Storm Cells

Storm VG @ Wake Christian

2012-01-06T23:56:00.004-05:00

New Life Storm 38 Wake Christian Bulldogs 25

The New Life Storm bounced back from a 2-game losing streak with a strong game at Wake Christian School. The Storm came out moving the ball well, taking good shots, and playing with great intensity on defense. They forced the Bulldogs into 11 turnovers in the first quarter alone and held a commanding 15-2 lead at the end of the quarter. The lead stretched to as much as 19-2 before going into halftime up 24-13. In the second half the Bulldogs were able to close the gap to 8, but this time the Storm responded with 7 straight points to go back up by 15 and were never threatened again. The Storm had balanced scoring, as Hannah Grace led with 7 points, to go with 4 assists and 4 steals. Shelby had 6 points and 10 rebounds, and Mary also scored 6 points.

Storm VG vs Frankston (Aus)

2012-01-02T23:21:00.005-05:00

Frankston Blues 52 New Life Storm 50 (OT)

The Storm girls kicked off 2012 by hosting the Frankston Blues, an Australian team touring the US. The teams spent the afternoon enjoying lunch and gift-exchange together, followed by the game - which ended in a tough overtime loss. The Storm got off to a good start in the first period - Shelby scored 6 of the first 10 points to put the team ahead, then a 3-ptr by Emily and two by Hannah Grace stretched the lead out to 19-9. In the 2nd period Katie Patrick provided a spark off the bench with 3 baskets as she and Emily beat the Blues down the court repeatedly on the fast break, and the Storm lead stretched out to 35-19 at halftime. In the 2nd half the Blues upped the defensive pressure and the Storm had too many quick jumpshots and turnovers. Frankston began getting fast break points and took advantage of poor defensive rotation by NLC. The Blues roared back to take a 3-point lead late in the game. Hannah Grace nailed a clutch 3-pointer to tie the score with 28 seconds left and both teams missed chances to win in regulation. In overtime again the Blues had a 4-point lead with 5 seconds left when Sarah Suffridge was fouled on a 3. She hit the first two and missed the 3rd intentionally. A violation gave the ball to the Storm but their final attempts to tie were unsuccessful. Hannah Grace and Emily finished with 11 points each, and Katie had 9. Shelby pulled down 16 rebounds and Sarah S. had 4 steals.

Storm VG @ St. Mary's

2012-01-01T23:28:00.004-05:00

St. Mary's Saints 46 New Life Storm 38

The Storm took on the Saints and St. Mary's School - only the 2nd time in the 5+ seasons of the program that they have faced a 3A school. The Saints came out strong and jumped out to a 12-2 lead. The Storm fought back and tied the game at 15-15 early in the 2nd period. St. Mary's quickly regained control of the game, holding the Storm to only 7 points over the next 15 minutes. They limited Storm fast break opportunities and played their halfcourt zone defense well, while the Storm lacked patience resulting in turnovers and forced shots. Hannah Grace's 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Shelby's 7 points and 9 rebounds led the Storm, while Emily also chipped in 7 points.

Storm VG @ Sanford Grace

2012-01-01T23:11:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 55 Grace Christian Crusaders 51

The day after winning in Asheboro, the Storm girls were back on the road in Sanford to face the Crusaders of Grace Christian School. The first 3 quarter were close, with the Storm leading by 2 at halftime and 6 at the end of the 3rd quarter, but the Storm depth made a difference and NLC pulled away in the 4th period. The lead stretched to as much as 15 points with under 2 minutes remaining before a late flurry of Crusader points made the final margin closer. The Storm was led by Hannah Grace had 14 points and 4 assists, Emily with 12 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals, Mary with 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Shelby with 17 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Storm VG @ Fayetteville St. Christian

2012-01-01T09:10:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 50 Fayetteville St. Christian Patriots 47

The Storm traveled to Asheboro to take on the Patriots of Fayetteville St. Christian School, the alma mater of coach Aaron Miller. The game was very close and competitive throughout, with the Storm pulling out a narrow victory. Mary scored 14 points to lead the Storm, while Shelby and Hannah Grace had 11 and 10. Shelby also pulled down 20 rebounds, while Emily had 12 and Sarah S. had 4 steals.

Storm VG @ Trinity School of Durham

2011-12-31T10:00:00.005-05:00

New Life Storm 60 Trinity Lions 28

Playing their 5th game in 8 days, the Storm girls rolled to a win over the Trinity Lions in Durham. For the 3rd consecutive game, the Storm used a strong first quarter to grab a double-digit lead and kept pouring it on from there. Also for the 3rd consecutive game, they won by more than 30 points. Ten players scored for the Storm, led by Mary and Tamara with 10 points apiece. Leigh led in rebounding with 10 and Katie dished out 5 assists.

Storm VG @ East Wake

2011-12-31T09:49:00.007-05:00

New Life Storm 65 East Wake Academy Eagles 34

The Storm girls posted their 2nd consecutive 30 point win with a blowout victory over East Wake Academy in Zebulon. The Eagles came into the game with a record of 6-1, but the Storm came out pressing and running with their highest-scoring quarter of the season - putting 23 points on the board in the first period to take a 23-9 lead. A 20-point third quarter put the game out of reach for good. The Storm pressure defense had 32 steals on the game. Hannah Grace led the Storm with 23 points, 5 assists, and 7 steals. Emily had 13 points and 5 steals, and Shelby pulled down 10 rebounds and had 9 steals. Paige Storey and Anna Smith also got their first varsity baskets in the game.

Storm VG @ Norlina

2011-12-31T09:38:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 45 Norlina Christian Crusaders 14

The night after the bruising Franklin Academy game, the Storm girls traveled up to Norlina to take on the Crusaders. The Storm dominated the game, leading 27-7 at halftime and 40-8 after 3 quarters on their way to their 5th win of the season. All 13 players who were there saw a lot of playing time and contributed to the win. The Storm had balanced scoring, as Hannah Grace finished with 9, Shelby with 8, and Mary, Emily, and Katie with 7 apiece. Shelby led in rebounds with 9, while Paige and Hannah Millard had 6 each. Sarah Suffridge led the team with 3 assists.

Storm VG @ Franklin Academy

2011-12-31T09:28:00.003-05:00

Franklin Academy Patriots 37 NLC Storm 34

The Storm girls dropped a close game on the road against Franklin Academy. The game was a tough, physical, defensive battle. NLC held a small lead for most of the game but Franklin made the plays to pull ahead in the final minute. 29 turnovers and some key fouls led to Franklin getting 25 more shot attempts than Storm and more than double the number of FT attempts. Hannah Grace led the Storm with 11 points and 3 assists. Shelby had 7 points and 12 rebounds. Emily also pulled down 12 rebounds. Sarah Suffridge chipped in 7 points and 6 rebounds and drew praise from the coaches afterwards for her toughness after being knocked to the floor multiple times.

Storm VG vs. Kestrel Heights

2011-12-07T14:50:00.003-05:00

NLC Storm 49 Kestrel Heights Hawks 40

For their home opener for the season, the Storm Varsity Girls took on the Kestrel Heights Hawks of Durham. Behind scoring from Hannah Grace and Shelby, the Storm established a first-half lead the team would never relinquish. Mary provided a spark off the bench in the 3rd quarter with 3 inside baskets. Early in the 4th quarter, back to back fast break baskets by Hannah Grace and Sarah Suffridge pushed the lead to double figures. The lead reached as high as 15 points before Aaron rested the starters late. The team played great defense on the Hawks' point guard, holding her 10 points below her 25 ppg average. Hannah Grace led the team in scoring with 17 points, while Shelby was also in double-figures with 10. Shelby and Sarah S. each had 7 rebounds and Hannah Carlson dished out 4 assists.

Varsity Girls vs. Cary Christian JV

2011-11-17T11:24:00.004-05:00

New Life Storm 56 Cary Christian Knights 38

The NLC Storm cruised to a comfortable road victory at Cary Christian in their regular season opener by a score of 56-38. Defensive pressure was a key, with NLC grabbing 16 steals. The Storm ran out to a commanding 29-12 halftime lead, and stretched the lead over 20 early in the 2nd half. All 14 players got ample playing time, with the starters sitting out most of the 2nd half. Hannah Grace led the Storm with 14 points and was disruptive with 6 deflections. Sarah Suffridge joined her in double figures with 10 points along with 5 steals. Shelby pulled down 13 rebounds and Emily had 3 assists to lead the team.

2011 NCHEAC Preseason Tipoff - Varsity Girls

2011-11-07T14:24:00.006-05:00

New Life Storm 47 Low Country Wildcats 42

The girls kicked off the season by facing the defending HSPN East Coast Tournament champion, the Low Country Wildcats of Charleston, SC. The Storm opened up hot from the outside against the Wildcat zone, with Mary Williams, Hannah Grace MacDonald, Hannah Carlson, and Sarah Suffridge all hitting 3-pointers in the 1st quarter. Low Country kept pace, though, ending the quarter tied at 15-15. Tamara Johnson, Leigh Hales, and Shelby Suffridge provided a spark off the bench in the second period, as the Storm pulled out to an 11 point lead. Just when it looked like the girls were ready to pull away, the Wildcats responded in the 3rd quarter. 3 straight jump shots sliced into the Storm lead, but Aaron responded by changing defenses and putting in Sarah S. to shut down the shooter, and the Storm ended the 3rd quarter with a 37-33 lead. With the Low Country defense extended to guard the 3-pointer, the Storm was effective going inside to Shelby, who scored several times. The Wildcats could never get closer than 3 points, and Hannah Grace and Emily Stone led an effective delay offense with good ball-handling and decision-making down the stretch to close out the first Storm victory of the season. Hannah Grace led the team with 10 points and 4 assists, Shelby also scored 10 points and had 3 blocks. Mary led in rebounds with 8.

Forsyth Hawks 57 New Life Storm 37

The nightcap on Friday put the Storm up against Forsyth, who return most of the team that posted a 39-8 record last season. NLC started very slowly offensively, with no made FG in the 1st quarter, and fell behind 10-1. Two 3-pointers from Sarah S. helped get things going, and they went into halftime down only 19-13. Forsyth blew out to a 16-point lead in the 3rd quarter, but 3 post-up baskets by Shelby cut the lead back to 10. The Storm had the momentum at this point, but 2 quick 3's put the Hawks back up by 16 and the Storm never threatened again. The highlight of the game came in the last 4 minutes, where Jessica Marshall and Hannah Millard scored their first Storm baskets. For the game, Shelby led in scoring and rebounding with 12 points and 7 boards, while Hannah Grace had 4 assists.

New Life Storm 62 Blue Ridge Panthers 30

On Saturday, the Storm faced the Blue Ridge Panthers of Hillsville, VA in their final game of the tourney. The coaches stressed the need to play with more defensive intensity and the girls responded. With a small 1st half lead, the Storm went to a 3/4-court press and began causing Blue Ridge turnovers and turning them into points. With NLC taking control of the game, Aaron brought in Mary, Sarah S., and Katie to relieve Hannah Grace, Hannah C., and Tamara, and they combined with Emliy and Shelby to bring a fresh wave of pressure as the Storm surged to a 34-17 halftime lead. The lead passed 20 points early in the second half, and Aaron was able to remove the starters for good less than 3 minutes into the 3rd period. The lead continued to grow, and Aaron went to a lineup without a lot of varsity experience - Hannah Millard, Sarah Munroe, Leigh Hales, Paige Storey, and Jessica Marshall. This group closed out the last 10 minutes of the game in strong fashion, entering with a 31-pt lead and finishing with a 32-pt lead. Sarah hit a 3-ptr, Leigh made two 3's, Jessica scored 3 baskets inside, Paige rebounded well and showed good aggressiveness, and Hannah ran the team well as the point guard. In a true team effort, 11 different Storm players scored in the game, led by Leigh with 10 and Mary and Hannah Carlson with 9 each. 12 Storm players got rebounds, led by Shelby with 6. 10 different players got an assist, led by Emily with 5, and 8 different players had steals, led by Hannah C. with 4.

The tournament was a good experience for the girls. All 13 girls that went got significant playing time and had moments to shine. The girls showed lots to be excited about, and learned some things they need to improve on as they work toward the more important tournaments of February and March. Congratulations go out to Hannah Grace and Mary, who were voted to the All-Tournament team by the opposing coaches.

