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!
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