By Grady Thompson

Sun Sports Contributor

NORWICH - The Tornado boys moved past Newark Valley and to the semi-finals of the Section IV Class B tournament on Friday night after an 87-46 crushing of the Cardinals.

“We struggled early on with a week being off, it took us the first four minutes to get back into it,” said Norwich Head Coach Brian Collier. “After the sluggish start we got a couple of turnovers and pushed the tempo which resulted in us getting in a rhythm both offensively and defensively.”

Six different Norwich players scored 10 or more points in the matchup. The Tornado men shot over 50% from the field and were an impressive 17-for-21 from the free-throw line.

The Cardinals had an impact player in senior Deondre Bosket, who scored 28 points off of eight field goals and 12-for-14 shooting from the free-throw line.

“Our bench played well, especially Chris and Tre. The starters came out in the second half and really got going which was nice to see,” Collier said.

Junior Chris Jeffrey led the way for Norwich with 17 points. In the absence of fellow center Jamison Luke who has been out with an injury, Jeffrey’s presence in the paint has proved to be an important factor in Norwich’s success.

Other scorers for the Tornado were Carlos Ithier with 14 points, Dashawn King with 13, Tre Bonham and Jake Walsh with 12 points each, and Jordan Vinal with 10.