By Robert Jeffrey
Sun Sports Contributor
Frank Speziale Photo
NORWICH – The last time a top-seeded Norwich boys basketball team played a sectional quarterfinal game on a Saturday was in 2015. The result? A 65-62 loss against the eighth-seeded Chenango Valley Warriors, who carried the momentum through sectionals winning a Section IV title in the process.
Ironically enough, Norwich had CV’s calling card that season, cashing in on two 20-point wins that year. In the case of Saturday’s opponent, Feb. 25, in Newark Valley, Norwich delivered a 19-point win against the Cardinals in December’s Tom Schwan tournament and a 41 point victory in last year’s sectional quarterfinals. At first glance, it appeared as though Norwich would tempt fate once again.
With the Cardinals playing the part of Cinderella, they made Norwich work for every single point. And with Norwich’s offensive motor struggling to start the Cardinals made every basket they made hurt, taking a one point advantage 12-11 into the second quarter of play. The offensive play of Dashawn King scoring seven of Norwich’s 11-points in the first quarter kept the Purple Tornado afloat. And with the lackluster play from their other offensive weapons, Norwich needed answers.
Things only got worse for Norwich as Newark Valley pushed their lead to 26-17 with 4:15 remaining in the second period and the intensity of the Cardinal crowd began to rise.
But Norwich fought back, scoring nine straight points – including seven straight from NHS center Chris Jeffrey – managing to tie the game at 26 with 2:15 remaining in the period.
A series of scores from Newark Valley’s Dan Lindhorst and Quartus Steika regained the lead for the visitors. Ky’sawn Veale’s two-point opportunity cut the Cardinals lead to 31-28 at the half. For the Norwich faithful, it appeared as though it was déjà vu all over again.
Norwich’s third quarter offense thrived, with Norwich speeding out to a 40-35 lead with 3:35 left to go in the period, thanks to eight straight points from Norwich’s Tre Bonham. A Chris Jeffrey lay-up pushed the NHS lead to 42-35 with 2:37 left as the audience in Jack Jones gymnasium exhaled a collective sigh of relief.
But, that stress-free feeling wouldn’t last long. NV’s Aaron Gorsline drained a trifecta, and a Quartus Steika lay-up put the ‘Cards within 42-40.
Norwich’s Jeffrey denied the Cardinals a chance to take the lead and gave the Tornado some much needed energy in the process. Driving the length of the court, Jeffrey euro-stepped between two Newark Valley defenders, but instead of a laying the ball in he opted for a powerful two-handed slam dunk that got the Norwich faithful on their feet.
Aaron Gorsline began the scoring for Newark Valley – cutting the NHS lead to two with 7:45 left in the game. However, Norwich went on a run capped off by another Bonham trifecta and a Jeffrey turn-around and-one jumper that pushed the Tornado lead to 52-42, the highest lead held by either team to this point. And with 4:05 remaining Bonham hit his fourth three-pointer of the night, pushing the Tornado lead to 11.
But Cinderella was still at the ball and midnight was still nowhere in sight.
Over the next three minutes, Newark Valley outscored Norwich 10-2, and a Barak Steika shot from beyond the arc cut the Norwich lead 57-54 with 49.2 seconds remaining. A Norwich missed shot, gave the Cardinals the ball with 7.3 remaining, giving them the opportunity to draw-up a play to tie the game.
The stakes were high and the tension grew. Newark Valley inbounds the ball and with Norwich’s King guarding Newark Valley’s Chad Wright so tightly, that a single sheet of paper couldn’t be fit between the two athletes, Wright rose from the wing-draining his three-point chance tying the game at 57 with 2.8 seconds remaining in the game. With Norwich’s desperation heave from Bonham no-good, this game was going to overtime.
Norwich started the overtime period off strong, as Veale hit a streaking Michael Carson for two, 59-57 Tornado.