Meet the 2011-2012 Varsity Girls

2011-11-01T12:35:00.004-04:00

It's time to get another Storm season started! Unlike last year, when the varsity girls team had only 2 returning players, this year they are still relatively young (2 seniors, 8 freshmen/sophomores) but have 10 players returning with varsity experience, led by the MVPs of the last 2 seasons. Junior forward/center Shelby Suffridge returns after leading the team last year in scoring and rebounding (9 pts, 12 reb per game). She also led in FG% and blocked shots, and was 2nd on the team in assists, steals, and deflections. Shelby is recovering from wrist surgery and has been limited in her ability to practice so far, but hopes to be back up to speed by the time the meat of the schedule gets here. Returning after a year away is the 2010 Storm MVP, junior Hannah Grace MacDonald. Hannah Grace is a lethal scorer who led the '09-'10 Storm team in scoring with 14.4 ppg. Sophomore point guard Emily Stone led the team last year in assists and steals. Emily really came on strong at the end of the season, averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game over the last 6 games. Joining those 3 as captains is junior sharpshooter Hannah Carlson. Hannah averaged 7 ppg last season and is a 2-time winner of the 3-pt contest at the HSPN Tourney. Senior forward Mary Williams is another returning starter who averaged 6.5 ppg last season and brings length and athleticism to the front line. Junior center Leigh Hales and freshman guards Katie Patrick and Sarah Suffridge saw a lot of playing time last season - Leigh provided strong rebounding and good passing from the post, Katie provided transition scoring and a knack for getting steals, and Sarah was a tenacious defender who brought toughness and hustle. These 3 girls each spent a lot of time in the gym this summer and have really added to their game. Sophomore guard Tamara Johnson showed a sweet outside shooting stroke off the bench last season and freshman Sarah Munroe gained valuable experience while splitting time between the varsity and middle school teams. The team also welcomes 4 newcomers this season. Freshman Hannah Millard made the All-Tournament team at the Middle School State Tournament last spring. She and sophomore Anna Smith provide depth on the wings. Senior Jessica Marshall and freshman Paige Storey add good size to the frontcourt, helping make this the biggest Storm team ever.

Today we get our first look at the 2011-2012 Storm Varsity Girls in the Black-White scrimmage game at NLC. Aaron and the assistant coaches are very excited about the potential of this team on the court, and as always will be striving as first priority to be a team that is "different" and that reflects the light of Jesus in everything they do.

There's A Storm A-Brewing!

2011-09-28T13:55:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Storm Cells! The blog has been remodeled and revamped to include all of our Storm Athletics teams.

We are excited about the upcoming basketball season as we now have four teams - middle school boys and girls, varsity boys and girls. Throughout the season, we will have reports and highlights from the games so you can track all that is happening.

Tryouts begin next week: October 3rd-7th. To get all the information and schedules, click on the links to the right for your team, which will direct you back to New Life Camp's website.

We hope you enjoy tracking these Storm Cells throughout the season.

HSPN Tourney - 'A' Bracket Championship

2011-03-19T10:09:00.004-04:00

New Life Storm 32 Frederick Force 26

For the 3rd consecutive year, the Storm girls capped off their season playing in the Vines Center, homecourt of the NCAA Division 1 Liberty University Flames. This time, the Storm faced the Force, from Frederick, MD, for the 1A Division championship.
The game was a low-scoring struggle, and the Storm won it with defense. Shelby controlled the lane with 5 blocked shots, Emily got in the passing lanes for 5 steals, and the team really locked down and displayed perhaps their best defensive rotation and help of the season. Offensively they were not able to generate many easy shot opportunities, but they controlled the ball well, with a season-low 11 turnovers on the game. After a 6-5 first quarter, NLC got a little bit of separation in the second quarter. Steals led to runout points by Emily and Ele'Jah. Hannah and Sarah prevented easy Force baskets with good weak-side defensive rotation, and Shelby was able to get free for an open 10-footer in the lane, one of the few open looks inside all game. At halftime, Storm held a 16-10 lead. Two 3-pointers from Hannah, a put-back by Shelby, and a runner from Emily helped build the Storm lead to 10 in the 4th quarter and the Storm appeared to be pulling away for a comfortable win. The Force then came roaring back, cutting the lead to 29-26 with less than 4 minutes to play. With the Force with the ball and a chance to cut the lead further, Shelby stripped the ball from one of the Force guards to regain possession. The Storm then went to a delay offense, which they ran to perfection, running more than 2 minutes off the clock before the Force fouled with less than a minute to play. Free throws provided the final margin as the Storm brought home the 1A championship trophy. Ele'Jah ended her high school career well, scoring 8 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Emily tied her for game-high in points with 8, while Shelby had 7. Shelby also tied for game-high in rebounds with 10.

The tournament was bigger than ever this year and was a lot of fun and a great learning experience for the girls. They played 3 hard-fought, competitive games where they had a chance to win well into the 4th quarter against good teams in pool play, and took home the championship of their division in bracket play. Despite their youth, this team exceeded expectations in winning 13 games on the season, and displayed a ton of potential for the future. With almost everyone able to return next year, under another year of Aaron's (and the assistants') coaching, there is much to be excited about and more trophies to come!

HSPN Tourney - 'A' Bracket Semi-Finals

2011-03-18T00:11:00.002-04:00

New Life Storm 43 St. John Saints 15

After finishing 0-3 in a strong pool during pool play, the NLC Storm were seeded in the 'A' bracket for bracket play. They responded by rolling to a 28-point win over the St. John the Baptist Saints of Front Royal, VA. The Storm was running from the opening tip, scoring mostly on fast break run-outs to jump ahead 15-3 at the end of the first quarter. Once again facing a 2-3 zone, the girls were not particularly effective scoring out of the halfcourt offense, but kept the pressure on defensively and continued to run at every opportunity over the course of the game as they cruised to the easy win. The win was capped off by Sarah Munroe scoring two 4th quarter basket in her first action of the tournament, making it so that all 10 players have now scored in the tourney. For the game, Mary led the Storm with 13 points. Shelby led with 8 rebounds and 6 steals, while Emily dished out 3 assists.

HSPN Tourney - Pool Round 3

2011-03-17T18:03:00.002-04:00

Fairfax Firebirds 52 New Life Storm 40

The New Life Storm lost their third game of the tournament against the Fairfax Firebirds by a score of 52-40. The Firebirds were a senior-dominated team that outsized the Storm at every position on the floor. Once again, NLC faced a physical zone defense that collapsed into the paint, which did a good job surrounding Shelby and denying her good shot opportunities. They also used their size to control the boards. The only points the Storm could manage in the first quarter were two 3-pointers by Emily on out-of-bounds plays, as they fell behind 13-6. The Firebirds stretched it to 26-16 at the half. In the second half, the margin stayed steady in the low double-digits, with the Storm playing hard and getting points from a number of different players, but were not able to generate enough movement to consistently get good shots against the zone and struggled to get stops against the Firebirds. Their best chance came when they cut the lead to 8 with some steals and fast break buckets with about5 minutes to play. Three times in a row they got defensive stops but were not able to convert offensively. Emily led the Storm with 11 points and 5 assists while Shelby pulled down 10 rebounds.

HSPN Tourney - Pool Round 2

2011-03-16T23:37:00.002-04:00

CHEN (MD) Bravehearts 46 New Life Storm 36

In their second game of the first day of the tournament, the NLC Storm faced the Bravehearts of the Christian Home Educators Network of Baltimore, MD. As in the earlier game, this started out as a low-scoring affair. Again, the Storm faced a packed-in zone defense but used good patience to work the ball down low to Shelby. They also played very solid defensively against a team with some quick players who could drive the ball well. At the half the Bravehearts led 18-15, with Shelby already scoring 10 points. The Storm began the second half with an 8-0 run. Mary scored on a put-back, and then made a kick-out to Katie Patrick for a 3 to start the run. Just when it looked like the Storm were about to seize control of the game, the Bravehearts answered. From the middle of the third period to the middle of the 4th period, the lead see-sawed back and forth. Shelby scored on a rebound basket with about 4 minutes left to put the Storm up 36-34. That would be the last points of the game for the Storm, as the Bravehearts closed the game on a 12-0 run. Even with the loss, this young Storm team executed well and did a lot of good things that put them right there with a chance to beat the 18-7 Bravehearts, but just couldn't come up with the plays to close the deal down the stretch. Shelby again led the Storm with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Katie joined her in double-figures with 10 points and Emily dished out 4 assists.

HSPN East Coast Tourney - Pool Round 1

2011-03-16T17:12:00.002-04:00

NW Ohio Cougars 38 New Life Storm 29

In the opening round of the HSPN East Coast Championship tournament, the NLC Storm faced off with the Northwest Ohio Cougars, who entered the game with a record of 28-2. The game was a low-scoring, physical defensive struggle. The Storm started out moving the ball well and showing good patience offensively, and defensively Ele'Jah and Emily got in the passing lanes and grabbed a number of steals. The lead see-sawed back and forth most of the first half, before a 3-pointer from the corner by Tamara gave the Storm a 16-15 halftime lead. The Cougars made some defensive adjustments after the half and came out aggressively trapping the corners and wings out of their zone. This led to Storm turnovers on the first 5 possessions of the 2nd half. The Cougars' zone was also collapsing well to the inside, and the Storm was only able to get off one FG attempt inside the 3-pt line the entire 3rd quarter. They continued to defend well, though, and entered the 4th quarter only down 23-20. In the 4th quarter the Storm defense tired a bit, and the Cougars were able to get enough separation to knock down several mid-range jump-shots to pull out to a 9-point lead going into the last 2 minutes of the game. Emily nailed a 3 to give the Storm some life down the stretch, but a 5-pt margin was as close as the Storm could get. On the game, Shelby led the Storm with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Ele'Jah grabbed 4 steals.

NCHEAC State Tournament

2011-03-16T01:13:00.003-04:00

Semi-Final: New Life Storm 32 Forsyth Hawks 57

Playing for a spot in the state championship game, the NLC Storm lost to the Forsyth Hawks, the same opponent and gym in which they opened the season in November. The Storm hung on well for the first quarter. They had success getting the ball to Shelby in the high post against the Forsyth zone defense. In the second quarter, the Hawks begain to pull away, and led by 15 at the half. Two baskets by Mary ignited a short Storm rally at the beginning of the 3rd quarter, but then the Hawks answered and gradually pulled away to the final margin. Forsyth spread the floor and was able to repeatedly hurt the Storm with dribble pentration, as NLC was slow to rotate to stop the dribble. Shelby led the Storm with 9 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 steals. Emly dished out 5 assists.

Consolation Game: New Life Storm 48 Cabarrus Stallions 56 (OT)

Playing for 3rd place in the state for the 3rd consecutive season, the NLC Storm got out to a big lead but could not hold off the Cabarrus Stallions, who claimed an overtime victory. In the first half, the Storm moved the ball around tremendously and played some of their best basketball of the season in going ahead by as many as 16 on the way to a 34-23 half-time advantage. In the second half, the Storm was held to only 12 points as the Stallions stormed back to tie the game and send it to overtime, where the Storm had nothing left. Emily led the Storm with 10 points, 7 assists, and 6 steals. Shelby pulled down 16 rebounds.

Shelby was named to the All-Tournament team.

NCHEAC East Regional Championship

2011-03-16T00:44:00.002-04:00

New Life Storm 32 Lighthouse Eagles 59

The NLC Storm faced off against the Lighthouse Eagles for the East Region championship and the undefeated Eagles came away with the victory. The Storm defense played much stronger than in the previous meeting between these two teams. Also the Storm had some success offensively when they attacked the Eagles. Though they were able to keep the margin in the teens well into the fourth quarter this time, ultimately there were too many Storm turnovers and too many Lighthouse offensive rebounds given up for the Storm to mount a serious threat.
After Aaron pulled the starters with 4 minutes to go, the Lighthouse starters surged out to a wider final margin. For NLC, Mary led the scoring with 10 points, Shelby had 12 rebounds, and Emily 4 assists. Shelby and Emily were named to the All-Tournament team.

Senior Night

2011-03-14T17:21:00.005-04:00

New Life Storm 53 Masonic Red Devils 29

The NLC Storm celebrated Senior Night in style and finished the regular season with a winning record (11-10) with a 24-point victory over the Lady Devils of Masonic Home in the last home game of the season. The Storm started slow, falling behind by 8 points early. They got things going in the second quarter, though, outscoring Masonic 14-4 to take an 8 point halftime lead. The Storm continued to control the game in the second half, gradually pulling away for the comfortable win. The star of the night was Ele'Jah Carter, the team's only senior. Ele'Jah hit jump shots and scored on slashing drives to finish with 12 points, to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists in a great all-around game. Shelby, playing after landing at the airport less than an hour before game time, joined Ele'Jah in double figures with 10 points. Leigh led the team in rebounding with 10 boards and Emily had 5 steals. Four players had at least 3 assists, led by Leigh with 4, as the team moved the ball around well.

After the game, Ele'Jah was honored in the senior ceremony at halftime of the boys game. The whole Storm family is so glad that she has been a part of the program this year. Ele'Jah will be missed and we all wish her the best.

Storm vs. Lighthouse

2011-02-09T13:44:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 30 Lighthouse Eagles 64

The Storm lost to conference rival Lighthouse Homeschool for the second time this season. The undefeated Eagles jumped on top early, taking a 21-2 lead in the first quarter as the Storm played tentatively. In the second quarter NLC began attacking better offensively and played even with Lighthouse for the next 2 quarters, but could not cut the Eagles' lead below 20. A Lighthouse scoring burst in the 4th quarter stretched the lead out to the final margin. On a night when the Storm's normal scoring leaders were off, Katie Patrick was a bright spot, hitting 4 of 6 shots - including a couple of tough fast-break finishes over taller defenders. Katie and Mary led the Storm scoring with 9 points each, Ele'Jah had 8 rebounds, and Emily grabbed 4 steals.

