Purple Tornado Jahlil Jones goes under the Seton Catholic defender’s attempt to block the shot in the first half of the Section IV Class B championship game Sunday night. Jones finished with 21 points but Norwich fell to the Saints 79-52. (Photo by Jamey Mullen)

BINGHAMTON – In a game not many thought the Purple Tornado boys basketball team were going to be in, the Norwich group added more excitement of the unimaginable to start the Section IV Class B championship game.

Unfortunately for Norwich, Seton Catholic’s Brett Rumpel, who was averaging around 35 points per game, took the driver’s seat for the Saints and led his team to the Class B title behind a 45-point performance in the 79-52 victory Sunday night at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Seton Catholic junior guard tallied 28 points in the second half, pacing his team to take the comeback after the Tornado held a 15-point advantage in the early minutes of the second stanza.

The Purple Tornado out-rebounded the Saints 37-32 but turned the ball over 16 times compared to Seton Catholic’s seven.

Another key factor to the game was the trips to the free throw line. While Norwich attempted just 18 foul shots all game – making 11 of them – the Saints were 29-for-42 at the charity stripe, taking nearly three times as many of the Tornado.

Norwich started the game off with a 10-0 run against the nine-ranked team in the state, shocking the Saints and Tornado fans alike. Senior Jahlil Jones was the scoring leader during the early run, tallying six of Norwich’s first points.