Turnovers cost Norwalk in tournament loss

NORWALK — It probably felt like deja vu.For the second time on Wednesday, Norwalk took a defensive stand against Vermilion.But for the second time in less than three quarters, the eighth-seeded Truckers could not cash in.The fourth-seeded Sailors used consecutive 3-pointers to snap a long scoreless drought en route to running away with a 46-27 win in a Division II sectional semifinal."I thought the turning point was the back-to-back 3s," Norwalk coach Brock Manlet said. "Those are two daggers after we started to climb back in it a little bit. I thought we were starting to gain a little confidence when we got back to 10."The Truckers finished the season with a record of 10-10. Norwalk had won its last four games and five of its last six before the loss to Vermilion (12-9)."I don't know what it was," Manlet said. "You have to give Vermilion credit. I thought they played extremely hard. Defensively, they are up in your face."The Truckers trailed 24-8 late in the second quarter when Alex Nolan scored the last bucket of the half for Norwalk. Brooklyn Davis and Kylie Moser opened the second half with scores to bring the Truckers within 24-14. But, Hallie Habermehl got the Sailors on the board for the first time in 5:33 with a 3-pointer. Just 22 seconds later, Marianna Plas drilled a 3 and suddenly, the margin had ballooned to 16 points with 3:41 left in the third quarter."Vermilion just does not make anything easy," Manlet said. "What surprised me the most was we lost our confidence once we got punched in the mouth. We could not recover. I thought they were extremely ready to play and we just didn't answer the bell."That run was about the last push Norwalk made. Two free throws from Habermehl extended the lead to 36-19 before Shyanne Moser wrapped up the third quarter scoring for the Truckers.Norwalk got within 14 points after two free throws by Elena Barber with seven minutes left, but the Truckers did not get any closer, going scoreless over the next 4:34. Barber made two free throws, but by then, Norwalk still trailed 43-25."They do a lot of things really well," Vermilion coach Jason Sockel said. "If you sit back and let them run their offense, they will pick you apart. I was very aware of them dumping the ball down to Brooklyn inside. We had to stay home with her."The Truckers were done in by too many miscues. Norwalk committed 26 turnovers with 17 of them coming in the first half."That has been an issue all year," Manlet said. "We have struggled to score this year, but in the last five or six games, I thought we started to turn the corner a little bit and handle it better. Tonight was a snowball effect. Once we lost our confidence, we could not get it back."Vermilion ripped off 12 points in a row in less than three minutes in the first quarter, but the Sailors' offense cooled off. Brooklyn Davis and Barber scored for Norwalk, but it was the only points the Truckers mustered in a 6:19 stretch in which Vermilion scored just three points."That is Vermilion taking us out of our offense," Manlet said. "We have run our offense pretty well the last two weeks or so. They just did not let us turn the corner and they bothered us all the way up the floor."The two teams split two regular-season meetings. Vermilion took a 31-23 win on Dec. 18 in Norwalk while the Truckers bounced back on Jan. 23 in Vermilion, 39-29."I thought we did a much better job getting out in transition," Sockel said. "We forced turnovers and our defense forced a lot more offense."Manlet spoke to the trials and struggles that came this season, especially while dealing with COVID."My message to the girls was not to remember tonight. Tonight is not what I am going to remember," Manlet said. "I am going to remember the last two or three weeks where we started to turn the corner and play better. In my 10 years here, I have had a lot of teams I have been proud of, but the growth of this team is something I have been most proud of in a team."Norwalk will say goodbye to four seniors in Nolan, Barber, Janel Jubak, and Kennedy Friend."I thought they did it the right way," Manlet said. "You play four years and you invest everything you can into the sport you love. When the time comes when it is done, it is hard to let go. The locker room was very emotional." NORWALK (10-10) Elena Barber 2-4—8, Kylie Moser 1-0—2, Brooklyn Davis 4-0—8, Summer Moehlman 1-0—2, Alex Nolan 1-0—2, Shyanne Moser 1-3—5. TOTALS 10-7—27. VERMILION (12-9) Audrey Peterson 5-0—11, Marianna Plas 5-3—14, Hallie Habermehl 3-3—10, Morgan Potts 1 0—2, Camryn Colahan 1-1—4, Kaitlin Colahan 1-0—2, Molly Plas 1-1—3. TOTALS 17-8—46. Norwalk 4 6 11 6 — 27 Vermilion 17 7 12 10 — 46 3-point FGs: (V) Ma. Pias, Habermhel, Peterson, C. Colahan