Storm vs. Masonic, part 2

2011-01-26T12:12:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 36 Masonic Red Devils 19

The New Life Storm avenged a loss to the Lady Red Devils of the Masonic Home with a convincing homecourt victory by 17 points. On the game's first possession Shelby blocked a shot by the Red Devils' center, who dominated the last meeting between the two teams with 24 points. That was one of 3 first half blocks by Shelby and set the tone for a strong Storm defensive effort that limited the Red Devils to only 7 first half points. On the offensive end, Hannah got off to a fast start, hitting 2 early 3-pointers and scoring 8 of the first 10 Storm points, as NLC jumped ahead 12-2. The Storm held a double-digit lead for most of the rest of the game. As in the previous game against East Wake, this was a good overall team effort, as this very young, inexperienced group starts to show some signs of gelling. Shelby led the team with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Storm vs. East Wake

2011-01-22T08:16:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 47 East Wake Academy Eagles 34

The NLC Storm put together a strong team effort to win a big road game against the East Wake Eagles in Zebulon. Unlike the first meeting between the two teams, which saw the Storm trail for most of the game before making a late comback for the win, this time the Storm took the lead 3-2 on a 3-pointer by Mary and never trailed again. The Storm played with good energy and moved the ball well, and when Emily hit a basket to make the score 14-6, they had 6 field goals made by 6 different players. NLC led at the half 27-13. In the 2nd half, the Eagles pressed full court, but the Storm handled it well with good passing and spacing. The Eagles were able to cut the lead to 9 points, but baskets by Mary and Ele'Jah pushed the lead back out again, and when Emily and Shelby executed a pick-and-roll that led to a basket by Shelby at the 3rd quarter buzzer, the score was 38-24. The Eagles never got the lead under double-figures again. Emily led a balanced scoring effort with 11 points. Shelby had 10 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 assists. Hannah also had 3 assists and Katie grabbed 5 steals.

Storm vs. Norlina, part 3

2011-01-21T14:34:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 41 Norlina Christian Crusaders 16

For the third time this season, the New Life Storm easily handled the Crusaders of Norlina Christian School. Playing at home in the NLC Activities Center for the first time in almost 7 weeks, the Storm controlled the game throughout, taking a 10-point lead in the first quarter, then holding the Crusaders to 1 point over the 2nd and 3rd quarters to go up 37-6. With the game well in hand, the Storm was able to use the second half to work on some different offensive and defensive sets. Shelby had her third straight double-double by halftime and finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, and Katie, starting for the 2nd straight game at PG, had 5 steals to go with 6 points.

Congrats to the boys varsity team for their first win - a 12-point victory over Norlina. Great game guys!!

Storm vs. RCA, part 2

2011-01-20T15:41:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 37 Raleigh Christian Academy Eagles 44

For the second time, the New Life Storm gave a good effort but dropped a game on the road at Raleigh Christian Academy. The Storm defense held the Eagles scoreless for more nearly 7 minutes in the first half and pulled ahead by 8 points, but missed a number of good shot opportunities that would have stretched the lead farther. In the second half, RCA brought full court pressure and half-court traps, and in the 3rd quarter the Storm had more turnovers than shot attempts, allowing the Eagles to pull ahead. NLC continued to compete hard and on two occasions late in the 4th quarter, first when Katie got a steal and layup, and later when Hannah hit a deep 3-pointer, they cut it to a one-possession game. The Eagles answered each time and hit FT's in the final minute for the final margin. For the Storm, Hannah and Shelby each had 10 points to lead the team, while Shelby also grabbed 19 rebounds, and Katie had 4 steals.

Storm vs. Masonic

2011-01-20T14:48:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 37 Masonic Red Devils 49

The Storm dropped a game on the road against the Masonic Red Devils in Oxford by 12 points. NLC shot only 18% for the game, with the Red Devils' big, athletic center blocking and altering many shots. The Storm stayed close for most of the first half, with Shelby getting off to fast start and scoring 7 first-quarter points. In the second half, the Devils used a lot of fast break points and put back baskets to pull away. Shelby led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 11 points and 21 boards.

Storm vs Lighthouse

2011-01-13T16:01:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 26 Lighthouse Eagles 46

The NLC Storm faced off with conference rival Lighthouse for the first time this season and battled hard, but came away on the short end of a 20-point loss. The nationally-ranked Eagles, with 10 seniors and 2 players signed to play next season at Anderson University, were undefeated coming in and had only won twice by fewer than 20 points. Early in the game, a combination of nerves and quick whistles had the Storm in foul trouble and out of sync. After scoring only 2 points in the first quarter, they began attacking with more confidence. Though the tough Lighthouse defense allowed few easy shots, NLC did a good job drawing fouls and scoring at the line. The Storm also defended well, allowing few easy shots for the Eagles. NLC trailed by 13 at the half, and though they prevented any Lighthouse runs to blow the game open they were never able to muster a run of their own to make the game close down the stretch, as Lighthouse gradually pulled away to the final margin. Shelby led the Storm in this game in both scoring and rebounds, with 9 points and 18 boards.

Storm vs. RCA

2011-01-08T00:23:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 46 Raleigh Christian Academy Eagles 51

For the second year in a row, the NLC Storm were the guests for Homecoming at Raleigh Christian Academy. This year, though, the Storm was not able to dampen the festivities, losing 51-46. The game was back and forth for most of the first quarter, but turnovers helped the Eagles pull out to an 8-point lead at the beginning of the second quarter and maintain a 5-point halftime advantage. NLC came out running in the third quarter and took the lead, but RCA answered. They again took the lead early in the 4th quarter on a 3 by Emily Stone, but RCA hit a 3-pointer to retake the lead and would never trail again. Two 3-pointers by Hannah and an RCA turnover gave the Storm the ball down 3 points with 2 minutes to go, but several 3-point tries for the tie did not connect, then RCA got several chances at the other end with several offensive rebounds and made it a 2-possession game down the stretch. Hannah led the Storm in scoring with 14, Shelby and Leigh had 13 and 11 rebounds respectively.

Storm vs. Norlina Christian

2011-01-07T23:34:00.003-05:00

New Life Storm 55 Norlina Christian School Crusaders 19

The NLC Storm dominated their second meeting of the season with the Crusaders of Norlina Christian School, jumping out to a 38-4 halftime lead on their way to a 55-19 victory. The Storm overwhelmed the Crusaders in the second quarter, holding Norlina scoreless while putting in 22 points - their highest-scoring quarter of the season. For the game, the Storm had 25 steals, their highest total of the season. Shelby led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points, while Emily had 11 and Ele'Jah 10. Leigh led in rebounding with 9 boards, Hannah had 4 assists, and Emily 7 steals.

Stoirm vs. Trinity of Durham/Chapel Hill

2010-12-18T17:41:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 54 Trinity Lions 57

The Storm dropped a close game on the road against the Lions of Trinity School in Durham. After a two-week layoff from games, the Storm go off to a sluggish start in the game. They got down 8-2 and Trinity held the lead for the entire first half. NLC played a strong third quarter and led by as many as 6 points, but a buzzer-beater at the end of the period cut the lead to 2. The Storm fell behind again early in the 4th quarter but battled back and got some run-outs off long passes to retake the lead. The game was back and forth down the stretch until, with the Storm ahead 49-48, Trinity shot a 3-pointer that hit the rim, bounced high in the air, and then bounced in for a 51-49 Lions lead. The Storm fought hard to the end, but was never able to tie or retake the lead again. For the game Hannah had 13 points, followed by Mary with 12, and Leigh was strong on the boards with 18 rebounds. Shelby also posted her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Storm vs. East Wake

2010-12-15T13:17:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 46 East Wake Academy Eagles 42

The NLC Storm staged a 4th quarter comeback to pull out a victory at home against the Eagles of East Wake Academy. The Storm trailed for the entire game, and were down by 10 points in the 4th quarter when the team came alive. A full court press led to turnovers, and the Storm used runouts and long passes to get some easy baskets to cut into the lead. Ele'Jah tied the score on a follow shot, then Shelby scored in the lane to put the Storm up 44-42 with just over a minute to play. After a defensive stop of East Wake, Hannah was fouled and hit both free throws to make it a 2-possession game at the end. Emily was high scorer for the Storm with 15 points, Shelby had 13 rebounds, and Ele'Jah had 5 steals.

Storm vs. Cary Christian

2010-12-15T13:02:00.002-05:00

New Life Storm 36 Cary Christian JV Knights 18

The New Life Storm jumped out to an early lead and won a convincing victory over the Knights of Cary Christian. The Storm put 18 points on the board in the 1st quarter, their second-highest scoring quarter of the season, and then held the Knights scoreless in the 2nd quarter to hold a commanding 24-8 halftime advantage before cruising on to the win. The Storm defense grabbed 18 steals, with Emily and Mary leading the way with 4 each. Shelby led the team in scoring and rebounding with 16 points and 8 boards.

Storm vs. Norlina Christian

2010-11-26T00:16:00.003-05:00

NLC Storm 41 Norlina Christian Academy Crusaders 14

The New Life Storm got their second blowout win in a row on the road at Norlina Christian. The Storm overwhelmed the Crusaders with defensive pressure from the beginning. Hannah and Ele'Jah trapped the Norlina ballhandlers out to midcourt, resulting in several early steals and preventing Norlina from getting into any kind of halfcourt offense at all. The Storm reeled off the first 12 points of the game. By halftime the lead was 24-5. The lead increased to 30 points in the second half. Shelby, Hannah, and Ele'Jah were rested most of the 4th quarter as the younger players got some good experience. Shelby led the Storm with 14 points and 9 rebounds. Hannah had her 3rd straight double-figure scoring game with 11 points, to go along with 5 steals and 8 deflections. Ele'Jah also had 5 steals and Leigh led in assists with 3.

Sanford Shootout

2010-11-25T11:22:00.002-05:00

NLC Storm 34 Franklin Academy Patriots 64

In the opening game of the Sanford Shootout, the New Life Storm faced a Franklin Academy team which entered the game undefeated, having won all of their previous games by more than 30 points. The Storm hung tough in the first quarter, trailing by only 2 points at the end of the period. In the second period, the Patriots exploded for 27 points and went into halftime with a 40-19 lead. NLC played the Patriots closer in the second half, but couldn't narrow the gap. Turnovers were again a problem, and led to Franklin getting off nearly twice as many shot attempts. Hannah led the Storm with 12 points (including 3 three-pointers) while Shelby led in rebounds and assists with 11 and 3.

NLC Storm 59 O'Neal School Falcons 34

The Storm bounced back the next morning with a convincing win in the consolation game against the O'Neal School from Southern Pines. NLC jumped out to a 16-3 first quarter lead and never looked back. The lead continued to grow and reached 53-19 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Storm passed the ball well, with 19 assists (6 girls had 2 or more assists) and a season-low 12 turnovers. Hannah again led the scoring with 16 points and Leigh had 10 rebounds, while Shelby chipped in 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Hannah was named to the all-tournament team.

Storm vs. Cary Christian

2010-11-18T09:31:00.003-05:00

NLC Storm 36 Cary Christian Knights 34

The New Life Storm overcame a sluggish start and pulled out a close comeback victory at home against the Knights of Cary Christian School. Coming off a hard-fought win in their previous game, the Storm came out flat, scoring only 2 points in the first quarter and trailing 20-12 at halftime. They responded with better play in the second half, and with the score tied late in the game Shelby Suffridge stepped to the line twice and hit 2 of 4 free throws to put the Storm ahead by 2. Shelby then blocked a shot on the Knights' final possession to preserve the win. Shelby led the team with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Ele'Jah Carter had 3 assists and 5 steals.

Storm vs. Neuse Christian

2010-11-16T15:12:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 51 Neuse Christian Lions 46

In the first girls varsity game played in the new NLC Activities Center, the New Life Storm defated the Lions of Neuse Christian Academy. The Storm girls showed marked improvement from the previous weekend both offensively and defensively, and outrebounded the Lions 50-24. They looked to push the ball upcourt at every opportunity and scored quite a few points in transition. The second period was key - NLC held Neuse to only 3 points in the quarter and stretched a 1-point lead out to 9 points at the half. Mary Williams had 11 first-half points (including a perfect 7-7 at the FT line). Sarah Suffridge provided a spark off the bench, scoring 5 points, playing tough defense, and making numerous hustle plays. The Storm frustrated high-scoring Neuse guard Katelyn Donta with their defense - Mary shadowed her all over the court, and the rest of the team was constantly there to help or double-team. In the second half, the Storm remained in control of the game, taking their largest lead at 47-36 midway through the 4th quarter. The Lions mounted a comeback, aided by some Storm turnovers and rushed shots, and scored 10 unanswered points to cut the lead to 1. The girls who have been there before stepped up for the Storm down the stretch. Hannah Carlson began bringing the ball upcourt against the press and settled the offense down. She found Shelby Suffridge inside for a baby hook to push the lead back to 3. After Neuse failed to score, Shelby was fouled and drained both FT's to put the margin back to 5 and put the game away. For the game, Mary led the Storm in scoring with 16 points, while Shelby had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Sarah also had double figures in rebounds with 11 boards and Emily Stone led in assists with 5.

