By RICK SPRUNGER
BUNKER HILL — Norwell took care of business in a big way Friday night at the Class 3A Maconaquah sectional semi-final.
The Knights dispatched a badly overmatched host Maconaquh team, 71-32, to earn their ticket to tonight’s championship game.
Norwell, now 19-4 on the season, will square off with Bellmont, 17-7, after its 49-33 victory over Northwestern in the second semi-final. Maconaquah finished its season with an 11-11 mark. Kennedy Fuelling scored 29 points and Makenzie Fuess 20 to lead the Knights.
Fuelling scored 14 of her points in the first quarter to get the team off and running.
Maconaquah hung around for only about five minutes, as the Braves were within 11-10 midway through the first quarter. But Norwell’s 1-3-1 trap gave them trouble all night to the tune of 26 turnovers.
“We want to be relentless on defense regardless of what’s happening on offense,” said Norwell coach Eric Thornton after the game. “Once we turned their shooters into ballhandlers, we were able to go from there.”
The Knights forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and a whopping 20 in the second period while pulling farther and farther away from the beleaguered Braves.
Norwell outscored the hosts, 13-3, over the last 2:28 of the first quarter.
Lilly Norris started it with a three-pointer from the right corner, and Fuelling ended it with a personal 6-0 run in the final 0:24 of the period. She started with a three-pointer, then got a steal and layup with 0:09 remaining.
When Maconaquah turned it over yet again by stepping over the line on the inbounds pass, Fuelling was able to get to the line with 0:04 to play and hit one of two.
Vanessa Rosswurm, who also reached double figures with 10 points, opened the second period with a bucket underneath and a 26-13 score.
Hallie Maiben momentarily silenced the Norwell crowd with a three-pointer, but the Knights outscored Maconaquah 18-1 over the remainder of the second quarter to end any remaining drama.
It was 44-17 at halftime after a second quarter that saw Maconaquah commit 12 turnovers while taking only three shots from the field.
Eight straight points by Fuelling in the first 1:02 of the third quarter on a pair of threes wrapped around a bucket underneath made it 52-17 and triggered a running clock the rest of the way.
Norwell was 29-for-60 for the game for a .483 shooting percentage and committed just seven turnovers in the contest.
Fuelling was 11-for-17 with five three-pointers for her 29 points. Fuess connected on eight of 14 shots, including a pair from behind the arc for her 20.
Maconaquah was 10-for-30 for a .333 shooting percentage while taking half as many shots as the Knights. The Braves were led by Miranda Stoll with 10 points.
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NORWELL 71, MACONAQUAH 32
At Maconaquah
NORWELL (19-4): Dekota Hubble 1-3 0-0 2, Kennedy Fuelling 11-19 2-3 29, Annabelle Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Makenzie Fuess 8-15 2-3 20, Vanessa Russwurm 5-11 0-0 10, Haley Green 0-0 0-0 0, Lilly Norris 2-4 0-0 6, Addie Norris 0-1 0-0 0, Alivia Green 1-1 0-0 2, Ali Riley 0-2 0-0 0, Jada Dale 1-2 0-0 2, Ryland Graft 0-0 0-0 0. TOTAL: 29-60 4-6 71.
MACONAQUAH (11-11): Hallie Maiben 1-1 0-0 3, Shaelyn Powell 1-2 0-0 2, Bailey Carson 2-3 0-0 5, Miranda Stoll 3-10 2-2 10, Sydney Barnes 0-2 3-4 3, Aubrey Kaiser 0-3 0-0 0, Addie Maiben 2-3 0-1 5, Ireland Kile 0-3 2-2 2, Aubrey Stoll 0-0 0-0 0, Chloe Smyth 1-1 0-0 2, Delaney Betzner 0-2 0-0 0, Averie Maiben 0-0 0-0 0. TOTAL: 10-30 7-9 32.
Norwell 24 20 23 4 — 71
Maconaquah 13 4 8 7 — 32
Three-point Field Goals: Norwell 9-24 (Fuelling 5-10, Johnson 0-1, Fuess 2-6, Rosswurm 0-1, L. Norris 2-4, A. Norris 0-1, Riley 0-1), Maconaquah 5-10 (H. Maiben 1-1, Carson 1-1, M. Stoll 2-3, Kaiser 0-1, Ad. Maiben 1-2, Betzner 0-1). Rebounds: Norwell 26 (Rosswurm 6, Hubble 5), Maconaquah 20. Turnovers: Norwell 7, Maconaquah 26. Personal fouls: Norwell 10, Maconaquah 9. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.
