NORWELL – Coming off a perfect season can be tricky. There are plenty of expectations and things become increasingly difficult with a revamped roster.
Norwell has passed the test to this point, with Nick Fein leading the charge. The senior captain finished with 29 points, hitting a game-winning layup at the buzzer as the Clippers (2-0) pulled off a miraculous rally Friday to stun South Shore League rival Middleboro, 58-56.
“I knew it was going to be a tough game,” said Norwell coach John Willis. “They’re good, well-coached, so I knew it would be really, really tough. We’ve been a little bit behind as far as getting preparation. We haven’t had a chance to work on a ton of situations in practices because of the Super Bowl and things like that. So, we’re a little bit behind where we want to be. But they showed some toughness, they showed some grit. We didn’t quit. We executed down at the end.”
The South Shore League rivals engaged in a heated battle to open play. Led by a scorching start from Nolan Trottier, Middleboro (2-1) jumped out to an early lead. The senior guard drilled a trio of three-pointers in the game’s opening 3:04, helping the Sachems seize a quick 11-4 lead.
Somehow, Trottier was only beginning to heat up. Later on with 3:56 to go in the second quarter, the senior drilled another triple, pushing Middleboro’s lead to 28-17. By that point, Trottier already had 20 points himself.
However, Norwell responded as the first half concluded. Fein racked up 16 points of his own over the first two quarters, as the Clippers closed on a 13-6 run to trim their deficit to 34-30 at the break.
The battle continued well into the second half. After Trottier led the charge for Middleboro early, Ryan Tullish stepped up for the Sachems as time wore on, scoring 12 of his 16 points over the last two quarters. After Norwell battled back to within one with 18 seconds to play, the junior sank a pair of free throws, as Middleboro found itself clinging to a 56-53 lead with 12.8 ticks remaining.
Willis called a timeout for Norwell, and drew up a play for Fein with his group looking to draw even. As he looked to inbound shortly thereafter, senior Keegan O’Hare spotted teammate Bret Amorosino camped in the corner. He fed his classmate the ball, then watched as Amorosino buried a game-tying three with 5.5 seconds to play. Suddenly, the crowd at Norwell High School erupted in pandemonium, with the rivals deadlocked at 56-all.
Ironically, it was Amorosino’s 18th birthday and Willis’ 60th.
“It’s just about putting yourself in opportunities, and situations where you can play to your best potential,” Amorosino said. “I got a good look. Great pass from Keegan O’Hare, and I just drilled it.”
Middleboro scrambled to inbound the ball moments later. The Sachems fed the rock to Tullish, who drove to midcourt. However, Fein was there to make a steal, then sprinted toward the opposing bucket. After a quick glance at the clock, he decided to drive to the hoop. The senior captain sank a contested layup as time expired, then watched as the entire student section and his teammates stormed the court in celebration.
“I remember a couple of years ago, we had a similar buzzer-beater here,” Fein said. “Everyone stormed the court. As soon as I stormed the court with them, it was just a memory that I wanted to have personally. I’m so grateful that I got to have it.”