NCHEAC Preseason Tip-Off

2010-11-12T13:51:00.002-05:00

The Storm girls got their first game action of the season - and for several of the players their first ever taste of varsity action - when they played in the Preseason Tip-Off tournament put on by the NCHEAC conference in Greensboro.

The season kicked off Friday morning as the Storm took on the Forsyth Hawks in the first ever meeting between these two programs. NLC hung close for the first half, trailing 13-10 after one quarter and down by 8 at the half, but early in the second half Shelby Suffridge went down with an ankle injury and was out for the rest of the game. With the Storm missing its most experienced player, the Hawks grabbed a double-digit lead and began to pull away. A high-scoring 4th quarter saw the Storm pour in 18 points in an attempt to come back, but Forsyth countered with 20 and won by a final score of 56-40. Hannah Carlson led the team in scoring with 13 points, Emily Stone grabbed 8 rebounds, and Shelby dished out 3 assists. A bright spot for the Storm was Katie Patrick, who came off the bench to score her first 6 points as a varsity player.

Friday afternoon, playing on a short rest, the Storm took on the Lowcountry Lady Wildcats of Charleston, SC. The Wildcats were led by 6'0" UNC-Asheville recruit Jeanine Buckner, who scored 23 points. With Shelby playing limited minutes and the team shooting only 14% against a very solid team, the Storm dropped this one by a score of 48-18. Emily Stone and Mary Williams led the team with 5 points each and Mary also pulled down 7 rebounds. A bright spot noted by the coaches after this game was the defensive play of Courtney Brodie and Sarah Suffridge off the bench.

On Saturday, the Storm played their final game of the weekend against the Upstate Eagles of Spartanburg, SC. The Storm pushed the ball well up the court at the start, getting 3 fast-break baskets early, and led 8-6 six minutes into the game. The Eagles closed the quarter with a 10-0 run, though, to take the lead. With a 10-point lead at the half, the Eagles pulled away in the 3rd quarter, forcing turnovers with their press and turning them into points and wearing down the Storm with their physicality. The final score was 60-31, with the Storm committing 32 turnovers. NLC was led by Hannah and Mary with 8 points each, and Shelby with 8 rebounds and 4 steals.

Hannah Carlson was named to the All-Tournament team. Overall, the tournament was a good learning experience and there were glimpses of the potential that this team has as they start their way working to get back to the top again. Most important of all, the Storm girls demonstrated great sportsmanship through adversity, showing that with all the changes in the program one thing remains constant - the primary goal is to be a team that shines the light of Jesus in all that they do.

Season 5 - Storm 2.0

2010-11-05T02:22:00.005-04:00

Four years ago, four freshmen homeschooled girls were part of a brand-new varsity girls basketball team at New Life Camp called the Storm. A year later, they were joined by three 7th graders, and together those 7 girls formed the core of a team that grew over the next 3 years into a championship team. Last year as seniors and freshmen, this group, with senior transfer Arianna Dinglasan as the final piece of the puzzle, posted a 20-4 record and captured the East Coast Homeschool Championship at the HSPN tournament in Virginia.

This year marks a new beginning. Only sophomores Shelby Suffridge and Hannah Carlson remain from last year's team. They are joined by freshmen Emily Stone and Tamara Johnson, and 8th graders Katie Patrick, Sarah Suffridge, and Sarah Munroe, who move up from the Middle School Storm. Junior Mary Williams rejoins the team after 2 years away, and the Storm program welcomes newcomers Ele'Jah Carter, Leigh Hales, and Courtney Brodie.

The new Storm team is young but has a lot of potential and is ready to start making its mark as the new season begins at the NCHEAC Preseason Tip-Off Tournament in Greensboro on Nov. 5th and 6th.

HSPN 3-point Contest

2010-03-20T08:35:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Hannah Carlson for winning the 15-and-under girls 3-point contest for the 2nd year in a row! Also, assistant coach Andrew Miller came in 2nd in the adult 3-point contest.

HSPN East Coast CHAMPIONS!!!

2010-03-20T01:29:00.004-04:00

NLC Storm wins HSPN championship in OT

The New Life Storm faced a familiar foe in the 4A bracket championship game. Playing in a tournament with 16 teams from 5 different states, the team standing in the way of the title was the team from our own backyard, the Lighthouse Eagles. The teams had played 4 previous times - twice during the regular season, for the East Region Championship, and in the State Consolation game - with the Storm winning all four times. This time both teams had key differences. Arianna was able to play for the Storm after being ineligible for the previous games due to conference transfer rules. The Woods twins were a late-season addition to the Lighthouse team after playing much of the season for the Middle Creek High School varsity. The venue this time was the 9000-seat Vines Center, home of the NCAA Division 1 Liberty Univ. Flames.

The game began with both teams shooting the ball well. The Storm showed very good patience and decision-making against the Lighthouse zone defense, working the ball around the perimeter and waiting for a good shot. Rebecca, Hannah Grace, and Shelby all drained 3-pointers and Daryl and Anna found seems in the middle of the zone to score. Lighthouse was not able to get the ball inside against the Storm zone and after hitting several 3's early they went cold from the outside. The Storm also did a good job rebounding against the taller Eagles to prevent 2nd shot opportunities. By halftime the Storm had pulled ahead by 10 points. Lighthouse began the 2nd half in a pressure man-to-man defense and forced the Storm into some quick turnovers and sliced into the lead. NLC steadied themselves and did a good job spreading the floor and driving for scores or dishing off for a layup. At the end of the 3rd quarter the lead was still 8 points. In the 4th quarter Lighthouse increased the pressure again, pressing full court and playing much more physical defense. They began pushing the ball inside and scoring on almost every possession. By midway through the 4th quarter, Lighthouse had closed the gap. The Storm girls were tough with the ball and began drawing fouls against the physical Eagles. NLC hit 8 FT's in a row to match Lighthouse baskets. With the Storm up by 2 and the final seconds ticking down, Lighthouse missed a shot but scored on a put-back with 4 seconds left to tie the game.

Overtime again - for the 3rd night in a row! Down by 1 point Hannah Grace drove through 3 defenders for a layup to put the Storm back in front. On defense they double-teamed inside to prevent Lighthouse scores. Anna came up with huge rebounds on the last two Lighthouse possessions and grabbed a crucial loose ball to prevent a turnover. When a desparation heave by Lighthouse from beyond halfcourt missed, the Storm had done it - they were the overall champions of the tournament! Once again, in a tight, down to the wire game, each of the Storm girls made the plays they had to make down the stretch and came through in the clutch. What a performance and a great way to end the season!

Daryl was named MVP of the tournament and Hannah Grace was named to the all-tournament team.

HSPN 4A Semi-Finals

2010-03-19T00:49:00.002-04:00

NLC Storm 63 Surry Runnin' Patriots 60

The New Life Storm avenged two regular season losses with a win over the state champion Surry Runnin' Patriots, and in the process earned a spot in the championship game of the HSPN tournament. It wasn't easy - for the second night in a row they had to go to overtime for the win. As they had in each of the previous two meetings with Surry, the Storm again led at halftime - this time 26-19. Hannah Grace had a big first half, scoring on drives to the basket and jumpers from the wing. Unlike the first two meetings, the Storm came out strong in the second half as well. Executing very well in the halfcourt offense, they repeatedly pushed the ball inside to Anna and Daryl, who finished well. NLC built the lead as high as 16 points and led 43-29 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Midway through the 4th quarter the Storm still led by double-figures, but Surry made a run. They forced some turnovers with their press, which the Storm had handled well the rest of the game, and they finally tied the game at 52-52 with under 2 seconds left. In the overtime, Rebecca hit a 3-pointer on the first possession, but Surry continued to respond. The teams traded baskets and the lead until Hannah Grace hit two FT to give the Storm a 61-60 lead with less than 30 seconds to play. After a big defensive stop, the Storm was able to take the clock down under 2 seconds before Hannah Grace was again fouled. She again hit both FT's and a Surry desparation heave from the backcourt was off the mark.

Rebecca, Daryl, Anna, and Hannah Grace each played all 36 minutes of the game. Hannah Grace led the team in scoring with 17 points, while Daryl had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Anna had 13 points and 11 boards, and Rebecca had 5 assists.

In the tournament championship game tomorrow, the Storm will face the Lighthouse Eagles for the 5th time this season.

HSPN Pool Play - Round 3

2010-03-18T18:08:00.003-04:00

NLC Storm 66 Bristol (TN) Lady Titans 33

After a sluggish start, the Storm exploded for a 29-point 3rd quarter to blown open a close game and win easily, to finish 3-0 in pool play. Leading 27-19 at the half, Rebecca opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers followed by 2 run-out baskets each for Hannah Grace and Anna to push the lead to 20 and the Storm were never threatened again. Hannah Grace led the scoring for the Storm with 21 points, Rebecca had 14, and Shelby had a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.

The Storm finish pool play as the overall #4 seed. They take on Surry in the 4A bracket semi-finals at 8:30 tonight.

HSPN Pool Play - Round 2 - Double OT

2010-03-18T08:28:00.002-04:00

NLC Storm 61 Upstate (SC) Eagles 57

The New Life Storm survived a double-overtime thriller against the Upstate Eagles of Spartanburg, SC, coming from behind in the last minute of regulation and the first overtime to remain unbeaten in pool play at the HSPN Tournament. The game was tight the entire way, with no team leading by more than 6 points. Every time the Storm would make a mini-run to take the lead, the Eagles would answer, and vice versa. In the last minute of regulation, the Storm found themselves down by 4 points. Anna scored on a putback, then with the press on Daryl knocked the ball away off the Eagles out of bounds to give the ball back to the Storm. Hannah Grace scored on a putback to tie the game with 21 seconds left and the Storm was able to get a stop on the last possession to force overtime. In the first OT, again the Storm found themselves down by 4 in the last minute, but again was able tie the score with some clutch baskets and defense. In the second overtime the lead went back and forth until Shelby drove from the wing and scored with 2 minutes left to put NLC up 58-57. After this, the Storm came up with defensive stops, ran their delay offense well to take time off the clock, and hit FTs to provide the final margin. Hannah Grace and Anna led the way in scoring for the Storm with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Daryl and Anna pulled down 12 and 11 rebounds, while Rebecca had 4 assists.

HSPN Pool Play - Round 1

2010-03-17T18:54:00.002-04:00

NLC Storm 47 Front Royal (VA) Flames 13

The 2010 HSPN East Coast Championship Tournament us underway and the Storm started out strong with a dominating win over the Flames of Front Royal, VA. The Storm started the game with great intensity on both ends of the floor. The Flames got only one shot off (an airball) on their first 7 possessions of the game and NLC stormed out to a 13-0 lead 5 minutes into the game. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hannah Grace at the beginning of the second quarter extended the lead, which continued to climb over the rest of the game. Late in the 4th quarter Emily Stone, called up from the middle school Storm team to play with the varsity in the tournament, grabbed a steal at midcourt and drove for a layup for her for first varsity points. Hannah and Anna led the team in scoring with 11 points, and Hannah Grace had 10, while Arianna led with 9 rebounds.

State Consolation Game - Storm vs. Lighthouse

2010-03-02T23:41:00.002-05:00

NLC Storm 46 Lighthouse Eagles 33

Shaking off the disappointment of the previous night's semi-final loss, the Storm took 3rd place in the NCHE Athletic Conference for the second year in a row by beating the Lighthouse Eagles in Greensboro. After a slow start by both teams, the Storm held the lead for most of the first quarter. A burst of 6 straight points in the first minute of the 2nd quarter put the Eagles in front, but the Storm did not get rattled. With a balanced attack that had scoring from several girls, they battled back to take a 26-20 lead at halftime. The 3rd quarter saw the Storm stretch the lead to double-figures and hold it there, but in the 4th quarter the Eagles sliced the deficit to 5 points. It would get no closer as again the Storm responded to the Lighthouse run and closed the game out well. This marks the 4th win of the season against Lighthouse, and the 7th in the last 8 meetings between the two teams. Hannah Grace fought off her ankle injury from the previous night's game to lead to the team with 12 points, wihle Anna pulled down 8 rebounds and Rebecca had 4 assists.

Storm vs. Cabarrus - State Semi-Finals

2010-03-02T23:38:00.002-05:00

Greater Cabarrus Stallions 44 NLC Storm 35

(Storm Blog thanks Laura for this game report)
The top seed in the eastern half of the NCHEAC conference, the New Life Storm battled the second seeded Greater Cabarrus Stallions of the west in their first game of the NCHEAC State Tournament. The Stallions pulled out with a 6-0 lead to start the game as the Storm struggled to find their defensive intensity. As the Storm settled in and found some speed to their offensive plays, they played most of the first half neck and neck with the Stallions. Hannah Grace had some nice back door drives, and the Storm maintained their ever-present sportsmanship and composure as they were held and pushed from all sides. Unfortunately, with less than 2 minutes in the half, Cabarrus went on a huge run to bring the half time score to 24-17. The Storm started the second half with a hunger to win the game, but it seemed that everything was against them. Hannah Grace, the Storm’s leading scorer of the night, sprained her ankle just at the start of the half and saw no more court time for the remainder of the game. The Storm fought and fought, refusing to go down without giving their all. Rebecca lured Cabarrus ball-handlers into great half-court traps. Hannah produced quality minutes off the bench to keep the Storm’s score close. Even in the final minutes of the game, the Storm did not give up. With both Rebecca and Anna fouled out of the game and Hannah Grace unable to play, the Storm’s remaining five players played out of their primary positions and battled the Stallions, grabbing pivotal steals to hold the game within reach. A few Cabarrus free throws in the last minute clinched the game for the Stallions.

