Purple Tornado momentum too much for Warriors in STAC divisional win

NORWICH – Finding their rhythm in the second quarter, Norwich’s defense came alive. With their defensive effort in the second and third quarters, the Purple Tornado gained the lead and held it for the remainder of the contest to defeat Chenango Valley 66-48 for their seventh win of the season.

Chenango Valley’s Marcus Hanyon tallied eight points – six coming from beyond the 3-point line on back-to-back plays – in the first four minutes, aiding in the early 10-4 lead for his team.

Hanyon’s teammate Nate Klein, who had already dished out two assists in the game to Hanyon, started his own scoring spurt with two layups just seconds apart to give the Warriors a 14-9 lead with just over two minutes left in the first.

Norwich’s offense was triggered in the early stanza by Drew Walsh coming in off to the bench. Walsh, who is more so known for his defensive effort on the floor, scored seven of his game total nine points in the quarter – including the layup with 1:20 left to tie the game at 16-16.

“Drew gave us a big spark off the bench after our slow start,” said the Tornado head coach, Tom Collier. “He had a good week of practice and that resulted in him having a good game on Saturday. I keep telling the guys, you get out of this what you put into it.”

After struggling out of the gate Norwich’s Carson Maynard found his way and became a game-changing factor in the second quarter. The lanky junior guard for the Tornado brought energy to the defensive side of the ball for the home team, coming up with either a steal or deflection.

Story Continues Below Adverts

“I had to take Carson out early to let him get his bearings,” said Collier. “He responded well to some advice I gave him on the bench and once he settled in he did a really nice job both offensively and defensively.”

Maynard gave the Purple Tornado the lead with three minutes remaining in the first half after a transition jumper. The next play down the floor for Norwich ended with a Marcus Cashman 3-pointer.

Maynard and the Tornado extended their lead before the break to as many as six before the Warriors added one more bucket before the buzzer.

Out of the break, Maynard continued his ways as he tacked on eight points in the third to finish with 16 points between the two middle quarters of play. Maynard ended the night with a game-high 19 points.

His intensity on the court then fueled teammate Mujuni Mutabiilwa to start in as well. The two combined for seven steals in the contest which in turn led to Norwich fast-breaks and their uptempo offensive.

While Mutabiilwa contributed only three points in the scoring column for the Purple Tornado, his presence was known in other ways. Mutabiilwa dished out a game-high eight assists in the game and he came up with four steals due to his lockdown defense, as Collier describes it.

“(Mujuni) had a really nice game and he continues to get better and better for us,” Collier said. “His pressure defense and his assists helped lead us to victory. What he does on the court often goes unnoticed by the average fan as he sacrifices his individual scoring for the betterment of the cause. In today’s self-serving world, that’s a rarity.