By Grady Thompson

Sun Sports Contributor

Frank Speziale Photo

NORWICH - The Tornado boys varsity basketball team made a statement on senior night in a 64-28 romping of the Yellowjackets to close the regular season on Friday.

Oneonta only converted on eight of their thirty-eight field goal attempts throughout the matchup, shooting 21% from the field.

“Our defense from beginning to end was in your face and intense,” said Norwich Head Coach Brian Collier. “Every dribble, every pass, every shot was contested. It forced them into 26 turnovers. Offensively, we didn’t shoot well in the first half. We were rushing our shots and we were antsy since it was senior night and it caused our shots to be out of rhythm. But in the second half we slowed things down and shots started falling.”

Norwich went into the locker room with a 9 point advantage that would continue to inflate throughout the third and fourth quarters. On Norwich’s first possession in the second half, every player touched the ball before Jake Walsh found Jordan Vinal on the wing for three, and the tone was set for the rest of the game for the Tornado offense.

“Their team played hard, but we wore down their guards and the turnovers mounted in the second half and resulted in more and more easy baskets for our team,” said Coach Collier. “Cameron Edwards, Jake Walsh, and Matt Parrella got their hands on multiple balls that resulted in steals and offensive rebounds that would give us extra possessions.”

Carlos Ithier, Jordan Vinal, and Dashawn King all put up double-digits in a game where everyone would score for Norwich. King had five rebounds and five steals to add on to his 13 points.

Norwich finishes the regular season with a record of 17-1. They now will focus their attention on the Binghamton Patriots, who they will take on next on Wednesday night at 7:15 p.m. in the STAC semi-final. The game will be played at Binghamton High School.