Frank Speziale Photo

NORWICH – Earlier this season, the game between long-time rivals of Norwich and Oneonta was lopsided in favor of the Yellowjackets. The two teams were separated by 20-plus points. Friday night was a totally different story.

Oneonta’s Teddy McGraw scored the first basket of the game and was followed by a deep three-pointer from teammate Graham Wooden, giving the Yellowjackets a 5-1 lead early. For a few minutes, the game went basket for basket at each end of the floor. That was until Norwich’s Marcus Cashman unleashed the long-range attack.

Cashman hit his first in the Oneonta defender’s face, tying the game at 8-8. The Yellowjackets answered with a bucket and a three ball of their own, taking a 13-8 lead.

Again, Cashman answered with a three as he cut the lead down to two points. The next offensive possession for the Purple Tornado resulted with another Cashman three as he caught fire. His third three gave Norwich their first lead of the contest. Oneonta again took the lead back, closing the first eight minutes out 17-16.

Cashman had 11 straight points in the first quarter for the Purple, keeping the game within reach.

The atmosphere for the game was one of the old days with the student section standing and cheering loudly while the fans were also engaging. But McGraw quickly put a stop to that at the beginning of the second as he took the Norwich turnover and threw the fast break dunk down, rattling the rim.

And again Cashman answered, scoring on back-to-back possessions to again tie the game up. A strong take to the rim by Carson Maynard followed by an all team hustle play that resulted in a Michael Carson score, gave Norwich the 24-22 lead with four minutes left in the half.

Carson finished at the basket again then drew the offensive charge on Wooden, sending Wooden to the bench with foul trouble.

Marcus Benjamin capped off his nine point first half with two free-throws and a strong finish – from a crazy pass by Maynard that left the fans wondering how it got through the defense – that helped set up Norwich’s largest lead of the game. One additional basket from Maynard after a steal sent the Purple into the locker room with a 33-25 score.

Beang started the scoring following the break with a three, cutting the lead down to five. Maynard scored at the other end and both teams continued the basket for basket for most of the third and fourth quarter.

Oneonta did get their stops they needed throughout the quarters, cutting the lead to down to nothing and eventually taking the lead midway in the final eight minutes.

At 1:27, McGraw drove baseline to get the score and the 57-54 lead.

Mujuni Mutabiilwa came off the bench and hit his one and only basket behind the three-point arc to tie the game at 57-57 with 55 seconds left.

Both teams had chances at the end to take the win in regulation but missed free-throws for Norwich and a missed shot for the Yellowjackets sent the game into overtime.