Girls’ Basketball

Norwich 54, Trumansburg 45

NORWICH – Norwich ended a four-year drought between sectional playoff wins, and reached double-digit victories on the season, Wednesday night at Jack Jones Gymnasium.

Molly DeMellier had 15 points to lead three NHS players in the double figures. Sarah Bonnell netted 11, and Bryn Loomis 10.

After Sara Hayward’s three-pointer for the Blue Raiders tied the game at 32-32 just 10 seconds into the final quarter, Norwich responded with seven points of its own in just 44 ticks. Molly DeMellier canned her team’s lone trey of the game eight seconds after Hayward tied the game, and Bonnell converted back-to-back layups, the first off her own steal, and the second off a dish from DeMellier to complete a fast break.

Trumansburg crawled back to within four points, 44-40, on Sydney Hayward’s pull-up jumper from the foul line at the 2:39 mark.

Norwich was able to put the game away with a 6-0 spurt. Loomis drove for a layup, Bonnell converted a layup following a Raiders turnover, and DeMeiller hit a spot-up 15-footer raising the lead to 10 points.

The win raised Norwich’s record to 10-9, and assured the Tornado of their first .500 season since 2007. NHS plays at Lansing on Saturday.

T-burg: Ali Grunder, 2 0-0-5; Sydney Hayward, 7 4-7-18; Sarah Mount, 0; Sara Hayward, 2 0-2-5; Chelsey Kenney, 0 3-4-3; Meghan Kraus, 2 5-6-9; Olivia Martin, 0; Stefani Porter, 1 2-2-4; Abby White, 0 1-2-1. Totals: 14 16-24-45.

Norwich: Gabby Testani, 0 2-2-2; Katie Orioli, 0; Sarah Bonnell, 5 1-4-11; Hailey Dietrich, 2 2-7-6; Molly DeMellier, 6 2-2-15; Bryn Loomis, 2 6-8-10; Sophie Stewart, 2 1-2-5; Cassie Sutton, 0; Tatyana Ithier, 1 3-5-5. Totals: 18 17-30-54

T-burg 3 12 16 14–45

Norw. 6 16 10 22–54

Fouled out: (N) Stewart, (T) Kraus, Martin. Three-point goals: (N) DeMellier, (T) Sara Hayward.

Oxford 35, Walton 31

OXFORD – Oxford received a big final quarter out of senior guard Alyshia Crawford, and edged past Walton in Wednesday’s Class C sectional playoff game.

Crawford’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter put the Blackhawks in front to stay, 27-26. Crawford was also isolated against Walton’s man-to-man defense, and came up with two more buckets in a nine-point final stanza.

“We thought it would be a difficult game, and it definitely was,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer, whose club narrowly beat Walton in the season opener nearly three months ago.

Crawford, nursing an ankle injury, sat a sustained period of time in the first half, and fellow scoring leader, Haley Witchella, had three fouls and took a seat for much of the second quarter. During that stretch of time, Walton was able to grab a six-point lead at the half. “We were missing our top two scorers, but I felt staying within six was okay,” Palmer said. “We didn’t play particularly well, but we hung in there defensively.”

Witchella and Crawford had 11 points apiece in the second half, all but two of their team’s points. Witchella finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, nine steals, and four blocked shots. Crawford added 13 for the Blackhawks, who visit top-seeded Tioga on Saturday. The Tigers defeated Oxford in the playoffs a season ago. “I think they’re ranked number four in the state, and their only loss is to a double-A school,” Palmer said. “They’re very good, and we played them well for a half last year until things got a little out of hand.”

Game time for the matchup was moved to 3 p.m., Palmer said.

Walton: Justin Rutherford, 0; Morgan Benson, 1 1-2-3; Holly Reynolds, 0; Maguire, 0; Krista Jennings, 0; Bridgette Fletcher, 0; Kendra Hoyt, 1 0-0-2; Hunter Browne, 1 0-0-2; Butler, 0; Amy Conkling, 0; Shelby Jennings, 3 0-1-6; Devin Kaminsky, 7 3-6-18. Totals: 13 4-9-31 .

Oxford: Alyshia Crawford, 5 2-6-13; Allie Nelson, 0; Ginny Burdick, 0; Kelli Whitehill, 0; Jackie Heggie, 3 1-3-7; Julie Heggie, 0; Kim Shackelton, 0; Haley Witchella, 5 5-11-15. Totals: 13 8-20-35.

Walt. 9 8 7 7–31

Oxf. 9 2 11 13–35

Fouled out: (W) Jennings. Three-point goals: (O) Crawford. (W) Kaminsky. Officials: Cicciarelli, O’Connor.

Greene 53, Unatego 23

GREENE – Greene opened the defense of its Section IV Class C title with a commanding opening quarter, and blew out Unatego in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday night.

Liz Wentlent scored nine points in the first eight minutes lifting her club to an 18-7 advantage. “I wanted us to come out and have a good first quarter, and boy we did,” said Greene coach Dave Gorton. “In three out of the four quarters, we were just fantastic.”

Wentlent scored 13 in the game, and rounded out her statistical line with five assists, five rebounds, and six steals. Abbey Wentlent, Anna Crumb, and Erin Smith all contributed eight points to the win, and the Greene defense clamped down in the second half holding the Spartans (10-9) to just eight points. “We had really good ball movement, the best we’ve had all season,” Gorton said, whose club outscored Unatego 19-2 in the third quarter. “If I could bottle that third quarter and use it every game, I’d be a very happy coach.”