Norton Boys Basketball Survives In Ashland

A win is a win. They don't grade you on how pretty or ugly it is.

The boys' basketball team proved that on Tuesday night.

After scoring just one point in the second quarter and trailing by two points at halftime to Ashland, 15-13, the Lancers outscored the Clockers 31-15 in the second half and returned to town with a very hard-fought 44-30 win in a Tri-Valley League contest.

The win improved Norton's record to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the league, the only loss coming to a talented Hopkinton team at home last Friday night

Norton will now look to make it four victories in its first five games when the team hosts Millis in a league contest on Thursday at 6:30 at the Lawrence Larocque Gymnasium.

The game got off to a terrific start for the Lancers on Tuesday night in Ashland as they held a 12-3 lead after the first quarter. But the locals went into an offensive funk in the second quarter, getting outscored 12-1 and trailing by two at the half, 15-13.

The only point for Norton in the second came on a free throw as the team was just one of six from the line in the period. The Lancers continue to struggle at the free throw line this year and hit only 10 of 21 total attempts against the Clockers on Tuesday.

"That quarter is where we had some offensive struggles," said Norton coach Marc Liberatore, prior to his team's practice on Wednesday. "In a lot of ways we were doing the right things during that quarter. It was just not resulting in us scoring a lot of points."

"We told the kids at halftime that if we hold them to 15 points again in the second half, we can't lose. We told them to duplicate their defensive effort and also to play better on offense. And they went out in the second half and did both."

Norton began to bounce back in the third quarter, outscoring the hosts 15-13 to tie the game, 28-28. The team turned up its defensive intensity even more in the fourth quarter, limiting the Clockers to just two points and scoring 16 to earn the win.

"We played great team defense in the fourth quarter and that led to us winning the game," Liberatore said. "On offense we made our free throws and hit some shots in the fourth. But we still have a lot of work to do on offense. With the way we play defense, if we can consistently score in the 50's, we have a great chance to win every night."

Junior forward Colin Feeney scored a career-high 21 points in the game, including 18 in the crucial second half. He was seven of 10 from the floor and seven of 11 from the free throw line. Feeney also had 12 rebounds in the game and two steals.

"We made a conscious effort to get him the ball in the second half," Feeney said. "He had those first-night varsity jitters in the first game, but he has gotten more and more confidence in each game since. And he is playing with a lot of confidence now."

Junior guard Steve Burrill made three three-pointers for nine points. He also had four rebounds, two steals and two assists. Senior captain and point guard Chris Ruta scored five points, including a three. He also had three rebounds, two steals and five assists.

Senior captain and guard Joe Wilkes had two points, two rebounds, two steals and two assists, while senior guard Brendan Curtin chipped in with three points, three rebounds and one steal. Senior forward Steve Tessier also contributed four points to the win.

The Norton junior varsity team improved to 3-0 with a 53-33 win in Ashland on Tuesday. The Lancers have allowed 39 points or less in all three of their games this winter.

In just two quarters of action, junior forward Brendan Breau had 15 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Tyler Anderson had 10 points and four rebounds, while sophomore point guard Paul Murphy contributed eight points and three assists. Murphy has 15 assists and just one turnover in three games this winter.

"The kids are playing so hard on defense," said Norton head junior varsity coach Alex DaLuz. "They are really developing an identity. The kids are taking a lot of pride in their defense. Overall, the kids have played very well. They continue to improve with their execution on offense. We are running the fast break and getting points off turnovers."

The Norton junior varsity team will host Millis on Thursday night at 5 p.m. at the Larocque Gym with the varsity game against the Mohawks beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Millis varsity is coming off a 68-56 win in Westwood on Tuesday. Senior guard Kyle Latosek led the Mohawks (1-1) with 17 points. Senior forward Alex Lagos, a transfer from King Philip, contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks to the win. Jamie Davis also scored 16 points for Millis, while Chris Baker had 13 points, six rebounds and six steals.

"That was a nice win for them on Tuesday night," Liberatore said. "They have good guards and a couple of good shooters. We have played a lot of teams this year with good guards and we expect another tough TVL battle on Thursday night."