Are you watching closely? I am, and you should, too.

If you’re any kind of Norwich basketball fan, you know the boys’ basketball team’s recent history: Three straight Section IV titles, followed by three straight losses to Section III teams in the first round of the state playoffs.

The last two defeats were administered by Westhill, a Section III power with multiple state championships. By any measure, Norwich was nearly the equal of the Warriors losing by one point in 2013 and by three points in overtime this past March.

Subsequently, Westhill went on to win the 2014 state title, and followed that up with a Federation championship to cap a 27-0 season. At no instant during those 27 wins was Westhill any closer to defeat than its Central New York regional finals game against Norwich.

If Zan Stewart’s three-pointer at the buzzer rattles in instead of out, we might be talking about Norwich’s unbeaten state championship.

Over the course of 2013-2014 season, it seemed like Norwich and Westhill were on a collision course to reboot the March, 2013 classic. It was just a matter of each team doing its part, and each roster was indeed on point during the postseason to set up another terrific clash.