Playing a great mental game, Courtney snatched 7 steals from Cabarrus. Anna pulled down 9 rebounds, and Hannah Grace led in scoring with 9 points.

NCHEAC East Regionals

2010-02-22T13:33:00.003-05:00

NLC Storm 46 Lighthouse Eagles 35

The New Life Storm captured the East Regional Championship of the NCHE Athletic Confrence with a victory over the Lighthouse Eagles. The Storm surged out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter, sparked by Courtney coming off the bench to hit a 3 and two FT. The lead extended to double-figures in the second quarter as the Storm were effective at neutralizing the Eagles' height advantage and at halftime the score stood at 28-16. In the third quarter, NLC hit a bit of an offensive lull as the Eagles changed defenses, and what had been a 15 point lead was cut to 8. However, the Storm put the game away as Courtney scored on a backdoor cut, Hannah hit a tough shot from the baseline, and Hannah Grace nailed a 3-pointer. For the game, Hannah Grace led the Storm with 18 points, while Shelby and Daryl each grabbed 6 rebounds and Rececca had 3 assists.

Rebecca, Courtney, and Hannah Grace made the all-tournament team for the Storm. The team now goes to the state semi-finals in Greensboro next weekend and will face the Cabarrus Stallions.

Storm vs. Franklin Academy

2010-02-18T22:00:00.002-05:00

Franklin Academy Patriots 52 NLC Storm 46 (OT)

(Thanks to Laura for the game report)
The New Life Storm suffered their third loss of the season to the Patriots of Franklin Academy in this season's final, regular season game. After a slow start that left the Storm trailing 9-5 at the end of the first quarter, the Storm picked up their defensive intensity as the second quarter progressed. Good defense forced 7 Patriots turnovers in the second quarter and shook the confidence of Franklin Academy as the game broke for half time with the Patriots leading by 3, 19-16. The Storm picked back up in the second half with the same defensive intensity and started the third quarter on a 10-1 run. The quarter ended with one team up by 3, but this time it was the Storm in front, 28-25. The Storm maintained a steady 6 point lead throughout the first half of the fourth quarter, but, beginning at the 4 minute mark, Franklin Academy began to slowly chip away at the Storm's leading margin. With Franklin Academy time outs after each made shot that closed the gap, momentum began to swing toward the home team Patriots. A series of poor defensive sets by the Storm allowed the Patriots to take the lead. Shelby hit 2 clutch free throws to put the Storm back within 1, and Hannah Grace hit the first of 2 free throws to tie the game at 40. With only a few seconds left, the game went into overtime. The Franklin Academy momentum that flourished in the last 4 minutes of the fourth quarter was just as present in overtime and propelled the Patriots to outscore the Storm 12-6 in the extra 4 minutes of play. This was a key game for this season's New Life Storm as it pointed out areas of weakness in their mental game and their decision-making under pressure just in time to address those issues before post-season play.

Hannah Grace lead the team in scoring with 17 points, and Daryl pulled down 10 rebounds in the Storm's effort against Franklin Academy.

Senior Night - Storm vs. Surry

2010-02-13T23:56:00.005-05:00

Surry Runnin' Patriots 45 NLC Storm 38

For the second time this season, the New Life Storm led the Surry Runnin Patriots for a half before Surry stepped up to take control of the game in the second half and came away with the win. NLC dominated the early part of the game. They came out with a lot of intensity, forcing Surry turnovers and controlling the defensive boards to limit Surry to one shot. New Life led 13-3 after one quarter and eventually pulled out to a 12-point lead at 17-5. Then the Storm hit a lull, allowing Surry to recover and get their feet under them. The Storm didn't score during the last half of the 2nd quarter, but Surry ran off the last 7 points of the half to cut the halftime lead to 17-12 and give them the momentum heading into the break. The Runnin' Patriots grabbed the lead in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Storm 19-6. Though the Storm fought hard to the end, they were unable to stop Surry and the defending state champions took the game. Hannah Grace and Anna led the way for the Storm with 13 and 11 points respectively, and Anna also pulled down 8 rebounds.

This was the last home game for Rebecca, Arianna, Daryl, Anna, and Courtney, and the 5 seniors were honored in a ceremony at halftime. They are a special group of young women and we wish them God's blessings as they prepare to move on to life after high school!

Storm vs. Christian Faith

2010-02-10T15:26:00.002-05:00

NLC Storm 67 Christian Faith Center Conquerors 59

After a two week layoff due to weather and cancellations, the New Life Storm returned to action with an 8-point win over Christian Faith Center Academy in Creedmoor. As is usually the case when the Storm plays the Conquerors, the game was fast-paced, physical, had lots of lead changes, and the outcome was in doubt until the final minute, but despite 37 points by CFC's Stacie Tuset the Storm came away with their 4th consecutive win over CFC. After falling behind by 5 points early, the Storm stormed back. They played with intensity and pushed the tempo at every opportunity. Both teams went to the foul line a lot in the first half, and Tuset scored quite a few of her points at the stripe. New Life led 33-30 at the half, but missed an opportunity for a bigger lead with a low FT percentage. In the second half, the Storm began with Anna, Arianna, and the three freshmen, and showed some great offensive execution to push out to a 7-point lead. CFC quickly came back to tighten things up again. Rebecca hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and push the Storm lead back to five, but again the Conquerors answered, scoring the next 6 points to retake the lead. Fast break baskets by Hannah Grace, Daryl, and Hannah Grace again put the Storm back in front to stay. Fatigue and a late switch to a zone-and-chaser defense kept CFC from scoring down the stretch and the Storm made their FTs to put the game away. Hannah Grace led NLC with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Arianna had 16 points, Anna grabbed 8 rebonds, and Rebecca dished out a season-high 8 assists.

Storm vs. Trinity cancelled

2010-02-10T15:24:00.001-05:00

The game between Storm and Trinity scheduled for Feb 5 was cancelled to allow Trinity to make up a conference game postponed by the weather.

Storm vs. NRCA cancelled

2010-02-02T11:01:00.003-05:00

The game scheduled for tonight (Feb 2) against North Raleigh Christian Academy has been cancelled due to weather/road conditions. The game will not be rescheduled.

Storm vs. Kestrel

2010-01-26T23:28:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 57 Kestrel Heights Hawks 29

The Storm ran their record to 12-1 with a win over the Hawks of Kestrel Heights School in Durham. After a sluggish first few minutes for the Storm, Hannah came off the bench and scored a quick seven points on two fast break baskets and a 3-pointer to help NLC begin to establish a lead. The team turned up the defensive intensity, challenging every pass and using ball pressure to force the Hawks out of their offense. This led repeatedly to run-out baskets, many by Hannah Grace. By halftime the Storm stretched the lead to 19. The lead stayed in the 20's for most of the second half and reached as high as 32 points. The Storm's half-court offense never really clicked in this game, but aggressive defense (19 steals and 15 deflections), offensive rebounding, and lots of fast break points were enough to produce a comfortable win. Hannah Grace scored 20 points, Arianna grabbed 9 rebounds and Anna had 5 steals to lead the Storm, and Hannah played a strong game with 10 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals.

Storm vs. Lighthouse

2010-01-22T22:08:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 48 Lighthouse Eagles 45

For the second year in a row, the New Life Storm swept to a regular season first place finish in the East Region of the NCHE conference. But it wasn't easy. The Storm had to come back from a 6-point deficit in the final 2 minutes to pull out the win. The Eagles went inside early and used their height advantage to score. On the other end, their 1-2-2 zone seemed to bother the Storm, as their height in the lane allowed them to extend pressure on the ball on the perimeter. The Storm was also not able to get any fast break points. A back-and-forth half ended in a 22-22 tie. Lighthouse jumped out quickly in the second half, hitting two quick threes and scoring the first 8 points of the half. The lead stretched as high as 10 before the Storm began to come back. With Lighthouse leading 45-39, Hannah Grace hit a 3-pointer. Then with under 1 minute left in the game, Shelby pulled down an offensive rebound and was fouled. To that point, NLC had made only 4 of 16 free throws, but Shelby hit both to make the score 45-44. After several turnovers by both teams in a frenzied final minute, Hannah Grace was fouled on a fast break with 7 seconds remaining. She made both FT to give the Storm the lead - their first lead of the 2nd half. A full court press then led to a Lighthouse turnover and Hannah Grace grabbed a steal and scored to ice the game. Hannah Grace led the Storm in scoring with 14 points (7 of them in the final 2 minutes). Daryl grabbed 9 rebounds and Rebecca had 4 assists to lead the team.

Storm vs. Surry

2010-01-20T07:58:00.003-05:00

Surry Runnin' Patriots 56 NLC Storm 47

The Storm lost for the first time this season, dropping this game to the defending state champion Runnin' Patriots in Mt. Airy. The Storm held a 5-pt halftime lead but struggled some offensively in the 3rd quarter, scoring only 7 points as Surry took the lead and went on to a 9-point win. Arianna led the Storm with 14 points. Hannah Grace had 13 points, 4 assists, and 7 deflections, and Anna led in rebouding with 7 boards. The Storm gets a chance for avenge the loss on Feb 12 when Surry comes to NLC for the return match.

Storm @ Christian Faith

2010-01-12T20:19:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 46 Christian Faith Center Academy Conquerors 45

Arianna hit 2 free throws with 5.8 seconds to play, and the New Life Storm escaped with a 1-point on the road against the Conquerors of Christian Faith Center Academy. The normally fast starting Storm did not get off to their usual first quarter lead and trailed 7-5 at the end of the first period. The Conquerors athleticism and aggressiveness in their zone defense forced the Storm into numerous turnovers. Midway through the 2nd period, the Storm offense came alive. Darryl started the run with a high-low feed to Shelby and a 15-ft jumper. Then the Storm followed with 3 fast break baskets and went ahead 23-16. Christian Faith answered by scoring the last 8 points of the half, and took the lead on a 3-pointer by their star, Anastasia Tucet, just before the halftime buzzer. The second half continued to be a hard-fought, physical, back-and-forth game with several lead changes and neither team able to pull away. The Storm continued to struggle with turnovers, finishing with a season-high 31. They continued to have success with the fast break also, and transition baskets by Hannah Grace, Anna, and Arianna put NLC up 41-38 midway through the 4th quarter. Again Tucet answered, scoring 5 points to tie the game at 43-43 inside the last minute. Hannah Grace drove and was fouled, making 1 FT for a 44-43 lead. Tucet, who scored 32 points on the game, answered again, absorbing contact and hitting a fall-away jumper to give CF the lead with 17 seconds to play. This set the stage for Arianna's heroics, as she went to the line and coolly drained the winning shots. Tucet took one final 3-pt attempt which was off and the Storm moved to 10-0 on the season. Hannah Grace led NLC with 15 points while Daryl and Arianna each pulled down 9 rebounds.

Storm vs. Raleigh Christian

2010-01-09T00:06:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 46 Raleigh Christian Academy Eagles 40

The Storm moved to 9-0 on the season with a victory over Raleigh Christian Academy. In front of a big crowd on the Eagles' Homecoming night, the Storm jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game and never trailed. Defense set the tone early, as Shelby had blocked shots on consecutive possessions and NLC's help defenders swarmed RCA leading scorer Olivia Davis whenever she tried to drive to the basket. Consecutive 3-pointers by Rebecca helped establish a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Storm led by 5 at the half, but the Eagles - who came into the game with an 8-2 record - started the 3rd quarter strong. RCA cut the Storm lead to 1 point, but Rebecca hit two more 3's and then Arianna made a steal and quick outlet to Rebecca, who found Hannah Grace for a fast break layup and the lead was back to 9. RCA got as close as 3 points again in the fourth quarter, but with good defense and taking care of the ball down the stretch, the Storm held on for the win. The Storm held Davis to 12 points, well below her average of almost 20 points per game, and blocked a season high 7 shots. They showed good patience and ball movement on offense, with 5 players having 2 or more assists while only having 8 turnovers. Rebecca led the way with 17 points and 4 assists, Shelby and Anna went to the boards with 13 and 12 rebounds, and Arianna had 6 steals.

Storm vs. Masonic Home

2010-01-05T23:42:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 48 Masonic Home Red Devils 29

(Thanks to Andrew for the game report)
The Storm girls added another win to their record tonight, making their season 8-0. Hannah Grace opened up the game with a couple of foul shots and two three pointers, much to the chagrin of the Red Devil fans. Early on, the Storm got a 12 point lead which held for most of the first half. This lead continued into the second half and they finished the game 48-29. Anna Vanover led the team in defense as well as pulling down 13 rebounds. Arianna Dinglasan was almost automatic from the free throw line, hitting 6 of 7. The team was 80% from the free throw line. It was a good win to knock the rust off as the team looks forward to Friday’s game against RCA.

