By JOSH BURRIS
It was not the greatest performance shooting the basketball for the Norwell Lady Knights, but they still managed to come away with a 50-29 victory over the Bishop Dwenger Saints in Wednesday’s home game at The Castle.
Norwell (14-4) made just 16 of 52 shots (30.8 percent) and 7 of 30 attempts (23.3 percent) from the 3-point line.
The Knights did not start off all that bad though. After trailing 8-4, they rattled off 14 straight points to end the first quarter. Makenzie Fuess made three 3-pointers in that stretch. Annabelle Johnson added another three, and Kennedy Fuelling made a layup that gave Norwell an 18-8 lead after one quarter of play.
The second quarter was an entirely different story though as the Knights failed to make a single field goal and scored just 3 points – all at the free-throw line.
“We really struggle to lift ourselves out of those long stretches,” Norwell coach Eric Thornton said. “Those stretches are way too long. They are entire quarters at times.
The Saints (7-13) matched their first-quarter production with 8 more points and went into halftime down 21-16.
“We were fragmented in that second quarter. We weren’t sharp. We just have to find things quicker. When the ball is not going in the basket, my message to them cannot be ‘don’t take the shots our offense is designed to get.’ They’d be frozen out there as a team. When we think too much, we play slow, and we can’t do that. We’ve got to continue to be who we are.”
Emily Todd made a layup two minutes into the third quarter, which snapped a Norwell stretch of just over 11 minutes without a field goal.
Fuelling knocked down a pair of free throws and two threes in the quarter, and Johnson added a jumper to give Norwell a 33-22 lead.
The Knights switched to a fullcourt pressure defense in the third quarter that led to 11 turnovers by the Saints, who ended the game with a total of 27.
Norwell ended things on a higher note in the fourth quarter. With a 35-26 lead, the Knights scored 10 straight to take a 45-26 lead with 1:50 remaining in the game. They ended the quarter with 17 points.
“For them to be able to be the team where they can be consistent through four quarters … that’s their next step. That’s where we are trying to get to in these next couple of weeks,” Thornton said.
Fuelling led Norwell’s offense with 19 points, and Fuess followed with 15. Johnson led the team in rebounds with 10, and Skyla Tomasek followed with eight.
Vanessa Cook scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Saints.
Even with 14 wins, Thornton said his players know there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“Our margin for error on this team is very slim. I’m so proud of these kids here at 14-4, and we are talking about how we still need to get better. That’s the reality that we are in,” he said. “I’m proud of them. To be sitting here with this type of record in the position we are, still able to reach all of our goals, I couldn’t be more proud. They are fighting like crazy.”
Norwell won the JV game 62-32. Ali Riley and Madyson Sonnigsen led Norwell with 13 points each, and Ryland Graft joined them in double figures with 11.
Norwell will be back in action on Saturday for a home NE8 Conference game against Bellmont.
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NORWELL 50, BISHOP DWENGER 29
At Norwell High School
BISHOP DWENGER (7-13): Kassidy Court 0-2 0-0 0, Mackenzie Sokol 2-17 1-2 5, Taylor Aselage 0-0 0-0 0, Samantha Gadomski 0-0 0-0 0, Lexi Linder 1-16 0-0 2, Vanessa Cook 4-8 4-6 12, Sophia Sordelet 0-0 0-0 0, Maddy Schenkel 2-4 0-0 5, Clara Burns 0-0 0-0 0, Mary O-Brien 1-2 1-2 3, Josie Wharton 0-0 0-0 0, Giselle Eke 1-3 0-0 2. TOTALS: 11-52 6-10 29.
NORWELL (14-4): Kennedy Fuelling 6-17 5-5 19, Mackinzie Toliver 2-9 0-0 5, Emily Todd 1-7 0-0 2, Lillian Norris 0-3 0-0 0, Haley Green 1-1 0-0 2, Annabelle Johnson 1-5 1-5 4, Mackenzie Fuess 4-7 4-4 15, Skyla Tomasek 1-3 1-2 3. TOTALS: 16-52 11-16 50.
Bishop Dwenger 8 8 6 7 –– 29
Norwell 18 3 12 17 –– 50
Three-point Goals: Bishop Dwenger 1-22 (Schenkel 1-2, Court 0-1, Linder 0-7, Sokol 0-12), Norwell 7-30 (Fuess 3-4, Fuelling 2-10, Johnson 1-2, Toliver 1-6, Tomasek 0-1, Norris 0-3, Todd 0-4). Rebounds: Bishop Dwenger 41 (Cook 12, Sokol 6, O’Brien 5, Linder 5, Eke 4, Court 2, Schenkel 1), Norwell 36 (Johnson 10, Tomasek 8, Green 4, Fuelling 3, Fuess 3, Toliver 2, Todd 1, Norris 1). Turnovers: Bishop Dwenger 27, Norwell 19. Fouls: Bishop Dwenger 14, Norwell 12. Fouled Out: None. Technicals: None.
JV: Norwell 62, Bishop Dwenger 32
