Boys’ Basketball

Oneonta 47, Norwich 41

ONEONTA – Oneonta made defensive stops on Norwich’s final five possessions, and senior Dan O’Brien canned a big three-pointer with under 20 seconds remaining to put a dagger in the Tornado’s victory hopes Friday.

O’Brien had 19 points in the victory and Zach Harlem added 10. The Yellowjackets jumped out a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game getting a pair of three balls from Harlem to establish early command.

Norwich, however, dictated tempo and was never out of reach rallying back to take a 14-13 lead at the first turn.

OHS limited NHS to just 15 points over the middle two quarters, and subsequently took a four-point lead into the last quarter. Leading by seven, a pair of Josh Borfitz three balls drew Norwich to 42-41 with just over 3:16 to play.

Down the stretch, Norwich missed two open shots, two layups, and the front end of a one-and-one foul shot. The only turnover among those last possessions led to O’Brien’s decisive three-pointer. “Our effort and intensity were tremendous, we just could not score down the stretch,” said Norwich coach Mark Abbott.