Storm vs. Sanford Grace

2009-12-19T18:53:00.003-05:00

NLC Storm 43 Grace Christian School (Sanford) Crusaders 42

Playing early on a Saturday morning in Sanford after the Friday night home win over Lighthouse, the Storm won a nail-biter by 1 point over the Crusaders of Grace Christian School. The first half of the game was perhaps the best half the Storm has played this season. The Crusaders came out with a full-court press but the Storm beat it for several fast break baskets and forced Grace to abandon it. The Storm showed patience against the Grace zone and worked the ball around for good shots and had balanced scoring. Defensively, NLC was very active and really took the Crusaders out of their offense. The first quarter ended with Hannah Grace nailing a 3-pointer just before the buzzer for a 19-6 lead. The Storm extended the lead with a strong second quarter and went into the half ahead 28-10. In the second half Grace mounted a comeback. A more aggressive defense forced some Storm turnovers and rushed shots, and they gradually chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the game at 36-36 and having the ball with a chance to take the lead. A big defensive stop by Arianna and a 3-pointer by Rebecca seemed to give the momentum back to New Life, but Grace responded with with 5 straight points to take their only lead of the game at 41-39. The Storm struck right back as Anna scored, then a steal on the inbounds play led to a Hannah Grace layup to put the Storm back in front 43-41. Grace hit a FT to cut the lead to 1 point and had the ball in the final 25 seconds. Grace star Haley Bryant, who had 21 points on the game, drove the lane but good defense by Rebecca forced her to take a tough shot which missed. Grace twice had the ball out of bounds in the last 2 seconds with a chance for length-of-the-court play, but never got off a shot. The Storm had balanced scoring, led by Anna and Shelby with 10 points each. Shelby had 8 rebounds and Rebecca 4 assists.

Congratulations to the Storm as they remain unbeaten and enter 2010 with a record of 7-0.

Storm vs. Lighthouse

2009-12-18T22:57:00.005-05:00

NLC Storm 60 Lighthouse Eagles 44

On a snowy wintry night, the Storm pulled away from the Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Eagles in the second half to win their first conference game of the season. As has been the norm, the Storm jumped out to an early 8-1 lead. Foul trouble then forced NLC to go with a small lineup and the Eagles used their size advantage to pull even at 10-10 early in the 2nd quarter. Led by Anna, the Storm regained the ;ead but turnovers and fouls and a big rebounding edge helped Lighthouse stay close as the Storm led by 27-22 at the half. The second half began with Hannah Grace scoring on a drive, then Hannah getting a steal and passing ahead to Hannah Grace for the easy two. A little bit later, some strong moves inside by Anna, a 3-pointer by Hannah off a pass from Anna, and a 3-pointer by Rebecca gave the Storm an 18-point lead at 49-31. The Storm ran a 4-corners offense for much of the 4th quarter, and turnovers allowed the Eagles to slice the lead to 1o but they could get no closer as the Storm cashed in on free throws for the final margin. Rebecca scored 18 points to lead the Storm, while Anna had 13 and a team-leading 7 rebounds.

Storm vs. Kestrel

2009-12-16T09:09:00.002-05:00

NLC Storm 48 Kestrel Heights Hawks 33

(Storm Blog thanks David and Shelley for the game report!)
Overall, the Storm played their best defensive game of the season against the Hawks of Kestrel Heights. In the first half, Courtney set a tenacious tone for the team with 5 steals. Following her lead, the Storm shut down the Hawks’ offense in the first period, allowing only a single basket. At the onset of the second period, the Storm’s fast break game was in high gear with numerous opportunities from Kestrel turnovers. Aggressiveness was needed in this physical game, and Anna was the beast who led the Storm. Anna forced her way to the basket over and over, putting her on the free throw line 6 different times. With 8 rebounds, she helped pump up the Storm’s desire for the ball, leaving some worn out Hawks at halftime to ponder the Storm’s 32 to 12 lead. After halftime, the Storm took the court energized and determined, with Shelby diving on the floor after loose balls, Hannah Grace playing denial defense, and Hannah pulling down 6 rebounds. Both on the wing and in the post, Arianna proved to be a threat to the Hawks’ defense by scoring 10 points and taking 6 offensive rebounds. In the fourth quarter with the game securely in hand, the Storm pulled back their defense inside the 3-point arc, allowing Kestrel a couple of 3 pointers. The Storm let up slightly on their rebounding, however, they fought well, and in the end, pulled out a solid 48 to 33 victory.

Arianna and Shelby scored 10 points each to lead the team and Shelby also led in rebounding with 12. The Storm is now 5-0 on the season.

Storm vs. Masonic Home

2009-12-02T17:12:00.007-05:00

NLC Storm 40 Masonic Home Red Devils 20

The Storm ran their record to 4-0 with a 20-point victory over the Lady Devils at the Masonic Home in Oxford. NLC got off to a strong start, jumping on top 14-1 at the end of the first quarter with Hannah Grace and Shelby combining for 12 points. The Storm moved the ball well and played stifling defense, getting numerous steals and deflections and keeping Masonic from getting good shots. In the second period the Devils played more physical and the Storm seemed to let down a bit. They went over 6 minutes without scoring but still led 20-7 at halftime. The Storm put the game out of reach in the 3rd quarter, outscoring the Devils 16-2 to take a 27-point lead. Hannah Grace scored 9 points, Daryl had 6 rebounds, and Rebecca 4 assists to lead the team.

Storm vs. Friendship

2009-11-23T23:06:00.005-05:00

NLC Storm 66 Friendship Christian Falcons 28

In front of a packed house in their first home game of the season, the Storm won big over the Falcons of Friendship Christian School by a score of 66-28. It took the Storm only a few seconds to score in the contest, as Rebecca scored a layup off a perfectly executed tip-off play. The early pace of the game was quick and the Storm used the fast break and good ball-movement against the Friendship zone to establish a lead. However, mounting fouls slowed the pace of the game and kept them from putting the Falcons away. At halftime the score was 30-17 in favor of NLC. The Storm came out blazing after halftime. They turned up the intensity of the defense but cut down on the fouling, and went on a 14-0 run in the first 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter. The highlight was a textbook fastbreak from Shelby to Rebecca to Hannah Grace where the ball went the length of the court without touching the floor, followed by a quick steal and pass ahead to Hannah Grace for a layup and foul for a 3-pt play. Friendship scored three points to stop the run, but then the Storm reeled off another 12 in a row with some nice feeds to Anna inside and a couple of lefty baby hooks by Daryl. A bank shot by Hannah Grace from just inside the 3-pt line at the buzzer made it 56-20, and the 26-point outburst marked the Storm's highest scoring quarter of the season thus far. Rebecca and Hannah Grace led in scoring with 16 points apiece, while Anna had 10. Shelby led in rebounds with 11. This game also marked the varsity debut for Tamara Johnson. Called up from the middle school Storm Club and pressed into duty with Arianna out of town, she contributed solid minutes with the team in foul trouble and scored her first varsity basket late in the game.

Storm vs. Wayne Christian

2009-11-18T14:36:00.004-05:00

NLC Storm 29 Wayne Christian Eagles 19

(A big Storm Blog thank you to Head Coach Aaron Miller and Assistant Coach Laura Clements for providing the write-up for this game.)
The Storm made the long trip out to Wayne Christian School and competed in a very defensively-minded battle. The final score of the first quarter was only 4 to 5, with the Storm behind by 1. The Storm’s defense was good, but it was not great. It did not lead to the fast breaks that presented themselves in the first game. At times, the offense moved the ball very effectively against Wayne’s zone. However, at other times, the passing was very sloppy. Instead of the fast-paced game the Storm likes to run, it was a slow, hard, and sometimes ugly 32 minutes. However, in the fourth quarter, with a 9 point lead, the Storm executed very well. They ran four corners to run down the clock, and Wayne had no choice but to put them on the free throw line. The Storm came away with a 29-19 win. Even though the girls know they could have played better, it was good to see them have the perseverance to win a game in which not everything was going their way. Another bright aspect of the game was the play of Shelby Suffridge, who, in a rough and tumble battle, rose to the challenge. Though she only scored 6 pts, Shelby came away from the game with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, 1 block, and 2 deflections.

Hannah Grace finished with 9 points and Daryl pulled down 9 rebounds to lead the Storm.

Storm vs. East Wake

2009-11-10T00:34:00.002-05:00

NLC Storm 69 East Wake Academy Eagles 29

The Storm got the season off to a great start with a blowout victory on the road at East Wake. Shelby started things off with the first basket of the season, and NLC used smothering defense and the fast break to run out to a commanding 24-3 lead after the first quarter. The lead was still at 21 points at halftime, and in the second half the Storm never let up, gradually expanding the lead to 30 points after three quarters and on to the final margin of 40, the largest lead of the game. The Storm pushed the ball quickly up the court at every opportunity, getting many fast break baskets and shooting 53% from the field for the game. Defensive pressure yielded 19 steals, as all eight Storm players had at least one steal led by Anna with 6. Hannah Grace led the team in scoring with 28 points on sizzling 13-16 shooting, while Courtney had 10 and all eight players scored. Anna led in rebounding with 12 and Rebecca led a strong overall team passing effort with 6 assists.

New Life Storm - Season 4

2009-11-09T09:31:00.004-05:00

Season #4 for the New Life Camp Storm begins tonight! The 10th and 7th graders who started playing together two seasons ago have grown up to seniors and freshmen and, joined by transfer Arianna Dinglasan, are ready to make their mark this season. Come out and see the girls take on East Wake Academy in Zebulon at 6:00.

HSPN 3A Finals

2009-03-14T00:33:00.000-04:00

CHEN Bravehearts 41 New Life Storm 36

The Storm season drew to a close with a 41-36 loss to the Bravehearts of the Christian Home Educators Network of Maryland in the finals of the 3A bracket at the HSPN East Coast Tournament. This game was a defensive struggle, with both teams playing with a lot of intensity and forcing turnovers. The NCAA arena seemed to throw off the 3-point shooting the Storm relies on, as they went only 1-19 from the arc on the game. The Bravehearts pulled out front early, going ahead by as much as 17-8 in the second quarter. The Storm refused to wilt and battled back to within 21-18 at the half. The second half remained close and the Storm increased the defensive pressure and created turnovers. Fast break baskets by Georgia and Hannah Grace tied the game at 26. A rebound basket by Georgia and 2 inside buckets by Shelby kept the Storm neck-and-neck with the Bravehearts in the 4th quarter. Great defense and tremendous effort kept the Storm in the game to the end and gave opportunities to win, but we were never able to get that one big play to grab the lead. Hannah Grace and Georgia led the scoring for the Storm with 9 and 8 points, respectively. Anna pulled down 11 rebounds and Rebecca dished out 5 assists.

The tournament was a great week of basketball and a lot of fun. All 10 girls had moments to shine here. Rebecca and Hannah Grace were voted to the first-team All-Tournament team and Anna was voted to the second team All-Tournament team.

Hannah Wins!

2009-03-14T00:24:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Hannah for winning the 15U 3-point contest at the HSPN Tournament. Georgia finished in 2nd place to complete a Storm sweep.

HSPN Girls 3-pt Contest

2009-03-13T00:53:00.000-04:00

Rebecca, Hannah, and Georgia advance to the finals! Congrats to Rebecca for making the finals of the 19U girls 3-pt contest, and to Hannah and Georgia for making the finals of the 15U girls 3-pt contest.

HSPN Division 3A Semi-Finals

2009-03-13T00:16:00.000-04:00

New Life Storm 62 Binghamton Blaze 36

The NLC Storm played their way into the 3A championship game with a blowout victory over the Binghamton (NY) Blaze 62-36. Unlike their first 3 games of the tournament, the Storm got off to a slow start, falling behind 8-3. Two 3's by Rebecca helped steady the Storm and a 3 by Georgia put them ahead 12-10 before the Blaze scored to tie the game at 12-12 at the end of the quarter. Hannah Grace began the second quarter with a steal and layup, then followed with another breakaway off of a defensive rebound outlet from Daryl to start a Storm rally. Jump shots by Shelby and Katie continued the rally and the Storm raced to a 32-20 halftime lead. In the second half the Storm continued to pour it on, scoring the first 8 points of the quarter to open up a 20-point lead. The Blaze then made a run to cut the lead back to 12, but the Storm stopped the run and pulled away over the last 10 minutes of the game. Rebecca scored 19 (including 4-6 from 3-pt range) and Hannah Grace had 15 to lead the Storm and Daryl pulled down 14 rebounds.

The Storm will face the Bravehearts of Baltimore, MD for the 3A title at 6:00 tomorrow. The game will be held in the 9000-seat Vines Center arena where the Liberty University Flames play.

