NORWICH – Greene doubled its win total in one week, met a preseason goal, and looked every bit the recently minted number one Class C team in the state over the final two quarters.

Locked in a halftime tie, the Trojans held Sidney to 11 second-half points, and cruised to a 51-33 victory Saturday in the finals of the 28th Annual Norwich-Sidney Pennysaver Tournament.

“One of our preseason goals was to win this tournament,” said Greene coach Dave Gorton, whose club improved to 8-0 on the season – four of those wins over the past six days. “We lost in the finals of this tournament last year, and that loss still stings for some of our girls. I think this win will ease some of that sting.”

Through two quarters, Sidney had the same determined resolve as Oxford did when it rallied to beat Greene in last year’s finals. Scrapping for loose balls, grabbing offensive rebounds, and hitting key shots, Sidney was knotted with the Trojans at 22-22 after two quarters. Chelsea Pixley and Danielle Martindale combined for 18 of the Warriors’ first-half points.

If not for a foul shot by Greene senior Megan McDermott with 40 seconds left in the second stanza, the Trojans would have trailed at halftime for the first time this season. “Sidney is clearly a rival of ours, and we knew they would come to play,” Gorton said. “I give them a lot of credit for what happened in the first half. They were scrappy and they go after rebounds aggressively. I think their aggression surprised us.”

Barb Borst, named the tournament’s most valuable player, took charge offensively in the first 3 1/2 minutes of the second half scoring eight of her game-high 18 points to move the count to 32-24. The Trojans’ defense buckled down as well limiting Sidney to one shot in most cases, and contesting nearly every shot attempt.

“Our defense was great in the second half,” Gorton said. “When we play defense as a team, we’re tough to beat.”

Greene padded its advantage in the fourth quarter led by Megan McDermott and Liz Wentlent – both all-tournament picks. McDermott scored six of her 12 in the last stanza, and Wentlent five of her 11. Borst and McDermott had nine and eight rebounds respectively, and Wentlent finished with seven rebounds and three assists.

“I was worried about four games this week and back-to-back games,” Gorton said. “These girls are such competitors. When they see adversity, they face it and they defeat it.”

Consolation Game

Norwich 49, Oxford 45

Unlike last year’s Pennysaver tourney in which the Tornado failed to come up with big plays at the end of two close losses, NHS salvaged a third-place finish with a pair of clutch maneuvers to oust the Blackhawks.

Locked in a 45-45 tie, Hannah Runyon fed Elisha Eddy for a would-be layup. Eddy was fouled after a miss, and made both freebies with 1:25 remaining.

Norwich grabbed a rebound on the defensive end following an Oxford miss, and methodically worked its offense to perfection. With the shot clock under five seconds, Sarah Bonnell fed Elisha Eddy with a perfect bounce pass and layup to sew up the game. Oxford misfired on its next two possessions to drop its second game in as many days. “We were fortunate to execute well at the end, and get a nice pass for a layup,” said Norwich coach Krista Porter, who said she could not have drawn up the late-game scenario any better.

Alyshia Crawford kept Oxford within 29-26 at halftime making all three of her three-point attempts on her way to a career-high 20-point game.