COLUMBIA CITY – It was Norwell vs. Columbia City vs. the whistle.

The IBCA No. 2 Knights and Eagles were called for a combined 41 fouls Friday night, but Norwell built a double-digit lead in the second half and survived a perilous few minutes of foul trouble late in the fourth quarter for a 55-43 NE8 conference victory.

"I thought our effort defensively was outstanding tonight. We had some other things where maybe we didn't play up to our standard, and I think Columbia City had a lot to do with that," Norwell coach Eric Thornton said. "Defensively, our kids hung in there, we played with toughness, and I think we fought. Again, the effort was really good, and that's the standard we need to play to to come on the road and get a hard-fought win in the conference."

Although the Eagles won l

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