HSPN Pool Play Game #3

2009-03-12T18:38:00.000-04:00

New Life Storm 49 Greenville Hurricanes 41

The NLC Storm finished tournament pool play on a high note, beating the Hurricanes of Greenville, SC by a score of 49-41. The Storm again jumped out to a first period lead and looked ready to pull away, but turnovers and a failure to stop the Hurricanes dribble penetration allowed the Hurricanes to pull within 25-22 at the half. A switch to a zone defense in the 3rd quarter gave the Storm the momentum, as they put the clamps on and gave up only 3 points in the quarter and pulled out to an 11 point lead. Turnovers again were a problem, preventing the Storm from pulling away and allowing the Hurricanes to mount a 4th quarter comeback. They closed within 2 points and had the ball with one minute remaining, but Rebecca got a steal and fed Daryl on the break, where she was fouled. Daryl hit both FTs to make it a 2-possession game. The Storm kept the Hurricanes from scoring again and hit FTs in the last minute to ice the game. The Hurricanes played a very physical game, but the Storm showed the toughness to overcome that and secure the win. Hannah Grace led the Storm with 17 points, and Rebecca had 12. Daryl and Anna had 8 rebounds to lead the team, while Shelby pulled down 7.

With pool play complete, the teams have been reseeded into 4 divisions (1A through 4A). The Storm is the #2 seed in the 3A (second highest) division. Tonight they will play the Binghamton Blaze in the division semi-finals at 9:30.

HSPN Pool Play Game #2

2009-03-12T00:01:00.001-04:00

New Life Storm 64 Front Royal Flames 33

The Storm bounced back from a tough morning loss to post a blowout win over the Flames of Front Royal, Virginia in the evening game on the first day of the tournament in Lynchburg. Rebecca got a FT off the opening tip play and the Storm led the rest of the game, with the lead growing from 8 points at the end of the 1st quarter to 13 at halftime, then 22 after three quarters. In contrast to the morning game, where the Storm settled for jump shots (attempting as many 3-pointers as 2-pt field goals), this time they worked the ball inside and got lots of points in the paint. Shelby and Anna responded with good scoring games. Success inside opened up the wings and Ryan, Rebecca, and Hannah Grace took advantage with 3's. The team also took care of the ball well, with only 11 turnovers. Rebecca led the scoring for the Storm with 18 points, Ryan and Shelby each had 12, and Anna finished with 10 to go with a team-leading 8 rebounds.

The Storm completes pool play at 2:30 tomorrow against the Upstate Hurricanes of Greenville, SC. Then the teams will be seeded into divisions for the division semifinals tomorrow night.

HSPN Tourney - Pool Play Game 1

2009-03-11T14:36:00.000-04:00

CVHAA Patriots 51 New Life Storm 46

The NLC Storm dropped their first game in the HSPN tournament 51-46 to the Patriots of Central Virginia Homeschool Athletic Association. The first 3 quarters were back and forth, with neither team leading by more than 4 points and both teams holding the lead about an equal amount of time. At the end of the 3rd quarter, with the Storm trailing by 1, the Patriots hit a shot from just inside the halfcourt line to go up by 4. This was a momentum-turning shot for the Patriots. They scored again on the first play of the 4th quarter to go up by 6. The Patriots were effective penetrating to the basket and increased the aggressiveness of their defense, causing several turnovers and limiting the Storm to only outside shots. Rebecca and Georgia hit 3-pointers to keep the Storm in the game, but they could get no closer than 4 points the rest of the way. Rebecca led the Storm with 16 points, while Anna led in rebounds with 10.

The Storm resumes play against the Front Royal (VA) Flames at 6:30 tonight.

Liberty Tournament

2009-03-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

The New Life Storm will be playing in the HSPN East Coast Homeschool Championships at Liberty University in Virginia from March 11-13. The web site for the tournament is in the links at right and has just been updated to include the pairings for pool play.

State Tournament - 3rd Place

2009-03-02T08:08:00.000-05:00

New Life Storm 54 Cabarrus Stallions 31

After taking the 27-3 state champion Surry Runnin' Patriots to the wire in the semi-finals, the NLC Storm came back the next day and won the consolation game in convincing fashion, to claim 3rd place in the NCHE Athletic Conference. The Stallions jumped on top early, going up 7-0 just a little more than a minute into the game. After a timeout, the Storm gathered themselves and dominated the rest of the quarter. Anna scored 7 straight points to tie the game and start a 17-1 run over the rest of the first quarter. After this the Storm led the rest of the game. The 3rd quarter saw New Life outscore the Stallions 11-2 to open up the lead to 16 points. The Storm put the game away early in the 4th quarter, stretching the lead to 24 points. Most of the starters rested for the last 6 minutes, but good scoring off the bench kept the lead over 20 the rest of the way. Anna led the Storm with 18 points and 12 rebounds and Hannah Grace scored 14.

Congratulations to the girls and coaches for finishing 3rd in the state!

State Tournament Semi-Finals

2009-03-02T08:04:00.000-05:00

Surry Runnin’ Patriots 66 New Life Storm 56

On Friday night, the Storm battled like they had never battled before. Surry’s press, though the Storm had prepared for it, did admittedly cause some problems. On defense, Surry’s athleticism propelled them into the lane for hard lay-ups and second chance points. The Storm fought hard to adapt to the press and cut off the lane on defense while attempting to win the battle of the boards on both ends. As hard as they fought, they found themselves with an 18 point deficit at the half. They refused to give up, and resolved to come back even harder in the second half. The answer on defense seemed to be a 2-1-2 zone, as Surry could not knock down shots. The lay-ups that came so easily in the first half were no more, and our defensive intensity resulted in Surry turnover after turnover. The third quarter was nothing less than amazing. The Storm outscored Surry 25 to 6. Rebecca was hounded and went to the floor many times. Hannah Grace sparked a fire with consecutive steals for easy lay-ups. Right before the end of the quarter, Georgia scored a floater to put the Storm in the lead. The Storm hung close all the way to the end, but the win was not to be. The Storm left with their heads high, knowing that they had given their all. They received praise from even our opponent’s fans. The final score was 66-56, with 21 points from Hannah Grace and 18 points from Rebecca. Daryl and Anna led in rebounding with 12 and 11 boards, respectively.

Times Set for State Tournament

2009-02-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

The game times have been set for the NCHEAC State Tournament. The New Life Storm will be playing Surry Homeschool of Mt. Airy, the West Region champion, at 8:00PM on Friday, Feb. 27. If the Storm wins this game, they will play for the state championship at 5:30PM Saturday (2/28) . If the Storm loses to Surry, they will play in the consolation game at 11:30AM Saturday (2/28). All of the games will be played at Greensboro College.

NCHEAC East Regional

2009-02-23T00:14:00.000-05:00

Lighthouse Eagles 39 NLC Storm 35

It is tough to beat a team 4 times in a season, as the New Life Storm found out in losing to the Lighthouse Eagles in the East Region post-season conference tournament. The Eagles used their size advantage effectively, concentrating on pushing the ball inside and getting a large number of points from offensive rebounds. The Storm struggled to hit from outside, missing their first 15 3-point attempts of the game. Lighthouse shut down the Storm transition game, and the good ball movement that has characterized the Storm team on their recent win streak was not present as the team posted a season-low 3 assists. Despite one of their lowest-scoring halves of the season, the Storm was down by only 3 points at halftime at 16-13. The scoring struggles continued in the second half, though, and Lighthouse extended the lead. The Storm fought back in the 4th quarter and cut the lead to 4 on back-to-back breakaways by Daryl, but would get no closer this time. Daryl had a double-double, leading the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shelby also pulled down 11 rebounds.

Despite the loss, the Storm will still compete for the state homeschool championship in the NCHEAC State Tournament in Greensboro next weekend as the #2 seed from the East Region.

Regular Season Finale

2009-02-17T23:50:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 56 Kestrel Heights Hawks 32

The New Life Storm ended the regular season right where they started, with an easy road win over the Hawks of Kestrel Heights Charter School in Durham. The Storm started the game with a strong defensive effort, holding the Hawks to only 1 point in the entire first quarter. The offense was a bit slower to get rolling as the Storm took and missed a series of quick outside jump shots. Midway through the first period, the Storm offense got going and New Life Camp ended the quarter up 17-1. The lead hit 20 in the second period and the Storm was never seriously threatened again. The Storm never led by less than 14 the rest of the way and the margin exceeded 30 at times in the second half as the entire Storm roster was able to see ample playing time. Hannah Grace led the Storm in scoring with 16 points, while Anna had 10. Daryl pulled down 10 rebounds.

The Storm finishes the regular season with a record of 14-6. Next up, they move on to tournament play, beginning with facing the Lighthouse Eagles in the NCHE Regional Tournament in Wake Forest on Saturday.

Senior Night

2009-02-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 54 Masonic Home Red Devils 35

The New Life Storm celebrated Senior Night in style with a 54-35 win over the Lady Red Devils of the Masonic Children's Home. The Storm got off to a blazing start in this game. Rebecca got a layup off the opening tip to give the Storm the lead. Three quick 3-pointers from Hannah Grace and two by Rebecca, mixed with several fast-breaks resulting from steals, put the Storm ahead 25-5 at the end of the first quarter. This was the highest-scoring quarter for the Storm since the Trinity Academy game in early December. The lead grew to as high as 33 points early in the second half before a late flurry of points by the Red Devils in the 4th quarter. Everyone scored at least 2 points for the Storm, led by Hannah Grace and Rebecca with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Ryan led in rebounds with 9.

This was the last home game for Ryan, who was honored in a ceremony at halftime. Her leadership and her play on the court will be missed as she moves on to college next year.

Storm vs. Christian Faith (III)

2009-02-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 57 Christian Faith Center Conquerors 52

The New Life Storm won the rubber match with Christian Faith Center Academy Tuesday night, beating the Lady Conquerors 57-52 in Creedmoor for their 2nd victory in 3 games between the two teams. The Storm never trailed in the game. They came out attacking and jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game. The lead was double-figures for much of the 2nd and 3rd quarters before Christian Faith made a run at them. NLC had held Conquerors' star Anastasia Tuset in check with double-teaming and good help defense but in the 4th quarter she led a comeback to cut the lead to 5 with four minutes remaining. Courtney then hit two big shots to stretch the lead back out to 9. The Conquerors later cut the lead to 4 twice in the last 2 minutes before FTs from Anna and Hannah Grace sealed the win. Anna led the scoring with 19 points and Daryl pulled down 15 rebounds.

Storm vs. Lighthouse

2009-02-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 58 Lighthouse Eagles 56

The New Life Storm earned their 3rd win of the season over the Lighthouse Homeschool Eagles with an exciting 2nd half comeback Friday night at New Life Camp. The Storm trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half, and were 9 points down at the beginning of the 4th quarter, before outscoring the Eagles 22-11 in the final period to pull out the win. Georgia hit two 3-pointers to spark the comeback and swing the momentum to the Storm, then the whole team really stepped up down the stretch. With the score tied and 14 seconds remaining, Hannah Grace was fouled on a 3-pointer. She hit one free throw to give the Storm the lead. At the other end, Shelby blocked a Lighthouse 3-pointer, and Rebecca hit a FT for the final margin. Hannah Grace led in scoring and rebounding with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Rebecca finished with 11 points and 7 steals, and Anna and Georgia also hit double-figures with 10 points each.

Storm vs. Grace Christian

2009-02-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 51 Grace Christian School Eagles 43

The New Life Storm came from behind in the 4th quarter to defeat Grace Christian by a score of 51-43 at Grace Christian in Cary. The Storm trailed by 2 going into the 4th quarter, but outscored the Eagles 18-8 in the final period to secure the victory, the 3rd consecutive win for the Storm. Anna led the scoring for NLC with 14 points and Daryl led in rebounding with 10 boards.

Storm vs. Lighthouse

2009-01-31T09:42:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 56 Lighthouse Eagles 43

The Storm used a strong 4th quarter to break open a close game and pull away for a 56-43 win over the Lighthouse Homeschool Eagles. With the victory over the NCHE East Region foe, the Storm now has run their record to 2-0 in conference play. The Storm started the game strong, getting out to a quick 7-0 lead after a sweet left-hand layup in traffic and 3-pointer by Rebecca. Lighthouse recovered and tightened the game, and the Storm maintained a small lead for the rest of the first half, going into the break up 27-24. Lighthouse pushed the ball inside in the 3rd period, using their size advantage to take the lead. The rest of the 3rd quarter the lead see-sawed back and forth, but the Storm drew some fouls late in the period taking the ball strong to the basket and used the FT's to take a 4-pt lead at the end of the period. The 4th quarter began with Ryan getting a steal and layup. Then Rebecca got a steal and fed Ryan for another break-away. The Storm increased the defensive pressure and soon pulled out to a 12-point lead. They then maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. Hannah Grace led the scoring again with 16, joined in double-figures by Rebecca and Anna. Anna led in rebounds with 9. The Storm again passed the ball well, getting 16 assists on 21 made FG. Six different players had at least 1 assist, led by Rebecca with 7.

