Frank Speziale Photo

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.