NORWICH – After a shaky start to the first quarter, the Norwich Lady Tornado settled in and used the next 16 minutes of play to build a 25 point lead. From there, the host Purple Tornado finished out the big win over Southern Tier Athletic Conference opponent Susquehanna Valley 70-56 in a fast-paced, physical contest.

The visiting Sus Valley Sabers took a total of 32 free throws in the game, making 22 while Norwich went to the line just 18 times.

The Tornado, however, did the their damage from behind the 3-point arc as well as on the defensive end of the floor.

Norwich trailed by as many as 10 points in the first quarter but quickly erased the deficit by the second stanza, using their pressuring defense that disrupted the Sabers offense to tie the game at 21-21 after a Halea Eaton deep ball.

Eaton then came down the floor to sink another 3-pointer to give Norwich their first lead of the game. It was the last lead change between the two teams as the Tornado went on a 21-12 run in the second, taking a six point advantage into the break.

After halftime, Norwich did not show any signs of slowing down as they held the Sabers to one made field goal and two free throws while the home team rallied behind Margaret Dougher’s 11 points in the third.