Norwich blows out Whitney Point to reach Schwan tourney final
Boys’ Basketball
Norwich 79, Whitney Point 47
NORWICH – For the second game in a row, Norwich was facing a touted unbeaten team, and for the second straight time, the Tornado remained as the lone unbeaten.
In a rematch of last year’s Section IV Class B championship game Saturday afternoon, the Purple Tornado finished the first half on a 16-0 run on their way to the Tom Schwan Memorial Tournament finals.
The getaway for NHS was spurred by flash, hustle, and good ol’ blue collar work ethic. In just a few moments, what was shaping up to be a barnburner turned into a laugher.
“We weren’t pushing the ball early in the game,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “Once we started to do that, it created a lot of problems for (Whitney Point).”
The start of the tournament was delayed by a day as inclement weather postponed Friday’s games. Norwich mirrored the late start to the tournament with an “average” quarter and a half of play. Whitney Point sophomore Brady Harrington hit his third three of the first half to tie the game at 18-18. No more than a 10 seconds later, the Tornado’s Mike Sutton buried a three ball for the lead. From that point, the only delay was the inevitable purple and white onslaught.
Buckets came with ease as Zan Stewart also hit a three during the closing first-half spurt, and Storm Cook finished off a 10-point first half with a put-back basket.
As good as the last four minutes of the first half looked, the third quarter was downright gorgeous. Whitney Point had trouble getting the ball past halfcourt succumbing to one turnover after another. The 16-point halftime lead became a bloated 29-point margin just 2:45 into the second half. Still, the level of intensity remained a 10 on a 10 scale.
Proof of the superlative effort resided in the diving steal of senior Matt Burke. Already leading by nearly 30, Burke dove over a Point player, and before hitting the ground, looped a pass over his shoulder to set up a fast-break layup for Sutton.
Less than a minute later, Norwich scored seven points in just 13 seconds to raise the lead to 62-26. Mike Trevisani started the quick salvo with a three-pointer, Mike Oralls finished a layup after a quick steal, and after yet another steal, sophomore Carlos Ithier converted a steal. Norwich waited all of seven more seconds to complete a 9-0 spurt in 20 seconds when Oralls drained another layup off a Whitney Point miscue.
“When we had that run at the end of the first half, you could see some of the Whitney Point players getting tired,” Collier said. “We throw waves of players at (opponents), and we just wear people down. Our whole philosophy is pressure on offense and pressure on defense.”
Oralls scored 20 points to lead Norwich, and just about all of those markers came on shots around the basket. Sutton tacked on 17, and Cook had 10.
NHS will meet Susquehanna Valley in the championship game at a date to be determined. The Sabers beat Sidney in Saturday’s opening game, 67-60.
Notes: Norwich’s junior varsity prevailed over the Golden Eagles, 62-51. Sophomore Jordan Vinal had a big line across the board for NHS scoring 14 points, pulling down 21 rebounds, while adding nine steals, five assists, and four blocked shots. Rodney Tre Bonham also scored 14, and eighth-grader Michael Carson netted 10...Cook had his second straight double double finishing with 13 rebounds, and Burke dished out six assists. Norwich finished with 24 total assists on 31 baskets, and shot better than 51 percent from the field for the game.
Whitney Point: James Corey, 0; Jared Bieber, 2 0-0-6; Donovan Sturdevant, 0; Brady Harrington, 5 1-4-15; Robert Stevens, 0 3-4-3; Connor Kallfelz, 0; William Moelder, 0; Zach Marsh, 3 1-4-8; Jason Graves, 0 2-3-2; Sean Kelly, 0 2-4-2; Gabe Schrauger, 4 2-2-11. Totals: 14 11-20-47.
Norwich: Brendon Budd, 0; Michael Oralls, 9 2-2-20; Mike Sutton, 5 4-5-17; Chris Trevisani, 3 1-2-8; Carlos Ithier, 1 0-0-2; Zan Stewart, 2 0-2-6; Matt Craig, 0; Matt Burke, 3 0-0-6; Storm Cook, 4 2-3-10; Mike D’Abbraccio, 2 1-3-6; Jamison Luke, 0; Cody Barnes, 2 0-0-4. Totals: 31 10-17-79.
WP 10 8 15 14–47
Nor. 11 23 32 13–79
Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: (N) Sutton 3, Stewart 2, D’Abbraccio, Trevisani. (WP) Bieber 2, Harrington 4, Marsh, Schrauger. JV: Norwich won 62-51. Officials: Howard, Stepanovsky.
