NORWICH – This isn’t the first time both the Purple Tornado shared the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Arena floor on the same day. However, it could be the first time that the two teams return home champions.
The Norwich boys will have to get through Brett Rumpel and the top-seeded Seton Catholic Saints while the girls face a tough test of the 22-0 Newark Valley Cardinals. The Lady Tornado will take the floor first at 4:45 p.m. with the boys to follow at 6:30 p.m.
Here is a brief preview of both games that will take place on Sunday:
4-Norwich (14-6) vs 3-Newark Valley (22-0), 4:45 p.m.
Half of the Lady Purple Tornado squad is no stranger to the arena since a season ago Norwich captured the third sectional championship in the program’s history.
While they may have graduated over half the team and lost an essential piece to the 2019-2020 season because of an injury, the Tornado girls have found their way back to the title game for the second year in a row.
Many expected Norwich to walk back into the championship game with the senior leadership of Halea Eaton, who signed her letter of intent to Division-II LeMoyne two weeks before the season officially got underway. Unfortunately for the senior, a devastating knee injury ended Eaton’s high school career earlier than anyone wanted – in just the third game of the Norwich schedule.
Eaton, however, has been on the sideline along the way as she has offered up her advice to her fellow teammates on the floor.
In the first few games following her injury, the girls looked a little lost on the court. Since they have found their way, each individual who steps on the floor fills their role and it has been the true definition of a team every win they have come away with.
Very well known throughout the league and the section is how well Norwich shoots the 3-pointer. In several games this season, the Lady Purple Tornado have made seven-plus 3-point field goals and it has usually led to a win.
When Norwich hasn’t shot well from the outside, Senior Abby Flynn has taken control of the scoring on the floor. Earlier this week against Oneonta in the semifinal contest, Flynn scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the first half and ended Norwich’s missed 3-point attempt streak by draining one from the top of the key.
Down the late season stretch of games, including the sectional playoff run, MacKenzie Hess has stepped up and looked more confident in her role as point guard. Typically one of the smallest girls on the floor, Hess doesn’t let her size hold her back. Oftentimes, the Tornado guard gets downhill to the rim but she isn’t afraid to pull up for the open look from the outside.
Hess’ range was displayed in Norwich’s win over Susquehanna Valley in the quarterfinals as the sophomore made a total of four 3-pointers. She, along with sophomore teammates Margaret Dougher and Abby Hansen, join junior Sydney Coggins as a strong threat for any team when it comes to the outside game.
Defensively, it is also well known that the Lady Purple Tornado are in your face with their full-court pressure defense. As long as the rotation of the defense is the way it is supposed to be, a Norwich defender is in the face of the opponent in the back court. Their fast-pace tempo often disrupts teams, causing many turnovers as the scrappy defense usually has several hands on the ball quickly.
Flynn and fellow senior Emerson Burton along with Emily Evans are at most times stepping in front of the opponent, causing frustration by either getting a charge called or a steal. Evans and Flynn, however, have been sent to the bench early in some games this season with foul trouble.
Against the tall lineup of Newark Valley on Sunday, the two starting forwards will need to avoid seeing bench time as they along with all Norwich team members will need to shut down the Cardinals’ trio of double-figure scorers.
MacKenna Nechwedowich, Gracie Garder and Bri Beebe are currently averaging double-digits in the scoring column for the undefeated Newark Valley squad. Nechwedowich and Beebe led the team to a 52-49 win over Owego on Wednesday. Garder sat out with an injury suffered in the quarterfinal victory against Waverly and is currently listed as day-to-day.
Early in the season, before losing Eaton to the knee injury, the talk of the section was Norwich should have no problem reaching the Section IV Class B final once again. When asked who they were going to see, many were unsure. However, Tornado head coach Josh Bennett said it was going to the Newark Valley Cardinals.
“[Newark Valley] has a couple of girls who are near six-feet tall and a point guard that can move,” Bennett said. “They will be tough with a big girl who can play and their guard who can get up the floor.”
Newark Valley also has depth to their bench, much like Norwich does. What they do not have to match the Tornado is the experience in the arena setting. Sometimes experience can make a big difference in games like this.
2-Norwich (17-4) vs 1-Seton Catholic (18-3), 6:30 p.m.
When the season first started, no one expected the Norwich boys to be better than a .500 team. However, the group of boys have become the true definition of a team and that has pushed them to be undefeated on their home floor for the season and the number two seed of the Section IV Class B tournament.
Shaking off an early season loss to Johnson City, the Purple Tornado went on a six game winning streak before falling to Seton Catholic on the road.
Norwich’s next two games were wins but shaky wins, topping Chenango Forks and Greene in much closer games than fans and players had hoped for.
The next game was against long-time rival Oneonta and the Purple Tornado team that many were used to seeing did not show up as they suffered their second largest loss (21 points) to the Yellowjackets.
And of course next on the schedule was the second game against Seton Catholic. However, this time it was the Jack Jones Gymnasium, a place where Norwich had not lost all season. Brett Rumpel, the Saints’ leading scorer this season, opened up the first half with 28 points but the Tornado defense held the shooting guard to just eight in the second half on their way to the 73-66 win.
The loss was just the second of the season for Seton Catholic, losing to only Class AA Corning-Painted Post earlier in the year.
The win for Norwich sparked yet another six-game winning streak before the unexpected loss to Whitney Point in the regular season finale.
Both teams are coming off a one point win in the Section IV semifinals as the Tornado defeated Owego in overtime 70-69 and Seton topped Oneonta 74-73.
Norwich has had several different scorers step up throughout the year but have been mostly led by Carson Maynard, Tommy Flanagan and the all-around play of JT Vinal.
What has helped the Tornado boys is their huge depth from the bench as well as the balanced scoring often shown at the end of games. Strong minutes from Logan Ford and Torin Lawrence – two sophomores on the Norwich roster all season long – as well as Keegan Franklin have allowed the Tornado to keep pace with other teams.
Norwich will have to limit Rumpel and Marcus Dyes as much as they can, but head coach Tom Collier knows that two players can’t beat a team of five. And he proved that right in the home win against the Saints.
Collier knew that Rumpel (34.4 points per game) and Dyes (18.9 point per game) were both going to do what they do best and that is score. However, the Tornado head coach said he wasn’t going to let anyone else beat his team. In that home victory, only one other player scored for the Saints and that was Michael Bucko.
Bucko hit a 3-pointer at a crucial point in the third quarter of the game giving a lead to Seton Catholic, but Norwich rallied past that by not allowing any other player to register points.
Much of the same will have to happen in order for the Tornado boys team to knock off the top-seeded Saints in the arena.
Once again, the experience of playing on the arena floor may prove to be a difference in the outcome. Norwich, who hasn’t played at the arena since the 2017 season, only has two players (Maynard and Vinal) on the team that have played on the what seems a much larger court.
Seton Catholic is returning to the championship game for the second straight year, looking to avenge a 54-51 loss to Owego.
The winners of both games will move onto the New York State Basketball quarterfinal games, which Section IV is set to host this season. Times and locations along with opponents will be announced after the games are played Sunday.