Norton Boys Basketball Wins Sixth Straight

So much for a letdown.

After earning an emotional and hard-fought 56-53 victory over Martha’s Vineyard in a non-league game on Thursday afternoon at the Lawrence Larocque Gymnasium, there could have been a letdown for the Norton High boys’ basketball team on Friday night when the Lancers traveled to Bellingham for a Tri-Valley League game against a struggling Blackhawk squad.

But Norton quickly put those fears to rest, outscoring Bellingham 30-5 in the first quarter on the way to a convincing 81-42 win over the Blackhawks.

The Lancers, making one of their patented last-season pushes, have now won six consecutive games and eight of their last nine. The victory improved the locals to 14-5 overall and 11-5 in the league, which is good for third place.

Bellingham dropped to 3-15 overall and 3-13 in the TVL.

Medway (15-3 overall) and Hopkinton (15-1) remain tied atop the TVL standings with identical 15-1 marks. Norton is third at 11-5 with Medfield fourth at 8-7 overall and in the league. Dover-Sherborn is fifth with a 10-8 overall record and an 8-8 TVL mark.

During this late-season run by the Lancers, the team has played well on both ends of the floor and Friday night was no exception.

Offensively, Norton had 11 players score in the game, including four with 10 points or more. Senior forward Steve Tessier finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Colin Feeney contributed 13 points. Senior captain and two-guard Joe Wilkes scored 10 points in the game as did junior guard Steve Burrill.

Defense has been a staple for Norton all season and during this six-game winning streak, the team has held all but one opponent (Holliston, 71) to 53 points or less.

After getting a few days of rest, the Lancers will face a challenging end to the regular season. Norton will travel to Medway to battle the Mustangs on Tuesday night. The Lancers dropped a 58-40 decision to Medway at home Jan. 14.

The locals will then host Medfield on Senior Night next Friday at 6:30 p.m. Norton will be looking to avenge a 50-42 loss in Medfield from Jan. 18. The Lancers will then round out the regular season with a trip to Martha’s Vineyard for a re-match with the Vineyarders during school vacation Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, the news is not as good for the Norton girls, who saw their hopes for a berth in the MIAA Division 3 South Sectional Tournament end with a 66-38 setback to Bellingham in a TVL contest on Friday night at the Larocque Gymnasium.

The loss dropped the Lancers to 7-12 overall and 5-11 in the TVL. The Blackhawks improved to 2-15 on the season with both victories coming against Norton.

After beating the Lancers on a last-second shot, 70-68, on Jan. 11 in Bellingham, the visitors came out firing again on Friday night, taking a 33-21 lead at halftime. The Blackhawks did not let up in the second half, outscoring the hosts 32-17 over the last two quarters for the final margin of victory. Megan Edwards led Bellingham with 18 points, while Meghan Casey scored 12 points and Nikki Remy added eight. Senior forward Alex Grimes led Norton with 12 points and six rebounds.

Unfortunately, it will not get any easier for the Lancers as they will host a Medway team on Tuesday night that will be looking to avenge a 62-52 defeat at home from Jan. 14. The Mustangs dropped to 10-5 with a 57-53 overtime loss in Holliston on Friday night.