Storm vs. Kestrel

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

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

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

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.