Southside boys fall in final to Norwich 51-46 ...Late rally falls short

BINGHAMTON - In a game played with the physicality of a Pitt Big East matchup, Norwich seemed more a survivor than a winner in the Section 4 Class A boys basketball championship.

Each time Southside cut the gap, the Purple Tornado were able to stop the Green Hornets' momentum, holding on for a 51-46 victory Thursday night at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.
Southside (15-7) sliced away at a 10-point deficit with 4 1/2 minutes left to get to within three with 1 1/2 minutes remaining. Mike Backer's 3-pointer from the corner made it 49-46 with 1:35 left to play, then Vaughn Labor resumed his dominance down low for the Purple Tornado and drew two fouls. He made just 2-of-4 free throws, but they were enough to put Norwich (20-3) in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association playoffs.
"I'm not usually the one at the line," said the 6-foot-5 senior, who scored a game-high 21 points.
"I just tried to stay in there," Labor said of the rugged play both underneath and outside.
Norwich coach Mark Abbott appreciated his big man's effort.
"Labor was huge for us inside. He had his sights set on states, and he carried us," Abbott said.
Southside led just once, 2-0, when Isaac Yorro converted off an offensive rebound. He led the Green Hornets with 14 points.
Labor and Corey Dietrich then took over, combining for 19 points to give Norwich a 22-9 advantage 4:24 before halftime. Dietrich, who did most of his damage on drives to the basket, finished with 13 points.
The Green Hornets, plagued by turnovers and missed shots, made a run just before intermission as Kevyn Walker drained a pair of 3s and Backer scored down low to pull Southside to within 24-18 with a half remaining.
But Norwich scored the first five points of the third period to up its lead to 29-18. Again, Southside fought back but was never able to get even with the Purple Tornado.
"We played hard and kept battling," Southside coach John Fesetch said. "We had a hard time putting the ball in the hoop."
Norwich enjoyed a big advantage at the foul line, taking 25 attempts to seven for Southside.
One call that particularly steamed the Southside faithful involved a vicious slam dunk by Brent McLaurin off a rebound of a Backer shot with five minutes left in the game. The basket was disallowed when the official ruled McLaurin went over a Norwich player's back.
Had it counted, it would have pulled Southside to within five at 44-39. Instead, Norwich got three more points and led 47-37 with 4:31 left.
Brad Bellinger, who finished with 12 points, pulled down some tough defensive rebounds and Backer, who struggled most of the night offensively, got four of his 10 points over the final 2 1/2 minutes as the Green Hornets rallied again.
"I tried to bring us back, but they were tougher than us," Backer said.
Even more saddening than the loss for Fesetch is the end of his time working with this Green Hornets unit.
"It's going to be tough not to coach these guys because of the kind of kids they are," he said.

Southside vs. Norwich tonight for Class A boys title March 5 2009

Basketball programs that hadn't collided for better than 20 years will do so for the second time in 17 days, with Section 4's Class A boys championship at stake beginning at 7:45 tonight at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.


Top-seeded Southside and No. 3 seed Norwich got acquainted in the semifinal round of Southern Tier Athletic Conference playoffs, the Purple Tornado controlling second-half play and claiming a 66-55 victory.
"We'll have to batten down the hatches," Tornado coach Mark Abbott said. "In the first game, we gave up 18 points in the first quarter and 37 the rest of the way. ... They're a fast-paced team, and we need to make them be a slower-paced team."
The Green Hornets are led by 6-foot guard Mike Backer and 6-4 forward Isaac Yorro, who together provide 32 1/2 points per game. They were limited to a combined 11 points in Game 1, and Norwich countered with 10 3-point goals-- six from Josh Borfitz in a 24-point outing.
Topping Southside coach John Fesetch's priority list for the title game? "Defend!" he said.
Fesetch added, "Mark's kids are very comfortable in what they do. He obviously does a great job of teaching his kids how to play basketball. They're just a fun team to watch play. ... They do a lot of stuff off the dribble, yet they take great shots."
Vestal, Windsor and Seton Catholic Central have been the lone teams this season to get the better of Norwich, which has won 10 of its last 11 games. The Purple Tornado's sectional playoff victories have come by 22 and 29 points, respectively.
Abbott cited transition defense and defensive rebounding as keys to success for his squad, which has long targeted just that on this night.
"Our goal since last March has been to win the Section 4 Class A championship," he said, "and 11 months have now turned into 32 minutes."

Elmira Southside Boys Basketball reach the finals for the Section 4 Class A Playoffs. Green Hornets head to Broome County Arena for title game

Southside boys hoops team advances to finals which will be held at Broome County Veterns Memorial Arena Thursady Feb 5 2009

The Southside boys threatened to put Maine-Endwell away early Saturday night, but the Spartans scrapped back before the top-seeded Green Hornets won 67-56 in a Section 4 Class A semifinal at Southside.

The win sets up a rematch of the Southern Tier Athletic Conference semifinals, when Norwich beat Southside 66-55 at Norwich. The second-seeded Purple Tornado, a 70-41 winner over Elmira Free Academy in the other semifinal, will take on the Hornets at 7:45 p.m. Thursday at Broome Country Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.
Top-seeded Southside (15-6) played harassing half-court defense and stepped into the passing lanes for several steals. But the Hornets were inconsistent in converting the fast-break attempts and the Spartans, led by Joe Powell's 18 points, worked double-digit leads back to within two points before foul trouble caught up to them late in the game.
"I thought we were sloppy with the ball, but it wasn't because of lack of effort," Southside coach John Fesetch said. "Maybe the kids were a little too pumped up. But we guarded very well on defense and did a great job of helping each other out, so I'm quite pleased. Maine-Endwell are a bunch of tough kids and Powell is a heck of a player."
Isaac Yorro opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and had five points as Southside never trailed and led by as much as 15-4 before M-E (14-6) came back to 15-7 on a 3-pointer by Brian Ruby. In the second quarter, the Hornets led 23-12 before the Spartans fought back to 31-24 at halftime. Mike Backer came alive for seven of his game-high 20 points to lead Southside in the second quarter. Powell, who didn't score in the opening period, had six points before the half.
"Our kids have a ton of heart," Maine-Endwell coach Bill Ocker said. "We feel like we can win any game right up until the final buzzer, no matter what the situation. But we're aggressive and we do pick up a lot of fouls. That's been a problem for us a few times this year and it hurt tonight."
The score was 46-41 to start the fourth period, but by the time John Connolly fouled out, with about three minutes to go, the Southside lead was back to 60-50. Down the stretch, Backer went 6-for-8 from the foul line.
"We just kept working hard and moving the ball around until things started falling," Backer said. "But the defense was setting a lot of it up. I thought the way Bryan Gilbert played Powell was a key.
"Now we'll try to get ready for Norwich. That should be a good game."