Men’s Norwood Flames vs Eastern Mavericks
The Norwood Flames (5-8) are still trying to find their way into postseason basketball. They need every win they can get for the remainder of the season, and are hoping to start this with a win against the Eastern Mavericks (5-8). This win will shift both teams’ places on the ladder and will be vital for any postseason dreams.
Jack Hemphill opened the scoring for the Flames with a quick two off the jump ball win, this was followed by a triple from Cooper Osborne to start the game with a 5-point lead. The Mavericks came back with a small run of their own and tied the game up again. This was a theme of the first quarter, Norwood would go on a run and it would be matched by Eastern, and the game would be back to even. Neither team was excelling on the defensive end, only able to get 1 or 2 stops before giving up scores. This kept the game even after the first, 24-24.
The Mavericks hit first in the second quarter, gaining the lead which saw Norwood playing from behind for the first time in the game. The Flames kept their composure and kept playing under control. The game went back and forth for a while, neither team was willing to give up a lead. Eventually, the Mavericks ended the stalemate and extended their lead past 3 points, the largest of the quarter. A small run followed which saw the lead break out to 8-points. The Flames answered, bringing their deficit back to 4 by halftime, 49-45.
It looked like the Mavericks’ offensive momentum would continue into the second half as they drained a triple to start the third. A small 4-point run threatened to extend Norwood’s deficit to double digits, Jack Stanwix stepped up and hit a couple of big shots to keep the Flames in the game. These buckets brought some energy to the team, as they stepped up on both ends. The Mavericks didn’t go away but the Flames started playing much better towards the end of the quarter. They still trailed after some good offensive possessions from the Mavericks sealed the quarter, 66-59.
The fourth opened with both teams firing on offence, Norwood hitting two triples and the Mavs finding their way into the paint. From this point, the Norwood defence stepped up to the highest point it has been all season. The boys looked determined to get a much-needed win and refused to allow the Mavericks any easy points. A massive run allowed the Flames to claim a 4-point lead. The Mavericks found a sense of energy, finally scoring again after a 5-and-a-half-minute drought. Great play in the last minutes of the game created a safe lead for the Flames as they stole a massive 74-84 win.