NCHEAC East Regionals

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

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

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

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

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

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.