Storm vs. Christian Faith Center, Part 2

2009-01-27T23:13:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 63 Christian Faith Center 59

In a rematch of last Friday's home loss, the New Life Storm went on the road and earned a hard-fought victory over the Lady Conquerors in Creedmoor by a score of 63-59. The game was very similar to the first meeting between the two teams, an exciting back-and-forth game where neither team was able to pull away, but this time the Storm came up big in the last 2 minutes, coming from behind to win. Christian Faith led most of the first half, but never by more than 6 points, as the Storm stayed within striking distance with tough defense, good ball movement, and some timely outside shooting from Hannah Grace. At the end of the 2nd quarter, the Storm made a surge and took the lead 30-28 on a fast-break basket by Ryan. Both teams started a bit slow offensively in the 2nd half and the Storm missed some good opportunities to build on their lead. Then the Conquerors' star Anastasia Tuset, who came in averaging 24 points/game, got hot, scoring 10 consecutive points to put Christian Faith up by 8. The Storm refused to wilt and fought back to even the game early in the 4th period. The Storm adjusted with good help defense to swarm and contain Tuset, forcing her to take difficult shots or pass off. Offensively, they attacked the basket and drew fouls. The Storm pulled out to a 51-47 lead behind good FT shooting, but Christian Faith retook the lead with a couple of put-backs and their own good FT shooting. With just over 1 minute to play, Anna scored on an assist from Courtney to tie the game at 59. After a Christian Faith miss, Rebecca grabbed the defensive rebound and quickly advanced the ball up the floor, where Anna scored the go-ahead basket off another pass from Courtney. After another miss by the Conquerors, Hannah Grace hit two FTs with 11 seconds remaining to ice the game. Hannah Grace led the Storm in scoring with 28 points, including 5-7 from 3-pt range. Rebecca (13) and Anna (11) joined her in double-figures, while Anna and Daryl pulled down 12 and 11 rebounds respectively.

Storm vs. Christian Faith Center

2009-01-24T00:31:00.000-05:00

Christian Faith Center 59 NLC Storm 51

The New Life Storm dropped a hard-fought, fast-paced game to the Lady Conquerors of Christian Faith Center Academy by a score of 59-51 on Friday, Jan. 23. The Storm got off to a good start in this game, moving the ball crisply against the Conquerors' zone. Daryl was very active early, scoring the Storm's first 6 points. 3-pointers from Hannah Grace and Ryan helped the Storm to a 14-12 lead after one quarter. Things stayed even until late in the first half, when the Storm lost focus a bit and committed some turnovers, which Christian Faith was able to turn into a 29-24 halftime lead. In the 3rd quarter Christian Faith pulled out to a 10-point lead, but a scoring burst from Hannah Grace starting late in the period brought the Storm back and they retook the lead in the 4th quarter. Most of the 4th period the lead was back and forth. Down the stretch, a basket by Shelby put the Storm up by 1 but Christian Faith answered. Two FT's by Shelby again put the Storm up by 1, but this time the Conquerors answered with a 3. Hannah Grace tied the game, but again the Conquerors nailed a 3 for a 3-pt lead. The Storm was not able to answer this time, as they didn't make another FG, while the Conquerors made their FT's to put the game away. Hannah Grace and Daryl both had double-doubles for the Storm; Hannah Grace with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Daryl had 11 points and 19 boards. The Storm had to play this game without Rebecca, out with a sprained ankle, but Anna moved out to the point and did a good job running the offense.

Fayetteville Game Cancelled

2009-01-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

The game scheduled for January 20 against the Fayetteville Homeschool Crusaders in Fayetteville was cancelled due to the snow.

Storm vs. Friendship

2009-01-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

Friendship Christian Falcons 57 NLC Storm 49

The New Life Storm suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Falcons of Friendship Christian School by a score of 57-49 on Homecoming night at Friendship. Less than 2 weeks after the Storm had soundly defeated the Falcons in the JCA Holiday Tourney, this time the Falcons came out and played an inspired, aggressive game not matched by the Storm. The solid defense that has been a constant for the Storm this season was absent, as the team had a season-low 3 steals and repeatedly allowed penetration and good shots by the Falcons. The Storm scored the first points of the game on a short jumper by Courtney set up by a nice ball-reversal, but that was one of the few first-quarter highlights for the team. Rebecca picked up two quick fouls and sat out most of the quarter. Friendship went on an 18-4 run fueled by offensive rebounds, Storm turnovers, and beating the Storm downcourt in transition. A barrage of 3-pointers in the 2nd quarter stretched the lead to 15. Georgia came in and scored 8 points and put disruptive ball pressure on the Falcons' PG, and the Storm closed the gap to 34-25 at the half. In the second half, the Storm was not able to string together enough defensive stops and effective offensive possessions to make a run, and Friendship maintained their lead. The Falcons left the door open by missing free throws in the last 2 minutes, but after a banked 3 and FT from Hannah cut the lead to 8 they had several shots to tighten the game that didn't go down. Rebecca led the scoring for the Storm with 15 points, while Anna had 11 points and 19 rebounds.

NLC Storm vs. North Raleigh Christian Academy

2009-01-14T00:52:00.000-05:00

New Life Storm 34 NRCA Knights 58

Playing before their biggest crowd yet this season, the Storm took on the Knights of North Raleigh Christian Academy in a much-anticipated game at NRCA and fell by a score of 58-34. The team came out eager to play and hopeful to come away with a win against the Knights, but fell behind at the beginning of the game. They soon diagnosed their errors and fought back by repeatedly beating NRCA’s press, shooting the three ball, and playing hard-nosed defense. Trailing by 6 after one quarter, they seized the momentum in the 2nd quarter with back-to-back threes from Rebecca and Hannah Grace to tie the game at 15. They stayed right with the Knights through the second period and trailed by 5 points, 27-22, at the half. The undersized Storm missed Shelby’s presence; but Katie came in off the bench to play some valuable minutes. In the second half, the Storm stayed within striking distance well into the 4th quarter. The girls gave a great effort on both offense and defense. In the end, they noted some areas in which they can improve and will thus be better from the hard battle. Hannah Grace led the Storm in scoring with 13 points and Anna led in rebounds with 9.

Conference Win!

2009-01-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

NLC Storm 31 Lighthouse Eagles 23

The New Life Storm started off NCHE Conference play with a 31-23 win over Lighthouse Homeschool. The Storm had a great first half - going on a 17-2 run over the last quarter and a half to take a commanding 24-8 lead into the locker room. Ryan was on fire, mixing baseline jumpers and fast-break layups for 10 first-half points to lead the team. The lead grew to 18 early in the second half and the Storm had several opportunities to push it over 20 but did not convert. The tide then turned as the Storm went ice cold (and a little impatient) from the perimeter against the Eagles' packed-in zone defense. Lighthouse chipped away at the lead and cut it to 9 by the end of the 3rd quarter. Nobody scored for over 4 minutes to begin the 4th quarter, then Lighthouse cut the lead to 6. The Storm went to a delay offense in the last 3 minutes that successfully burned time off the clock. Two big steals by Rebecca (out of her 6 total steals) and a basket by Daryl iced things for the Storm. Good defense and rebounding (51 rebounds against the much-taller Eagles) were the keys to pulling out this win. Daryl was a beast on the boards with 21 rebounds, while Ryan was the leading scorer with 10.

Final Tournament Standings

2009-01-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Girls
1st Master's Academy
2nd Sanford Grace Christian
3rd New Life Camp Storm
4th Friendship Christian
5th Raleigh Grace Christian
6th Bethel
7th Rocky Mount Prep
8th Neuse Baptist

Boys
1st Rocky Mount Prep
2nd Neuse Baptist
3rd Master's Academy
4th Friendship Christian
5th Bethel
6th Johnston Christian
7th Sanford Grace Christian
8th Raleigh Grace Christian

JCA Tourney - Consolation Game

2009-01-04T07:21:00.000-05:00

New Life Storm 46 Friendship Christian Falcons 30

The NLC Storm added a trophy to the trophy case, bringing home the 3rd place trophy in the JCA Holiday Tournament with a convincing 46-30 win over Friendship Christian School of Raleigh. After a 6-6 tie at the end of the first quarter, the Storm turned up the heat in the 2nd quarter, holding the Falcons to only 3 points in the quarter and taking an 8-point halftime lead. In the second half, NLC led by double-figures most of the way, steadily extending the lead to as much as 19 midway through the 4th quarter. The Storm focused on working the ball inside in this game and also controlled the offensive boards, pulling down 25 offensive rebounds. Anna had a big game, leading the team with 17 points, while Ryan also reached double-figures with 10. Daryl led a strong team rebounding effort with 10, and Rebecca added 7 assists.

Congratulations to the girls on a good tournament. It was a fun weekend of basketball and a good preparation for the state and HSPN tournaments coming up in February and March.

JCA Tourney - Round 2

2009-01-02T22:38:00.001-05:00

Master's Academy Eagles 63 New Life Storm 21
The Storm fell to the Master's Academy Eagles of Oveido, FL by a score of 63-21 in the second round of the JCA Holiday Tournament. The Eagles are a tall, physical team and proved to be too much for the Storm on this night. NLC played some solid defense and made Master's work to find good shots, but Master's hit some tough shots, and combined inside strength with 3-point shooting. On the offensive end, the Eagles' aggressive zone defense made it difficult for he Storm to even get shot attempts. Despite the score, the Storm girls displayed great attitudes and kept fighting to end. They put 13 points on the board in the 4th quarter, sparked by Georgia Brown, who came off the bench to score 7 points, which led the team in scoring. The Storm will now play for 3rd place in the tourney against Friendship Christian of Raleigh on Saturday at 3:00.

JCA Tourney - Round 1

2009-01-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

New Life Storm-47 Neuse Baptist Lions-29

The Storm beat the Lions of Neuse Baptist Christian School by a score of 47-29 on New Year's Day in the first round of the JCA Holiday Tournament. After establishing an early 7-point lead, the Storm fell victim to some post-Christmas sluggishness. Neuse Baptist made a late second quarter run and took a 19-16 halftime lead when they hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half. Rebecca hit three consecutive 3-pointers early in the 3rd quarter to regain the lead for NLC. Hannah followed with 2 jumpers from the corner (part of an 18-point Carlson run!) . Neuse Baptist hit another long buzzer-beater at the end of the 3rd quarter to pull within 6 points, but the Storm pulled away in the 4th quarter. Rebecca led the Storm in scoring with 16 points, while Anna grabbed 16 rebounds. The Storm now moves on to the winner's bracket of the tournament where they will face Master's Academy of Oveido, Florida.

Tournament Bracket Set

2008-12-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

The brackets for the Johnston Christian Academy Holiday Tournament have been set. The Storm will play Neuse Baptist in the first round at 6:00PM on New Year's Day. Click on the bracket in the post below to get a larger view of the whole bracket.

JCA Holiday Tournament Bracket

2008-12-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

Storm vs. East Wake Academy Eagles (Part 2)

2008-12-20T08:31:00.000-05:00

A Valiant Effort

Despite dressing only 6 players, the Storm took the East Wake Academy Eagles to the wire before falling 65-64 Friday night at New Life Camp. Four of the top seven scorers for the Storm were not available to play, leaving only Rebecca and the five 8th graders to try to avenge Tuesday’s overtime loss. After a perfectly-executed opening tip play (Hannah Grace to Shelby to Rebecca for the layup), East Wake soon grabbed an early lead they never relinquished. The Carlsons provided the early scoring for NLC, with Rebecca and Hannah scoring the team’s first 18 points. The Eagles led by as much as 10 points in the first half before the Storm closed to 33-28 at the half. The second half again had East Wake maintaining their lead but unable to pull away from the Storm, setting up an exciting 4th quarter. With the Eagles up by 9 and looking ready to pull away, 5 straight points from Hannah Grace made it 55-51. Shelby, who had neutralized East Wake’s big post player for most of the game, fouled out with 2 minutes to play. A layup and baseline jumper from Georgia brought NLC within 2 at 59-57, and the Storm had a good shot to tie it that didn’t go in. Rebecca fouled out with just over a minute to go, leaving the Storm with only 4 players, but they still weren’t finished. They kept fighting to the end, when Hannah Grace banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin. It was a valiant effort by the young Storm, but they came up just a little bit short in the end. Hannah Grace MacDonald had a breakout game, leading the Storm with 24 points and 8 rebounds, while Rebecca Carlson finished with 19 points.

Storm vs. East Wake Academy Eagles

2008-12-17T08:14:00.001-05:00

The Storm dropped their first game of the season Tuesday, losing in overtime to the Eagles of East Wake Academy 50-43 in Zebulon. Playing without Anna and Ryan, two regular starters, the short-handed Storm took an early lead and held it through most of the game. They led by 3 after the first quarter, by 7 at halftime, and by 4 after 3 quarters. East Wake came back in the 4th quarter and took the lead, but the Storm tied the game to send it to overtime. It was a very physical game, and Rebecca, Daryl, and Shelby all fouled out before overtime. The team fought hard and gave it everything they had, but just didn’t have enough left in OT. Rebecca Carlson led in scoring with 16, while Daryl Munroe pulled down 18 rebounds for the Storm. This Friday, the Storm has a rematch with East Wake at home at 5:00.