Keith Lanfear Photo

NORWICH – A slow start on the offensive floor didn’t matter for the Lady Purple Tornado Thursday night as their defensive intensity wore down the Susquehanna Valley Sabers. In the third quarter, Norwich’s offense found their rhythm and the rest was history.

The Tornado’s 34 point second half was all they needed to take down the 2017 New York State Champion, earning their second win of the season with a 57-33 final.

Norwich’s Halea Eaton provided the spark for the home team for the second straight game. Unlike the first contest where it came on the offensive end of the floor, Eaton’s defense was the blow the Tornado needed to separate themselves from Sus Valley.

In the third quarter, Eaton delivered an individual stretch that saw a made foul shot, two tie-ups, a deflection on two SV passes, a floater for a bucket, a steal and an assist to Sydney Coggins for a 3-pointer. During this minute of play, the Norwich lead went from three points to 11 to start the stanza on a 10-2 run.

The Purple Tornado out scored the Sabers third 13-6 and didn’t show any signs of slowing up. During the final eight minutes of play, Norwich put 21 points on the scoreboard. 12 of those 21 came from the 3-point line from three different players.