Valley Boys’ Hoops Continues to Win, Improves to 11-2

Photo by John Vanacore/Valley Courier

Kyle Smith filled in off the bench and scored six points, had seven assists, and three steals in the Warriors' victory over Westbrook last week.

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The Valley Regional boys' basketball squad earned two more wins last week against Shoreline Conference foes East Hampton and Westbrook, bringing its season record to 11-2.

On Jan. 24 the Warriors defeated East Hampton 84-35 on solid offense from Sean Cunningham (25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 assists), Chris Connor (22 points), Mason King (9 points, 5 steals, 7 assists), and Jon Luster (11 points, 4 steals).

East Hampton was never in this one as the Warriors jumped out to an 11-0 lead to start the game. Valley was led by Cunningham, who scored a career-high 25 points, and Connor, who added 22. The Warriors' defense helped build a big halftime lead of 45-29 and the Bellringers could never recover.

With Luster picking up his third foul in the second quarter, Valley found itself in an unusual position without its floor general. But Cunningham picked up the scoring slack for Valley as he finished the first half with 23 points, including a pair of 30-foot three-point shots at the end of both the first and second quarter. The Warriors actually stretched their lead nine points without Luster on the floor during the final 4:30 of of the second quarter. Connor was hot from the field, hitting nine two-point field goals and a three.

"I never like to see Jonathan sitting on the bench next to me, but I am incredibly proud of the way that the guys responded," said Coach Kevin Woods. "Sean Cunningham played unbelievable basketball tonight and guys like Jake Luster, Ryan Pomroy, Sten Spinella, Kyle Smith, and Chris Jean-Pierre played great off the bench, giving us spot minutes for our starters in foul trouble. It was a great team effort tonight."

On Jan. 27, Valley earned an 81-42 victory versus Westbrook, led by Luster (25 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 steals), Connor (20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals), King (10 points, 6 assists), Kyle Smith (6 points, 7 assists, 3 steals), and Jean-Pierre (7 points).

Valley fell behind to start the game 10-3, yet never panicked as it came right back and took an eight-point lead to end the first quarter up 24-16. Westbrook kept the game relatively close at the half trailing by 11, but was run out of the gym in the third quarter thanks to a stifling Valley press.

"Jonathan Luster played very well, driving to the basket and distributing the ball well to his teammates, meanwhile barely missing a shot from the three-point arc," said Woods. "Luster led the Warriors with four three-point field goals. Kyle Smith started the game for Chris Polo, who was sick, and had seven assists and gave the Warriors some huge plays on defense with three steals and constant hustle. Chris Connor was his usual self, dropping another 20 points, and Mason King once again proved to be the Warriors' leader on defense."

Added Woods: "We knew Westbrook would be up for this one with it being one of those crosstown rivalry games. We started out a little slow offensively, but knew that if we stayed composed the game was going to turn around in our favor. I thought our second half defense was much better in terms of execution and intensity and it proved too much for Westbrook to handle. I was very pleased with the way Kyle Smith filled in tonight in the starting lineup, battling a sprained ankle and giving us great minutes. Our bench has picked us up all year when we have been down and could be a huge asset for us down the stretch."