Boys’ Basketball

Norwich 56, Chenango Valley 39

FENTON – With Norwich’s collective gas tank heading toward empty, the three captains injected the Tornado with enough life to extend the club’s unbeaten winning streak Saturday night at Chenango Valley High School.

Michael Oralls had a team-high 15 points in the victory, Storm Cook added 11, and point guard Michael Sutton had eight points and eight assists in the club’s third victory in five days. “We knew this was going to be our toughest week,” said Norwich coach Tom Collier. “Michael (Oralls) looked great, Sutty and Storm...our three captains led us, and proved why they are our captains.”

Chenango Valley controlled the pace of the game rarely allowing Norwich fast-break opportunities, and broke the Purple Tornado’s press without incident for much of the game.

The Warriors survived an early Norwich onslaught, one in which they trailed 8-1 just two minutes into the game. Seven different CV players scored over the next five minutes, and Jake Hertzog’s driving layup gave his club a 14-12 lead with less than two minutes to go in the first. Norwich sophomore Jamison Luke drained two free throws late in the quarter to knot the game up.

Over the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second quarter, Oralls almost single-handedly lifted Norwich into a comfortable working margin.

David Trudeaux’s three for CV on the second possession of the second quarter had the host club thinking upset, and Mark Mullins put back an offensive rebound for Chenango Valley making it 19-16.

Oralls, meanwhile scored every way possible hitting a spot-up 15-footer, completing a layup off a 50-foot pass from Carlos Ithier, and canning a three – his second of the season – then, lastly downing a layup following Luke’s steal making it 25-19. Zan Stewart completed an 11-0 spurt with a layup off a Sutton dish.

Brian Cox canned a three for the Warriors, and Hertzog completing another driving layup keeping his club in the hunt. Sutton’s steal and uncontested layup just before halftime put Norwich up eight at the break.

The Warriors, 24-point losers to Norwich in the first meeting, were clearly capitalzing on Norwich’s tired legs, and had far more easy looks at the basket than the first meeting.

“We made some defensive adjustments at the half, and we just reemphasized the same things we did before the game,” Collier said. “The kids knew what they had to do, they just weren’t doing it.”

Ithier had a three-point play late in the third quarter pushing Norwich’s lead to 11, and Cook had a three-point play to start the fourth as Norwich extended its lead to as many as 20 in the fourth quarter.

“Chenango Valley was right there with us for three quarters,” Collier said. “Offensively, we were able to score when we needed to, and defensively, we got stops when we needed to.”

Norwich’s junior varsity team improved to 11-2 with a 54-43 victory. Tre Bonham scored a season-high 20 for Norwich, Jake Walsh added 15, and Jordan Vinal pulled down 10 rebounds.

Norwich (13-0) plays at Owego Wednesday.

Norwich: Brendon Budd, 1 0-0-3; Michael Oralls, 7 0-0-15; Mike Sutton, 4 0-0-8; Chris Trevisani, 0; Carlos Ithier, 3 1-1-8; Colin Stewart, 0; Zan Stewart, 3 1-1-7; Matt Craig, -; Matt Burke, 1 0-0-2; Storm Cook, 4 2-3-11; Mike D’Abbraccio, 0; Jamison Luke, 0 2-4-2. Totals: 23 6-8-56.

CV: Jake Cole, 2 1-3-5; David Trudeaux, 1 1-2-4; Matt Personius, 0; Brian Cox, 2 0-0-6; Gavin Ashman, 1 0-0-2; Harold Jones, 0; Mike O’Neil, 0; Shane Callan, 0; Jake Hertzog, 2 0-0-4; Mark Mullins, 4 4-6-12; Kolby Ross,0; Kasey Edwards, 2 0-0-4; Brian Ball, 1 0-0-2. Totals: 15 6-11-39.

NHS 14 18 14 10–56

CVa 14 10 11 4–39

Fouled out: None. Three-point goals: (N) Budd, Oralls, Ithier, Cook, (CV) Trudeaux, Cox 2. JV: Norwich won 54-43. Officials: Barber, Stepanovsky.

Afton 59, Oxford 47 (OT)

AFTON - Ben Shearer hit three threes in the fourth quarter to spark Afton's comeback run, and Darian Heath scored 12 of his 14 points in overtime as the Crimson Knights beat Oxford in overtime Friday.

Oxford lost its eight-point lead to start the fourth, and needed a three from Cameron Heggie in the final seconds to tie the game at 44 and force OT.