–– Patrick Newell
Norwich 79, Whitney Point 47
NORWICH – For the second game in a row, Norwich was facing a touted unbeaten team, and for the second straight time, the Tornado remained as the lone unbeaten.
In a rematch of last year’s Section IV Class B championship game Saturday afternoon, the Purple Tornado finished the first half on a 16-0 run on their way to the Tom Schwan Memorial Tournament finals.
The getaway for NHS was spurred by flash, hustle, and good ol’ blue collar work ethic. In just a few moments, what was shaping up to be a barnburner turned into a laugher.
“We weren’t pushing the ball early in the game,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “Once we started to do that, it created a lot of problems for (Whitney Point).”
The start of the tournament was delayed by a day as inclement weather postponed Friday’s games. Norwich mirrored the late start to the tournament with an “average” quarter and a half of play. Whitney Point sophomore Brady Harrington hit his third three of the first half to tie the game at 18-18. No more than a 10 seconds later, the Tornado’s Mike Sutton buried a three ball for the lead. From that point, the only delay was the inevitable purple and white onslaught.
Buckets came with ease as Zan Stewart also hit a three during the closing first-half spurt, and Storm Cook finished off a 10-point first half with a put-back basket.
As good as the last four minutes of the first half looked, the third quarter was downright gorgeous. Whitney Point had trouble getting the ball past halfcourt succumbing to one turnover after another. The 16-point halftime lead became a bloated 29-point margin just 2:45 into the second half. Still, the level of intensity remained a 10 on a 10 scale.
Proof of the superlative effort resided in the diving steal of senior Matt Burke. Already leading by nearly 30, Burke dove over a Point player, and before hitting the ground, looped a pass over his shoulder to set up a fast-break layup for Sutton.
Less than a minute later, Norwich scored seven points in just 13 seconds to raise the lead to 62-26. Mike Trevisani started the quick salvo with a three-pointer, Mike Oralls finished a layup after a quick steal, and after yet another steal, sophomore Carlos Ithier converted a steal. Norwich waited all of seven more seconds to complete a 9-0 spurt in 20 seconds when Oralls drained another layup off a Whitney Point miscue.
“When we had that run at the end of the first half, you could see some of the Whitney Point players getting tired,” Collier said. “We throw waves of players at (opponents), and we just wear people down. Our whole philosophy is pressure on offense and pressure on defense.”
Oralls scored 20 points to lead Norwich, and just about all of those markers came on shots around the basket. Sutton tacked on 17, and Cook had 10.
NHS will meet Susquehanna Valley in the championship game at a date to be determined. The Sabers beat Sidney in Saturday’s opening game, 67-60.
Notes: Norwich’s junior varsity prevailed over the Golden Eagles, 62-51. Sophomore Jordan Vinal had a big line across the board for NHS scoring 14 points, pulling down 21 rebounds, while adding nine steals, five assists, and four blocked shots. Rodney Tre Bonham also scored 14, and eighth-grader Michael Carson netted 10...Cook had his second straight double double finishing with 13 rebounds, and Burke dished out six assists. Norwich finished with 24 total assists on 31 baskets, and shot better than 51 percent from the field for the game.
Whitney Point: James Corey, 0; Jared Bieber, 2 0-0-6; Donovan Sturdevant, 0; Brady Harrington, 5 1-4-15; Robert Stevens, 0 3-4-3; Connor Kallfelz, 0; William Moelder, 0; Zach Marsh, 3 1-4-8; Jason Graves, 0 2-3-2; Sean Kelly, 0 2-4-2; Gabe Schrauger, 4 2-2-11. Totals: 14 11-20-47.
Norwich: Brendon Budd, 0; Michael Oralls, 9 2-2-20; Mike Sutton, 5 4-5-17; Chris Trevisani, 3 1-2-8; Carlos Ithier, 1 0-0-2; Zan Stewart, 2 0-2-6; Matt Craig, 0; Matt Burke, 3 0-0-6; Storm Cook, 4 2-3-10; Mike D’Abbraccio, 2 1-3-6; Jamison Luke, 0; Cody Barnes, 2 0-0-4. Totals: 31 10-17-79.
WP 10 8 15 14–47
Nor. 11 23 32 13–79
Fouled out: none. Three-point goals: (N) Sutton 3, Stewart 2, D’Abbraccio, Trevisani. (WP) Bieber 2, Harrington 4, Marsh, Schrauger. JV: Norwich won 62-51. Officials: Howard, Stepanovsky.
–– Patrick Newell
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