Athlete of the Week: Toils of Labor lift Norwich to 4th sectional title
Yes, Vaughn Labor did play on the Norwich 2006-2007 varsity boys’ basketball team. He didn’t score much, he didn’t play a heck of a lot, but the dues he paid that year reaped huge benefits for the Tornado this season.
Labor improved as a starting junior forward earning all-division and all-county honors in the process, and now as a senior, he is a captain and leader on a team that won the school’s fourth-ever Section IV championship.
“As a sophomore he learned, as a junior he grew, and now as a senior, he has matured,” said Norwich varsity basketball coach Mark Abbott.
Labor may have not been the number one option at the start of last Saturday’s sectional final against Elmira Southside, a rematch from a STAC semifinals playoff game won by the Tornado, 66-55. Labor had just eight points in the initial meeting, instead deferring to his outside-shooting mates who combined for 10 three-pointers.
“Numbers really mean nothing to him,” Abbott said. “Obviously, as a big guy you want to have double figures points and double figures rebounds. Against Owego, he was in foul trouble most of the game and scored just three points, but he was as happy as anyone in the locker room. Same thing against EFA. He had just five points, but was one of the happier guys in our locker room. His unselfishness is a telltale example of our team. It’s doesn’t matter who scores, someone just needs to get it done. Vaughn has bought into that since day one.”
And in the sequel against Southside, Labor was the one who “got it done.” Labor proved at different points in the season that he was a capable scorer, particularly against Oneonta where he put up 48 points in two wins. Southside made a concerted effort to limit the Tornado’s outside shooting. That left plenty of room for Labor to operate, and his NHS teammates made one good entry pass after another to their top low-post threat. Labor manhandled the Hornets’ defense scoring 21 points to go with 13 rebounds n a hard-fought 51-46 victory.
Labor’s big-time game in Norwich’s biggest win of the season earns him our week-ending honor of Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“Southside schemed us based on the first time we played them,” Abbott said. “Vaughn came up big for us. “What wasn’t just a man inside, he was ‘the man.’”
Labor also iced the game from the foul line making 6-for-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, two of those freebies came in the waning seconds to secure Norwich’s 20th victory of the season.
Be it on the court leading his team or on the bench cheering his teammates on, Labor is the unquestioned vocal leader on a blue-collar team. “It’s almost like having another coach out there when he’s on the floor,” Abbott said. “It’s not many times when you see a high school athlete speak to his peers about what they need to do or where they need to be.
“Vaughn was our second leading scorer this season and our leading rebounder, but what he would say about this season is that we won 20 games and a Class A championship. Everything he did and all the work he put in with his teammates was based on that.”
Note: Labor completed his high school career earlier this week against Peekskill finishing with 10 points in a 47-36 loss.
Labor improved as a starting junior forward earning all-division and all-county honors in the process, and now as a senior, he is a captain and leader on a team that won the school’s fourth-ever Section IV championship.
“As a sophomore he learned, as a junior he grew, and now as a senior, he has matured,” said Norwich varsity basketball coach Mark Abbott.
Labor may have not been the number one option at the start of last Saturday’s sectional final against Elmira Southside, a rematch from a STAC semifinals playoff game won by the Tornado, 66-55. Labor had just eight points in the initial meeting, instead deferring to his outside-shooting mates who combined for 10 three-pointers.
“Numbers really mean nothing to him,” Abbott said. “Obviously, as a big guy you want to have double figures points and double figures rebounds. Against Owego, he was in foul trouble most of the game and scored just three points, but he was as happy as anyone in the locker room. Same thing against EFA. He had just five points, but was one of the happier guys in our locker room. His unselfishness is a telltale example of our team. It’s doesn’t matter who scores, someone just needs to get it done. Vaughn has bought into that since day one.”
And in the sequel against Southside, Labor was the one who “got it done.” Labor proved at different points in the season that he was a capable scorer, particularly against Oneonta where he put up 48 points in two wins. Southside made a concerted effort to limit the Tornado’s outside shooting. That left plenty of room for Labor to operate, and his NHS teammates made one good entry pass after another to their top low-post threat. Labor manhandled the Hornets’ defense scoring 21 points to go with 13 rebounds n a hard-fought 51-46 victory.
Labor’s big-time game in Norwich’s biggest win of the season earns him our week-ending honor of Smith Ford LLC/Evening Sun Athlete of the Week.
“Southside schemed us based on the first time we played them,” Abbott said. “Vaughn came up big for us. “What wasn’t just a man inside, he was ‘the man.’”
Labor also iced the game from the foul line making 6-for-8 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, two of those freebies came in the waning seconds to secure Norwich’s 20th victory of the season.
Be it on the court leading his team or on the bench cheering his teammates on, Labor is the unquestioned vocal leader on a blue-collar team. “It’s almost like having another coach out there when he’s on the floor,” Abbott said. “It’s not many times when you see a high school athlete speak to his peers about what they need to do or where they need to be.
“Vaughn was our second leading scorer this season and our leading rebounder, but what he would say about this season is that we won 20 games and a Class A championship. Everything he did and all the work he put in with his teammates was based on that.”
Note: Labor completed his high school career earlier this week against Peekskill finishing with 10 points in a 47-36 loss.
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