Dragons burn Storm despite the efforts of impressive Adeluola

Anyone who expected a comfortable home win from Trilogy-it sponsored Storm was in for a shock at Sportspace on Saturday evening as they succumbed to a first ever defeat to the rampant Dragons.

Starting the night with an identical won-lost record to their opponents, Storm were slow out of the blocks and the multi-national Dragons quickly built up an 8-0 lead.

A Carl Josey three pointer reduced the deficit to four points and, with half a minute to go in the quarter, another three by Walid Mumuni chopped the away side’s lead to just one point at 25-26.

Hemel started the second quarter as slowly as they had the first and Bradford soon opened the lead back to 11 points at 38-27 before a three from star guard Adeluola got it back to single figures after four minutes.

The away team then went on a three-point shooting blitz and, as the half-time buzzer went, Bradford led 64-48 having scored an astonishing 38 points in the period – 21 of them from beyond the arc.

Hemel at last got themselves going early in the third, and scored seven of the first eight points to trim the lead to 11. But back came Bradford and they went in 86-73 up at the end of the period.

Adeluola hit six consecutive free-throws at the start of the final quarter to give his side a glimmer of a chance, but they were still 10-points down after he hit another three with four minutes to play.

Hemel got back to within seven through a Michael Darlow triple with three minutes to go, but with sixty seconds left Bradford’s lead was back to 10 and the game was effectively over for Storm who were booed off court.

Hemel’s next home game is at Sportspace on Sunday, March 1 at 5pm against Reading Rockets in a National League Division One game.