By RYAN WALKER
It wasn’t a pretty one by Norwell’s standards, but the Knights still came away with a 20-point victory over Oak Hill.
On paper, it’s a 20-point win over a previously unbeaten Oak Hill (4-1) squad. But what head coach Eric Thornton sees in his Knights (4-3) is likely due to a 26% shooting night, 26% from three and 17 turnovers.
“It was just a little bit clunky tonight,” Norwell head coach Thornton said.
The Golden Eagles’ zone defense stifled the Knights, who rushed shots and took many of them in the first half and weren’t hitting. Norwell attempted 60 shots to Oak Hill’s 38 in the contest. That held the score close and never gave Norwell the big lead it desired over a less inferior Oak Hill team until late in the fourth quarter.
Part of the reason could have been that guard Addison Norris was injured in the last game against Homestead on Wednesday. It was a tough blow for the team as she was coming off of a strong 10-point performance and has started to find her role. She is expected to return by the end of next week.
Ashley Waldman was the only Knight to hit a three in the first quarter but altogether, Norwell struggled with what makes them lethal on offense.
The low-scoring affair continued into the second quarter when just five baskets were made between the teams. The separator from Norwell’s 11 points and Oak Hill’s six points were Vanessa Rosswurm’s two threes on the night (she finished 2-9 overall from deep) and Waldman’s triple. The Eagles got two buckets from Brianna Dailey and some free throws.
“Oak Hill was a strong competitor tonight — (it was a) very physical game, especially on the ball,” Thornton said. “And you just got to play through that stuff and get what you want. So that gives us something to continue to work on.”
The third quarter was still a little stagnant for the Knights. Again, they hit just three shots — a three from Macie Saalfrank, a two from Rosswurm and a converted three-point play from Haley Williamson.
The score differential was still at double-digits at the end of the third, but still something missing from the offense. But then, the Knights started to play with more patience and the Eagles’ defense grew tired by their style of play.
Saalfrank got the Knights’ scoring started with back-to-back threes. Waldman’s third of the game came shortly after, followed by another from Saalfrank. The four triples came within 2:30 of each other and were relatively wide open.
Oak Hill didn’t have an answer, and the Knights were able to come away with a better final quarter it hoped for.
“I think we missed Addie tonight at times,” Thornton said. “But again, what a great opportunity for some of our other kids. And we were able to utilize that depth, and I thought our bench did a great job.”
Saalfrank’s team-high 18 points is the second night during the week in double figures, scoring 13 against Homestead. Waldman has also taken the next step in her game, hitting 8-14 from downtown in her past two games. Those two, along with Norris against Homestead, have started to bud in their first varsity seasons after leading the junior varsity squad for the past two seasons.
“Being comfortable with who they are out there on the floor is exactly what we need from them,” Thornton said. “I think their growth is a lot from their confidence.”
Norwell won the junior varsity contest 47-17. Mia Kurtz led the Knights with 14 points, Daisy Swineford 10 and Eden Nash 8.
Norwell will host Concordia at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26.
ryan@news-banner.com
NORWELL 54, OAK HILL 34
At Norwell
OAK HILL (4-1): Liz Godfrey 4-8 0-0 11, Landri Hardman 2-14 2-4 7, Brianna Dailey 3-4 1-2 7, Lydia Trexler 2-3 0-1 4, Erika Newhouse 1-3 1-2 3, Morgan Cates 1-3 0-0 2, Alexa Myers 0-3 0-0 0, Lilly Edwards 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 13-38 4-9 34.
NORWELL (4-3): Macie Saalfrank 6-18 2-4 18, Vanessa Rosswurm 4-23 6-7 16, Ashley Waldman 3-8 0-0 9, Haley Williamson 1-2 1-1 3, Mia Kurtz 1-1 0-0 2, Larkin Smith 0-1 2-2 2, Isabella Swineford 1-1 0-0 2, Jada Dale 0-3 2-2 2, Ryland Graft 0-2 0-0 0, Alivia Green 0-0 0-0 0, Mekynzi Beck 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16-60 13-18 54.
Oak Hill 8 6 11 9 — 34
Norwell 13 11 13 17 — 54
Three-Point Shooting: Oak Hill 4-12 (Godfrey 3-6, Hardman 1-4, Newhouse 0-1, Myers 0-1), Norwell 9-34 (Saalfrank 4-11, Waldman 3-7, Rosswurm 2-9, Graft 0-2, Smith 0-1, Williamson 0-1, Dale 0-2). Rebounds: Oak Hill 22 (Cates 6, Trexler 4, Hardman 3, Newhouse 2, Myers 2, Godfrey 1, Dailey 1), Norwell 43 (Rosswurm 9, Green 5, Smith 4, Saalfrank 3, Waldman 3, Dale 2, Kurtz 1, Swineford 1). Turnovers: Oak Hill 23, Norwell 17. Fouls: Oak Hill 20, Norwell 11. Fouled out: Oak Hill Newhouse. Technicals: None.
