NORWICH – As most other teams had already played one or two game this season, the Lady Purple Tornado opened the year Monday night against the Chenango Valley Warriors. After shaking the first game jitters off by knocked down their shots, Norwich rolled to a 77-36 win at home.
The early full-court pressure by the Tornado created many offensive opportunities in the first few minutes of play at the basket as they took a 14-8 lead in the first quarter.
In the first eight minutes of play, Chenango Valley held a 7-4 lead behind six points from Calista Smith.
With two made free throws by Sydney Coggins and a basket underneath by Nicole Jeffrey after a Halea Eaton lob pass, Norwich took back the lead at 8-7.
Smith made one of two at the foul line to tie the game at 8-8 for the last time in the game.
After the CV point, Eaton received a pass and knocked down the first outside shot made by the Purple Tornado for three points. Her deep ball sparked a 21-0 run by Norwich that ended the first quarter and carried into the second.
The second stanza saw the Tornado score 31 points as the team displayed balanced scoring throughout. During the spurt, Destiny Gladney came off the bench and scored six straight points for Norwich while Abby Flynn shot 5-for-6 at the foul line and both Benedict and Jeffrey added four points on the inside.
Throughout the entire game, the Tornado’s “in-your-face” style of defense forced several turnovers by the Warriors, leading to possessions on the offensive end where Norwich moved the ball around to find the open teammate to get the best look for the bucket.
The third quarter saw 13 points scored by Chenango Valley, their highest point total during a quarter of action. CV’s Smith led her in the points column, finished with 18 for the game.
The stingy Norwich defense saw all players contribute, whether it was a rebound or a block and helped the offensive production for the Tornado.
Triniti Myers, who was deadly from the corners, led the team with 12 points. Coggins scored 11 in the game, nine coming from beyond the arc. Flynn also finished with 11 points, shooting 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) at the foul line. Taylor Hansen added nine while Jeffrey tallied eight points.
Eaton saw the floor very well for the Tornado, dishing out at least five assists in the game while scoring eight points.
The Purple Tornado JV girls team also kicked off their season with a big win, topping the Warriors 56-22. Last year, the Norwich junior varsity team only lost two games all season – both coming at the hands of the Oneonta Yellowjackets. This year, with nearly the same roster, they will look to take the STAC crown.
Norwich (1-0) plays again at home on Thursday, seeing the Sabers of Susquehanna Valley – last year’s New York State Class B Champions. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m., following the junior varsity game.
Norwich 77, Chenango Valley 36
CV 8 6 13 9 – 36
Nor 14 31 21 11 – 77
Chenango Valley: Maddie Tricket 1 1-1-3; Emily Goodstal 1 2-2-4; Brittney Kropp 0; Allyson O’Connor 2 3-5-8; Calista Smith 6 6-10-18; Morgan Jones 0 3-4-3. TOTALS: 10 15-22-36.
Norwich: Destiny Gladney 2 2-2-6; Taylor Hansen 3 3-6-9; Sydney Coggins 3 2-2-11; Emily Evans 2 0-1-2; Abby Flynn 3 7-8-11; Ashton Wenzel 0; Emerson Burton 0 1-2-1; Hailey Colabelli 1 1-2-3; Saige Benedict 3 0-2-6; Triniti Myers 5 0-0-12; Nicole Jeffrey 4 0-2-8. TOTALS: 27 17-31-77
Fouled out: None. 3-point goals: (CV) Allyson O’Connor 1, Calista Smith 1; (N) Coggins 3, Eaton 1, Myers 2. Officials: J. Sullivan and N. Laskey