Storm VG @ Cary Academy

Cary Academy Chargers 66   New Life Storm 39

The Storm girls played valiantly, but fell to the Chargers of Cary Academy on their Homecoming night.  Despite playing short-handed without Shelby, who sat out with injuries, the Storm came out strong to start the game.  With great offensive execution, the Storm got inside for 5 layups against the much-taller Chargers, and Hannah and Emily knocked down open 3-pointers, and the score was 18-16 Chargers at the end of the quarter.  Cary Academy, the only private school girls team ranked in the N&O top 15, made some defensive adjustments in the 2nd quarter, got transition points off turnovers, used their size advantage inside, and pulled away from the Storm, led by Liberty-signee Mickayla Sanders.   Hannah Grace led the Storm with 9 points and 7 rebounds.  Sarah chipped in 8 points and 6 rebounds, while Emily had 6 assists.

Storm VG @ Trinity Academy

New Life Storm 63   Trinity Tigers 43

The Storm girls played a dominant first half at Trinity Academy of Raleigh, blowing out to a 42-11 halftime lead on their way to a 20-point victory.   NLC shot a season-high 50% from the field and 91% from the FT line for the game.  Hannah Grace led the way with a double-double (14 pts, 10 reb) and 6 steals.  Katie and Emily had 9 points, as eight Storm players scored 4 or more points - including Ashlee, who had her first 2 varsity FG.  The Storm also had a season-high 18 assists on the game, led by Shelby and Leigh with 4 assists each.

Storm VG vs. St. Mary's

New Life Storm 33   St. Mary's Saints 27

The Storm girls scored the first varsity win in the program's history over a 3A NCISAA school with a victory over St. Mary's School.   As had happened in 2 of the previous 3 games, the Storm led the whole first half but started the second half slowly.  The Saints scored the first 5 points of the 2nd half to grab the lead at 21-20.  This time, though, the Storm girls responded.  They stepped up the defense, holding the Saints to 6 points in the last quarter and a half, and fed the ball to Shelby inside offensively for scoring.  Shelby led the team with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals.  Hannah Grace was also in double-figures with 10 points, and Sarah also pulled down 9 rebounds.

Storm VG vs. Durham Flight

Durham Flight 63   New Life Storm 54 (OT)

The Storm Varsity Girls' NCHEAC conference record fell to 1-1 as they took a disappointing home loss to the Durham Flight.   The Storm led virtually the entire first half, and seemed on the verge of taking control of the game up 26-17 with under 2 minutes left in the half.  Mental mistakes and a late flurry of scoring by the Flight led to a 26-23 halftime score and swung the momentum to Durham.  Hannah Grace caught fire in the second half, hitting 3 three-pointers and scoring on drives to the basket.  The Flight matched her, though, and the score remained tight.  The Storm got behind late in the 4th quarter, but managed to come back and send the game into overtime thanks to a number of clutch plays down the stretch - FT's by Leigh and Hannah Grace, a basket in traffic by Sarah, and a big block by Shelby.  In overtime, the Storm seemed to run out of gas and had difficulty generating points, and Durham pulled away for the win.  For the game Hannah Grace had 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals, while Shelby had 6 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.

Storrm VG vs Lighthouse

New Life Storm 50   Lighthouse Eagles 12

The Storm girls won their first conference game of the season with a blowout of the Lighthouse Homeschool Eagles.  The Storm dominated the first half with smothering pressure on the ball and an offense that moved the ball well and generated a lot of points off the fast break,  When Emily hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer, the score was 40-6, which was the highest-scoring half of the season for the Storm.  The win moved the Storm to 1-0 in conference play.  For the game, Hannah Grace and Katie led a balanced scoring attack with 9 points apiece; rebounding leaders were Leigh with 10 and Grace with 9.  Emily dished out 4 assists.

Storm VG @ Franklin Academy

Franklin Academy Patriots 49   New Life Storm 47

For the second year in a row, the Storm girls led virtually the entire game on the road at Franklin Academy, only to drop a tough one at the end to the Patriots.   NLC played a strong first half at both ends of the court, building a 30-16 halftime lead behind 14 points by Shelby.   The Storm lacked focus to start the second half, with 7 turnovers in the first 3 minutes of the half which swung the momentum and gave Franklin new life.  Foul trouble also kept Shelby on the bench most of the 3rd period.  The Storm maintained a slim lead mostly due to free throws, as Hannah Grace repeatedly drove to the basket and drew fouls, but the Patriots caught up in the last half of the 4th quarter, setting up a tense final 2 minutes.  A FT by Shelby with 45 seconds left put Storm up 47-46, but a long pass downcourt led to a Franklin basket to make it 48-47.  A jumper from HG then went halfway down and came out.  Franklin left the door open by missing FTs, but turnovers prevented the Storm from getting off another shot.  Shelby finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds, leading the team in both categories, and Hannah Grace was also in double-figures with 14 pts.