Boys’ Basketball
Norwich 65, Trumansburg 38
NORWICH – Norwich found its groove late in the first quarter, and ultimately pulled away from Trumansburg in the early moments of the second half to advance to the Section IV Class B semifinals.
Four Norwich players scored in double figures. Dennis Oralls and Seth Thomsen led the Tornado (14-5) with 16 points apiece, Michael Sutton scored 11, and Kyle Edwards 10.
A scrappy Raiders squad stayed in the game more on hustle than precise execution. Edwards’ second-chance putback with just under two minutes left in the opening quarter gave the Tornado their first lead, 9-8. and a 9-2 spurt to end the opening stanza helped NHS to a two-point lead.
“Trumansburg gave us everything we wanted in the first half,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “In the first half, they outhustled us and got to almost every 50-50 ball. That’s how they were able to stay close.”
Leading 26-18 at halftime Norwich doubled its halftime lead scoring 10 of the quarter’s first 12 points. Thomsen had a pair of buckets, Sutton scored once and dished to Ian Weaver for a layup, and Oralls stuck a mid-range jumper from the corner of the foul line.
Thomsen was especially effective in the third quarter scoring eight points, and five different Tornado players contributed to a 21-9 period that put the game out of reach.
“We thought Seth would have a mismatch, and we tried to isolate him,” Collier said. “Dennis was a floor general for us, and Michael (Sutton) just played an awesome game.”
Collier attributed the second-half success to full-court man-to-man defense, and challenging every Trumansburg shot in the halfcourt offense. Collier also liked the way his team raised its level of intensity over the final two quarters. “To (Trumansburg’s) credit, they outhustled us in the first half,” Collier said. “In the second half, we got to most of the 50-50 balls, and you saw the result.”
Norwich hosts Oneonta on Tuesday night in the sectional semifinals. The Yellowjackets advanced with a two-point victory over state-ranked Waverly.
Trumansburg: Mitchell Swartwood, 0; Zachary Kenney, 0; Alec Bartishevich, 2 2-2-8; Mark Burchell, 7 4-6-19; Letty McCall, 2 1-5-5; Riley Edmonds, 1 0-2-2; Samuel Christiansen, 0; Ben Maricle, 1 0-0-2; Jemal Cooper, 1 0-0-2. Totals: 14 7-15-38.
Norwich: Kyle Edwards, 4 1-2-10; Danny Carson, 0 1-2-1; Dennis Oralls, 4 7-8-16; Michael Sutton, 5 1-1-11; Robbie Wheeler, 0; Grady Thompson, 0; Seth Thomsen, 8 0-1-16; Ian Weaver, 1 0-0-2; Eric Walling, 1 0-0-2; Storm Cook, 2 0-0-4; Grant Brightman, 1 1-2-3; Michael D’Abbraccio, 0. Totals: 26 11-16-65.
