NORWICH – Finding their rhythm in the second quarter, Norwich’s defense came alive. With their defensive effort in the second and third quarters, the Purple Tornado gained the lead and held it for the remainder of the contest to defeat Chenango Valley 66-48 for their seventh win of the season.
Chenango Valley’s Marcus Hanyon tallied eight points – six coming from beyond the 3-point line on back-to-back plays – in the first four minutes, aiding in the early 10-4 lead for his team.
Hanyon’s teammate Nate Klein, who had already dished out two assists in the game to Hanyon, started his own scoring spurt with two layups just seconds apart to give the Warriors a 14-9 lead with just over two minutes left in the first.
Norwich’s offense was triggered in the early stanza by Drew Walsh coming in off to the bench. Walsh, who is more so known for his defensive effort on the floor, scored seven of his game total nine points in the quarter – including the layup with 1:20 left to tie the game at 16-16.
“Drew gave us a big spark off the bench after our slow start,” said the Tornado head coach, Tom Collier. “He had a good week of practice and that resulted in him having a good game on Saturday. I keep telling the guys, you get out of this what you put into it.”
After struggling out of the gate Norwich’s Carson Maynard found his way and became a game-changing factor in the second quarter. The lanky junior guard for the Tornado brought energy to the defensive side of the ball for the home team, coming up with either a steal or deflection.
“I had to take Carson out early to let him get his bearings,” said Collier. “He responded well to some advice I gave him on the bench and once he settled in he did a really nice job both offensively and defensively.”
Maynard gave the Purple Tornado the lead with three minutes remaining in the first half after a transition jumper. The next play down the floor for Norwich ended with a Marcus Cashman 3-pointer.
Maynard and the Tornado extended their lead before the break to as many as six before the Warriors added one more bucket before the buzzer.
Out of the break, Maynard continued his ways as he tacked on eight points in the third to finish with 16 points between the two middle quarters of play. Maynard ended the night with a game-high 19 points.
His intensity on the court then fueled teammate Mujuni Mutabiilwa to start in as well. The two combined for seven steals in the contest which in turn led to Norwich fast-breaks and their uptempo offensive.
While Mutabiilwa contributed only three points in the scoring column for the Purple Tornado, his presence was known in other ways. Mutabiilwa dished out a game-high eight assists in the game and he came up with four steals due to his lockdown defense, as Collier describes it.
“(Mujuni) had a really nice game and he continues to get better and better for us,” Collier said. “His pressure defense and his assists helped lead us to victory. What he does on the court often goes unnoticed by the average fan as he sacrifices his individual scoring for the betterment of the cause. In today’s self-serving world, that’s a rarity.
“He is assigned to play the opposition’s top ball handler and he also has to create opportunities for his teammates. He’s a lockdown defender and a great rebounder even though he is undersized. Typically, the opposition puts one of their top defenders on him and that frees up other players to score for us. Every opposing coach I have talked to sings Mujuni’s praises to me. He has been our unsung hero so far this season.”
Norwich cleaned up on the glass as a team, pulling down 20 rebounds on the defensive end – often times becoming the jumpstart to a bucket at the other end. The Purple Tornado as a team also had their fast-break offense started by a Warrior turnover that came due to home team’s pressuring defense.
The Tornado forced Chenango Valley into 21 turnovers throughout the game.
“We had a week off and it enabled us to go over some things we had been struggling with,” said Collier. “We still need to keep getting better and playing more consistent. There is no shortcut to success, it takes hard work and preparation. In the end, our season will be determined by the team’s effort everyday we step on the court and how well we apply the concepts we keep preaching in practice to the actual games.”
Norwich’s Skyler Wenzel and Cashman each finished with 10 points while Walsh and J.T. Vinal put up nine a piece on the scoreboard.
Now at 7-4 overall for the season, the Tornado and Oneonta are tied in the division, each having two losses. Norwich trails STAC East Division leader Seton Catholic Central by a game.
The Tornado host Susquehanna Valley – one of the two losses Norwich has in the division – on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.
Norwich 66, Chenango Valley 48
CV 18 8 7 15 – 48
Nor 16 14 17 19 – 66
Chenango Valley: Nate Klein 4 2-2-10; Riley Spencer 1 2-2-4; Dom Testani 1 0-0-2; Travis Kraack 4 2-2-11; Rory Thompson 0; Max Singer 3 1-3-7; Garret Kraack 1 2-2-4; Jack Fassett 0; Marcus Hanyon 3 2-2-10; Henry Stroka 0. TOTALS: 17 11-13-48.
Norwich: Drew Walsh 4 0-0-9; Thomas Parella 0 1-2-1; Mujuni Mutabiilwa 0 3-4-3; Carson Maynard 9 1-3-19; Marcus Cashman 3 2-2-10; Thomas Flanagan 0; Brayden Supensky 0; J.T. Vinal 4 1-2-9; Shane Lawrence 0; John Clarke 0; Skylar Wenzel 5 0-0-10; Jahlil Jones 2 1-3-5. TOTALS: 27 9-16-66.
Fouled out: None. 3-point goals: (CV) Hanyon 2, T. Kraack 1; (N) Cashman 2, Walsh 1.