Basketball Recap: Norton Wins Going Away Against Russell

Norton won against Southern Valley last Tuesday with 62 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. The Norton Bluejays enjoyed a cozy 62-44 victory over the Russell Broncos. With that win, the Bluejays brought their scoring average up to 50.2 points per game.

Eli Jones was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 18 points and nine boards. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 15.3 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyce Melvin, who went 5 of 7 on his way to 13 points and four steals.

Russell's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Dominick Hernandez, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 13 rebounds, and Sam Thielen, who posted nine points. The dominant performance gave Hernandez a new career-high in rebounds. Mason Rohr was another key player, putting up ten points.

The victory made it two in a row for Norton and bumps their season record up to 4-2. As for Russell, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-4.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. After both having extra time off, Norton and Haven will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 3:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025. Haven will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Norton surely won't give up without a fight. As for Russell, they will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Ellis at 7:00 p.m. on January 7, 2025.