Norwayne stuns Chippewa with furious rally in huge WCAL matchup

DOYLESTOWN — Everything was turning up Chippewa for the first 20 minutes Friday.

The Chipps were dominating Norwayne in every way midway through the third quarter, using skill, size and depth to frustrate the Bobcats' offense and pick apart their defense. After years of waiting, Chippewa was in the midst of announcing itself as perhaps the favorite to win the Wayne County Athletic League in front a packed house at Serpentini Fieldhouse.

And then it all changed.

Norwayne flipped the script and completed a furious second-half comeback, stunning Chippewa 61-50 in overtime and leaving Doylestown with what will likely be its most improbable victory of the season. The Bobcats outscored the Chipps 38-8 over the final 12 minutes of regulation and overtime.

"Coach (Brian West) wrote one thing on the board and he circled it. It was 'toughness,'" Norwayne senior Ethan Hann said. "I think that's what we did out there. We came out and we had toughness."

Chippewa (7-1, 2-1) led 42-23 in the third quarter when Ethan Douglas capped a 9-0 run with a layup, showing no signs of slowing down. Point guard Brendan Donnelly was helping the offense stay in control. Tillman Brown came off the bench to torch the Bobcats in the paint. Everything was clicking for the undefeated Chipps.

"I thought for the first three quarters we played with zero energy, zero effort," West said. "They outplayed us, they outhustled us, they outworked us."

At that point, it seemed impossible they would manage only three more field goals for the rest of the night. But that's exactly what happened.

Norwayne turned up the defensive pressure over the final 12 minutes of regulation, and the shots started falling as they slowly chipped into Chippewa's once overwhelming lead.

Hann's buzzer beater from beyond halfcourt — Norwayne's first made 3-pointer of the game — ended the third quarter, cutting Chippewa's lead to 43-30. That proved to be manageable for the Bobcats to overcome over the final eight minutes, thanks to more heroics from Hann, relentless play from Parker Metsker and a blast of energy from sophomore Jon Graham.

Metsker was all over the place in the fourth, hitting two big 3-pointers and scoring 10 of his 14 points as Norwayne came all the way back to force overtime. He also finished his night with five steals, three assists and nine rebounds, including an offensive rebound that eventually led to Norwayne's game-tying shot.

"Coach got on me at halftime and told me to stop forcing things," Metsker said. "But (in the fourth quarter), I felt like I was getting into a groove. I (made) the first (3-pointer), so I figured I'd pull the second one. It worked out."

Metsker also face-guarded Chippewa star Caleb Gasser for extended periods, limiting him to nine points.

"(Gasser) is one of the best players in the league, and there was no question in my mind who I was putting on him all week long," West said. "I knew it was going to be Parker. Parker is just relentless. He's annoying defensively. He's got quick hands. You always know he's there when he's guarding you, and that wears on kids."

Then there was Hann, who kept Norwayne within striking distance in the first half by scoring 13 of the Bobcats' 21 points over the first two quarters, along with extending the game when it mattered most.

Behind big plays from Metsker and Trey Bayless, the latter scoring five points in the fourth, the Bobcats found themselves trailing by 47-45 with 17 seconds to go in a baseline out-of-bounds situation.

Hann went up to his coach during a stoppage in play before the play.

"Give credit to Ethan Hann," West said. "At the end of regulation, we're taking it out under the basket, and he says, 'Coach, give me the ball.' It's been a long time since somebody has told me that. As a senior captain, you tell me you want the ball, here you go. Go get it done. And he did."

Hann delivered, going right at the 6-foot-4 Douglas, and using his body to create just enough separation to get off the tying layup. He finished with a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Donnelly got a good look for the win at the buzzer for Chippewa but it didn't fall. After seeing their lead evaporate over the final 12 minutes of regulation, the Chipps had little chance in overtime, as the Bobcats outscored them 14-3 in the extra session.

"I think their pressure sped us up a little bit," Chippewa coach DJ Schrock said. "But we have to make better decisions. It's everybody. It wasn't one person where we can say, 'That cost us the game.' We don't point fingers. It's all of us, and we've got to do a better job.

"You have to play in those situations to learn how to handle them. Obviously, you'd like to learn and win. We unfortunately lost, but we still have to learn."

Graham's night won't look impressive statistically. He didn't score a point and only grabbed one rebound. But after not playing all game and seeing limited time as part of the Bobcats' typical rotation this season, he got the call from West to start the fourth. Graham played a little less than six minutes, and the Bobcats went on a 13-4 run while he was in the game.

"I think playing and being the player that he is on the soccer field helps with that," West said of Graham, who was co-WCAL Player of the Year in soccer in the fall. "He's been in big-time situations in big-time games, whether it's soccer or basketball, he's been in that atmosphere. ... Jon is just one of those kids where nothing rattles him. He just goes and plays. He changed the whole complexion of the game."

Justin Rupp finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocks for Norwayne, making a big impact as a defender even on a night when things weren't clicking for him offensively. Bayless also played one of his best games of the season, scoring nine points and grabbing four rebounds.

"Trey has been solid all year," West said. "He's hit some big shots. He's been one of those guys who has accepted his role and plays it to his fullest. He's an energy guy. He makes the right basketball play all the time. He doesn't try to do too much. He's been huge for us this year."

While Chippewa left the gym disappointed Friday night, it has plenty to be excited about as it heads into the bulk of its WCAL schedule. The Chipps have all the pieces to be a contender in the WCAL.

"They get up in you a lot," Metsker said of Chippewa. "On defense, they're all up in you, it's hard to cut and hard to get open. They're athletic too."

Brown led the Chipps with 14 points and Donnelly had a stellar all-around performance with 12 points, six steals and four assists. With players like Brown, Donnelly Gasser, Douglas, Logan Toler, Nick Tsimpiris and others, the Chipps have impact players all over the floor.

It should make for quite the interesting rematch in Creston on Jan. 27.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Boys Basketball: Norwayne rallies to stun Chippewa