Storm wins Unadilla Valley Holiday Tournament trophy after win over Vestal; Norwich tops S-E for 3rd place

NEW BERLIN – The Storm’s Levi Rifanburg and Andrew Jackson averaged double-doubles to lead their team to the Unadilla Valley Holiday Tournament championship trophy, a two-day showcase of local boys basketball talent.

The annual tournament saw four games in two days as UV played host the Norwich Purple Tornado, the Sherburne-Earlville Marauders and the Vestal Golden Bears. The Storm claimed bragging rights as they topped Vestal in the championship game Friday evening while Norwich went home with third place after defeating S-E.

In Friday’s championship game, three Unadilla Valley players recorded more than 15 points in the scoring column with tournament MVP (Most Valuable Player) Jackson pouring in a game-high 23 points to lead the way. He added 12 rebounds to his statline.

A day earlier, the Storm took on Sherburne-Earlville and Jackson put up triple-double numbers – scoring 22 points while dishing out 10 assists and pulling down 15 boards as he added six steals in the 70-49 victory.

Rifanburg, an All-Tournament selection, grabbed 16 boards in the game to finished with 18 points in the win over Vestal but was a force inside in the opening round against the Marauders as he tallied a game-best 26 points and added 10 rebounds in the game.

Wyatt Grey, UV’s third scorer over 15, ended the championship night with 16 points.

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The Storm held a 45-22 lead over the Golden Bears after three quarters of play. With the margin being as high as it was, Unadilla Valley head coach Matt Osborne stated he mixed up his rotation in the fourth quarter.

Vestal took advantage by going on a 30 point scoring run for the final eight minutes of play but the Storm’s lead from the first three quarters was enough for them to hold on for the win.

In the consolation game, Norwich saw the return of Marcus Cashman after an injury he suffered before the holiday and head coach Tom Collier said it provided the defensive lift the Tornado needed as they took down S-E, 63-56.

Offensively, Norwich’s Carson Maynard found his way to the rim as the Tornado were able to establish the attack early as they took an early 18-14 lead after one quarter.

Sherburne-Earlville battled back to close the deficit down to one point at halftime but out of the break, Norwich took the commanding lead once again as they finished the third with a 19-8 run.

The Marauders outscored the Purple Tornado by five as they racked up 20 points in the final eight minutes of play but Norwich’s third quarter run was took much for S-E.

Maynard led all scorers in the game with 26 and added 10 rebounds to record his first double-double of the season. He received an All-Tournament nod while Sherburne-Earlville’s Gabe Irwin tallied a team-high 21 in the game.

“Sherburne-Earlville was a very good team and Coach [Kevin] Vibbard has done a great job at putting his players in a position to succeed,” said Collier. “We got a really nice effort from everyone off our bench and it was our best balanced scoring effort team wise as more players contributed to the cause.