East Hampton Boys Succumb to Valley on Senior Night

The East Hampton boys’ basketball team, needing one win to qualify for the Class S  tournament, showed a ton of guts and determination on Senior Night.  It just wasn’t enough to overcome a very talented Valley Regional team.

Mitchell King scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half and Kyle Connor added 19 points as the Warriors prevailed 74-53 in East Hampton on Wednesday night.

Kyle Adams had 18 points for the Bellringers (7-14, 6-13 Shoreline), who put up a valiant effort before succumbing to the Warriors (19-1, 18-0 Shoreline).

The Bellringers trailed by just five at halftime before being overwhelmed by Valley Regional’s size and harassing defense.  The Warriors forced 22 turnovers and broke open a close game with a 18-4 second-half run.

“The kids played hard,” East Hampton coach Bob Freitas said. “That’s all I ask. We were in it for most of the game.”

Indeed they were. And it was to the surprise of more than a few of the many who were in attendance to see the pregame ceremonies honoring seniors Austin Shumbo, Brian Roberson, Charlie Mauri and Kurt Shluntz.

The Bellringers, who lost 54-28 to Morgan on Monday night, rode a huge wave of momentum into the locker room thanks to a three-pointer from freshman Matt Vazquenza that cut an 11-point deficit to 35-30.

For a team that had been inconsistent on offense all season, they were attacking the paint and getting good shots. Roberson (11 points), especially, was creating excellent chances with several up-fakes and strong pivots.

East Hampton couldn’t sustain that momentum, however.  Every time the Bellringers got close - they trailed by three points on three occasions - the Warriors answered.

King helped deliver the fatal blow.  The 6-foot-5 power forward scored 12 points during an 18-4 run, which he capped with a one-handed dunk in transition.  The spurt gave the Warriors an insurmountable 61-43 lead with 4:08 remaining in the third.

“We couldn’t get over the hump, but we didn’t give up either,” Freitas said. “We missed some shots, too. If we make them, who knows? That’s why we play the game.”

King’s big second half was a product of a huge opening half from Connor, who hit three three-pointers en route to 12 points.

Freitas chose to focus on stopping the hot-shooting Connor, and King made him pay with an array of mid-range jumpers and dunks.

“The thing is, we have to pick our poison,” Freitas said of trying to slow Connor. “We played zone, [Connor] hit some shots and then we made some adjustments. We just said, ‘We’re not going to let him catch it; let someone else [beat us].’  Mitchell King did a nice job.”

The same can be said for the Bellringers, who fought back after it looked like Valley Regional would make quick work of them. Connor's three three-pointers in the first quarter helped give the Warriors a 23-14 lead after eight minutes.

East Hampton responded by outscoring Valley Regional 16-7 in the second quarter.

The Bellringers couldn't pull off the upset, but Freitas wasn't upset about missing the state tournament.

“The thing is, at least we had another shot to get in. … I have nothing to complain about," he said. "That’s a very good team. That’s why they are undefeated [in conference], but our kids did not lie down.”

As for the seniors?

“We’re going to miss them all,” Freitas said.

“They work hard as you can see. They are a big part of what we are trying to build.  This is the worst part of my job. But as long as they are good people, they move on and do the right thing, I guess that’s the biggest thing for me.”