Norton Basketball

     Last Thursday, in the NHS gym, the boys' varsity basketball team came together to clench a win over the Rockland Bulldogs. They sent them home with over a 20 point deficit. This win advanced the Lancers onto the quarterfinal game against Archbishop Williams on Saturday.
    
     The crowd was hyped up from beginning to end. Cheering began before tip off. The home bleachers were covered in white, everybody was showing their support. Norton's offense was dominating the entire game. Their ball movement was quick, shots were taken, and they were continuously finding the open player. Norton ended the first half with a 13 point lead over Rockland, calling for a very loud and confident fan section.

      Norton's, Keenan Coffey, seemed to be on fire from the opening seconds to the last seconds. He made five of the ten 3-point shots scored by the Lancers. Coffey hit a few key baskets in the first half keeping Norton up. 12 of his 17 points in the game were scored in the first half.

          Liberatore had Norton playing a zone-defense. 'It's something that we feel comfortable doing, we don't have too much size.' Norton did not allow their weaknesses to get the best of them.. instead they used their strengths to help them out in the situation.

         Senior Keenan Coffey, said: 'My teammates helped me out with screens and passing, I felt good when the ball left my hand.' Keenan was a key player and I am sure he was aware, but he did not let the confidence get the best of him. He knew he couldn't have done it without the rest of his team. Bret Murphy set up Coffey for a 3-pointer moving the Lancers up to a 17-10 lead halfway through the second quarter.

          Norton had the heart and the skill to win this game. They worked together as a team, and the hard work paid off. No player was being selfish, and they did a lot of passing to find the right time to take a good shot. The Lancers' crowd also had a lot of heart in hopes of seeing their team move on. Norton moved on with a 65-44 defeat over the Rockland Bulldogs.