Tornado gut out OT victory
ONEONTA – Oneonta made a furious rally to force overtime, but had nothing left for the epilogue in another classic battle with Norwich Saturday night.
The Tornado scored 11 straight points in overtime, and went 7-for-8 from the foul line to complete a season sweep of the Yellowjackets, 70-62.
Vaughn Labor, who scored his season-high of 23 in the first meeting with Oneonta, went two better to lead NHS (12-2) with 25 points. Timmy Clark added 18 points, 10 assists, and clutch foul shooting when Norwich needed it the most.
“It was a phenomenal game with great atmosphere and great effort,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott. “It was a great night of basketball, and even better was that we won.”
Norwich won the season’s first battle with Oneonta, 58-53, and that win was not secured until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Norwich led 28-25 at the half, but seemed to take control of the game building a 43-29 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.
We had a bad end of the third quarter,” Abbott said. “We made poor decisions and they got a few points that were just on us.”
Oneonta got back into the game when Clark had to take a seat on the bench after committing his fourth foul. Without the trusty pilot of Norwich’s offense on the floor, Norwich committed three quick turnovers, and the gap was closed to 45-35 entering the fourth.
Oneonta was often trading three points for two as Norwich did not relent on the offensive end. The Tornado made 7-of-9 foul shots in the fourth quarter to signify that steadiness.
The ‘Jackets’ Monte Richardson and Alex Mirabito simply raised the level of their play. Richardson had 21 of his 25 points after halftime, and Mirabito finished with 20 points including a pivotal three ball with under 30 seconds left.
Norwich’s Corey Dietrich calmly drained two free throws to give Norwich a 56-52 lead. On the ensuing possession, Mirabito pulled back on a three-pointer, and stuck the long-range trey over the stretched hand of 6-foot-5 NHS senior David Carson.
Norwich’s Clark, who was 5-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, made one of two charity tosses on the next possession giving his team a 57-55 lead. Following the miss and an OHS timeout, Richardson drove through the teeth of the Norwich defense, and put up a difficult one-handed runner with one second left to knot the game.
“We didn’t do a whole lot wrong in the fourth quarter, they just made some unbelievable plays,” Abbott said. “We played great defense at the end of the game, and they made the shots.”
Carson hit a short jumper to start Norwich’s overtime. Richardson would answer, but it was all Tornado the rest of the way. “We showed a lot of guts because they had all of the momentum going into overtime,” Abbott said. “It was another typical Norwich/ Oneonta battle. Both teams left everything out on the court, and unfortunately, one team had to lose.”
Norwich now holds a three-game STAC Central Division lead with four games to play. It hosts Maine-Endwell Friday.
NOTES: Before the game, Oneonta coach Jerry Mackey and the school’s athletic department, recognized Abbott and his 300th career win last week against Chenango Valley. The school presented Abbott with a bronze basketball commemorating that victory. “I was caught completely off guard and it was very touching,” Abbott said... Norwich shot 23-for-47 from the field, but was a mere 1-for-10 on three-point attempts. Oneonta was 21-for-43, but made 8-of-16 three-point shots... .Clark added five steals to his effort, Josh Borfitz handed out seven assists, and Labor pulled down eight boards. Oneonta held a 27-23 rebounding advantage. Norwich turned it over just nine times, while forcing 18 Oneonta miscues.
NHS: Bonney, 1 0-0-3; Dietrich. 2 5-5-9; Clark, 4 10-13-18; Borftiz. 1 0-0-2; Labor, 9 7-9-25; Thomsen, 2 0-0-4; Carson, 4 1-2-9. Totals: 23 23-29-70,
OHS: Ehrets, 2 0-0-6; Wright, 1 0-0-2; Southard, 0 1-3-1; Van Dusen, 0; Richardson, 7 8-10-25; Mirabito, 7 3-6-20; Burns, 4 0-0-8. Totals: 21 12-19-62.
NHS 16 12 17 12 13—70
OHS 13 12 10 22 5-62
Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: (N) Bonney, (O) Richardson 3, Mirabito 3, Ehrets 2. JV: Oneonta won 62-59. Officials: Ploutz, Cleminhaga.
