NORWICH – As good as Norwich was last season, it didn’t win a single game decided by less than 10 points.

The 2014-2015 Tornado club has already rectified that glaring omission.

Down early in the fourth quarter, Norwich dug out of that hole with one clutch play after another beating Union-Endicott in the Rentals To Go title game Saturday night, 52-49.

Makenzie Maynard, Carin Kuhn, and Meghan Komendarek all had tying or go-ahead baskets when Norwich was in dire need of a hoop.

For its part, the Tigers continued to drain dagger-like threes throughout the second half to counter Norwich’s own big shots. “This was definitely a great sign,” said Norwich coach Josh Bennett. “I think we have very good balance, and baskets can come from anywhere on the floor.”

They did, and Maynard brought the Norwich offense to life scoring nine straight points in 66-second stretch of the fourth quarter.

Down four points with under five minutes to play, Maynard drained a three after a skip pass from Komendarek to draw Norwich to within one, 39-38. Following a defensive stop, Maynard drove for the go-ahead basket putting her team in front.

Kayla Prosinski countered for U-E with an outside jump shot, but a Maynard putback had Norwich in front again.

The lead changes totaled seven in the fourth quarter alone, not to mention three other times where the clubs where tied.

Maynard capped her personal run with two free throws, however, the NHS offense fell silent the next 90-plus seconds.

Victoria Mattarell hit two free throws for U-E, and Prosinski nailed the first of her back-to-back threes putting the Tigers back in front, 46-45.

Just 23 seconds later, Kuhn knocked down a three in the corner shifting the NHS lead to two.

After a Norwich timeout, U-E reclaimed its final lead with 1:14 left when Prosinski pumped in yet another trifecta.

Maynard tied the game at 49 making one free throw with 24.8 seconds left, but after missing the second, Komendarek corralled the rebound and put it back for the two-point lead.

U-E had a chance to tie the game, but an inside shot from Nicole Kazmarcyk was off the mark. Norwich ran the clock down to 4.6 seconds, and Kuhn added a single free throw to polish off the win.

U-E did not get a shot off on its final offensive sequence. “We have a lot of girls that have a ton of court experience,” Bennett said. “We showed a lot of composure and trust in each other tonight.”

Komendarek scored 12 points and was named the tournament’s MVP, while Maynard, who had 17 for the game, was named to the all-tournament team. Shelby Benjamin also made the all-tournament squad for Norwich.