, B. Naccarato 1; Old Saybrook–Tolve 1, Stratton 1, Kulmann 1.
Up next: Westbrook vs. Coginchaug, Monday, 7; Old Saybrook at Montville, Monday. 7.
Xavier 58, Hillhouse 35
HILLHOUSE (12-6)
Joseph Williams 3 4-5 10, Matthew Gibbs 1 0-0 2, Eddie Langs 2 2-6 8, Avery Sutton 0 0-2 0, Nikai Brooks 3 1-2 9, Ramel Poindexter 1 1-1 4, Teriq Mallory 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 8-16 35.
XAVIER (10-7)
Ethan Bessoni 2 0-0 4, Colby Ciampi 4 1-1 12, Vik Vakati 5 0-0 11, Anthony Parker 11 0-1 24, Aidan Driscoll 1 0-0 3, Mark Schoonmaker 1 0-0 2, Sam Rector 0 2-2 2. Totals: 24 3-4 58.
Score By Quarters
Hillhouse….8 5 5 17–35
Xavier…….22 13 8 15–58
3-pointers: Xavier–Ciampi 3, Parker 2, Vakati 1, Driscoll 1; Hillhouse–Langs 2, Brooks 2, Poindexter 1.
Up next: Xavier at Guilford, Tuesday, 7.
East Hampton 53, Haddam-Killingworth 34
H-K (2-15)
Declan Christopher 1 0-0 2, Lucas Kamoen 1 2-2 4, Blake Kamoen 2 0-2 4, Jayden Zaitoun 1 1-2 3, Andrew Crayton 0 0-0 0, Tate Callender 4 3-4 12, Callen Powers 1 0-0 3, Tyler Perry 3 0-1 6. Totals: 13 6-11 34.
EAST HAMPTON (10-6)
Austin Cutbertson 2 0-0 4, Brady Lynch 4 4-4 12, Drew DiStefano 5 1-2 11, Miller Koziel 2 1-2 5, Jye Lynch 3 1-1 7, Jake Blakey 3 1-2 7, Nate Ireland 2 0-0 4 Connor Michalowski 1 0-0 3. Totals: 22 8-11 53.
Score By Quarters
Haddam-Kill……..2 9 12 11–34
East Hampton..14 12 14 13–53
3-pointers: H-K–Powers 1, Callender 1; East Hampton–Michalowski 1.
Up next: H-K vs. Morgan, Tuesday, 7; East Hampton at North Branford, Tuesday, 7.
Portland 49, Coginchaug 36
PORTLAND (9-8)
Joe Rusczyk 4 1-2 10, Harrison Collins 7 0-1 15, Jake Thompson 2 0-0 5, Evan Johnson 2 0-0 4, Eli Evison 5 0-1 11, Ryan Kerr 0 0-0 0, Teddy Williams 2 0-0 4, Tyler Wydo 0 0-0 0, Carson Nicols 0 0-0 0, Nico Oliva 0 0-0 0, Parker Thompson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 1-4 49.
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COGINCHAUG (3-12)
Sam Whittle 4 0-0 8, Connor Willett 4 3-6 12, Jayson Penney 4 2-6 12, Adam Schaffer 1 0-0 2, Henry Bugai 1 0-0 2, Mekhi Watson 0 0-0 0, Colin Murphy 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 5-12 36.
Score By Quarters
Portland……..10 9 16 14–49
Coginchaug….7 13 5 11–36
3-pointers: Portland–Rusczyk 1, Collins 1, Thompson 1, Evison 1; Coginchaug–Penney 2, Willett 1.
Up next: Coginchaug at Westbrook, Monday, 7; Portland vs. Hale-Ray, Monday, 7.