The Tornado scored 11 straight points in overtime, and went 7-for-8 from the foul line to complete a season sweep of the Yellowjackets, 70-62.
Vaughn Labor, who scored his season-high of 23 in the first meeting with Oneonta, went two better to lead NHS (12-2) with 25 points. Timmy Clark added 18 points, 10 assists, and clutch foul shooting when Norwich needed it the most.
“It was a phenomenal game with great atmosphere and great effort,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott. “It was a great night of basketball, and even better was that we won.”
Norwich won the season’s first battle with Oneonta, 58-53, and that win was not secured until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Norwich led 28-25 at the half, but seemed to take control of the game building a 43-29 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter.
We had a bad end of the third quarter,” Abbott said. “We made poor decisions and they got a few points that were just on us.”
Oneonta got back into the game when Clark had to take a seat on the bench after committing his fourth foul. Without the trusty pilot of Norwich’s offense on the floor, Norwich committed three quick turnovers, and the gap was closed to 45-35 entering the fourth.
Oneonta was often trading three points for two as Norwich did not relent on the offensive end. The Tornado made 7-of-9 foul shots in the fourth quarter to signify that steadiness.
The ‘Jackets’ Monte Richardson and Alex Mirabito simply raised the level of their play. Richardson had 21 of his 25 points after halftime, and Mirabito finished with 20 points including a pivotal three ball with under 30 seconds left.
Norwich’s Corey Dietrich calmly drained two free throws to give Norwich a 56-52 lead. On the ensuing possession, Mirabito pulled back on a three-pointer, and stuck the long-range trey over the stretched hand of 6-foot-5 NHS senior David Carson.
Norwich’s Clark, who was 5-for-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, made one of two charity tosses on the next possession giving his team a 57-55 lead. Following the miss and an OHS timeout, Richardson drove through the teeth of the Norwich defense, and put up a difficult one-handed runner with one second left to knot the game.
“We didn’t do a whole lot wrong in the fourth quarter, they just made some unbelievable plays,” Abbott said. “We played great defense at the end of the game, and they made the shots.”
Carson hit a short jumper to start Norwich’s overtime. Richardson would answer, but it was all Tornado the rest of the way. “We showed a lot of guts because they had all of the momentum going into overtime,” Abbott said. “It was another typical Norwich/ Oneonta battle. Both teams left everything out on the court, and unfortunately, one team had to lose.”
Norwich now holds a three-game STAC Central Division lead with four games to play. It hosts Maine-Endwell Friday.
NOTES: Before the game, Oneonta coach Jerry Mackey and the school’s athletic department, recognized Abbott and his 300th career win last week against Chenango Valley. The school presented Abbott with a bronze basketball commemorating that victory. “I was caught completely off guard and it was very touching,” Abbott said... Norwich shot 23-for-47 from the field, but was a mere 1-for-10 on three-point attempts. Oneonta was 21-for-43, but made 8-of-16 three-point shots... .Clark added five steals to his effort, Josh Borfitz handed out seven assists, and Labor pulled down eight boards. Oneonta held a 27-23 rebounding advantage. Norwich turned it over just nine times, while forcing 18 Oneonta miscues.
NHS: Bonney, 1 0-0-3; Dietrich. 2 5-5-9; Clark, 4 10-13-18; Borftiz. 1 0-0-2; Labor, 9 7-9-25; Thomsen, 2 0-0-4; Carson, 4 1-2-9. Totals: 23 23-29-70,
OHS: Ehrets, 2 0-0-6; Wright, 1 0-0-2; Southard, 0 1-3-1; Van Dusen, 0; Richardson, 7 8-10-25; Mirabito, 7 3-6-20; Burns, 4 0-0-8. Totals: 21 12-19-62.
NHS 16 12 17 12 13—70
OHS 13 12 10 22 5-62
Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: (N) Bonney, (O) Richardson 3, Mirabito 3, Ehrets 2. JV: Oneonta won 62-59. Officials: Ploutz, Cleminhaga.
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