Hemel Storm get the win against the City of Birmingham Rockets

Matt EllisMatt Ellis
Matt Ellis
Saturday’s game saw Storm make the journey to the West Midlands, which saw them win 88-92. This victory moves Storm to 13-0, maintaining their position at the top of the table.

After a high quality performance, Storm looked comfortable with the lead they had built, reaching a game high of 19, the Rockets were able to use their home advantage to claw back the lead to just 4 points at the end of the game.

Before the beginning of the game, both teams observed a 24-second silence, remembering the lives of Daljang Wol, Anthony Hibbert who were members of Essex Rebels men’s basketball first team alongside Makyle Bayley, a talented basketball player who was a member of their BUCS team and fellow student Eva Darold-Tchikaya who tragically lost their lives on the day of the game. Everyone at Hemel Storm sends their deepest condolences to friends, family and everybody at the University.

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The first quarter saw Storm make a positive start, as they moved the ball well and were able to create good opportunities. It saw the contribution of many team members, as Sam Newman sunk back to back triples, whilst Monkman and Ellis controlled the tempo of the game, forcing Coach Smith into a timeout. The hosts were able to regroup and replied with an 11-0 run, before Darien Nelson-Henry’s basket put Storm up by a single point heading into the second quarter.

It was an equally impressive start to the second quarter for Storm, as a 0-7 run put the away side up by 8 with 1:30 played in the quarter. However, the Rockets continued to chip away at their deficit, with the contributions of Zack Powell, Lucas McGregor and former Storm player Leon Henry, who went on to be Rockets top scorer with 22 points. Newman began to find his range from the perimeter, connecting on multiple occasions, which put Storm up by 10 points going into half time.

The third quarter saw a very even playing field in terms of scoring. With Storm looking to extend their lead further as they went in search of scoring runs, Birmingham refused to back down from the challenge as they constantly replied to Storm’s baskets. Both Matt Ellis and Veron Eze began to find their shooting touch, which made them a threat for the Rockets defence for the second half. As Storm looked to be going into the final quarter with a 14 point lead after Tra’Michael Moton scored both his free throws, McGregor quickly scored his attempt to set up a competitive final quarter, with Storm in a 60-72 lead.

Despite what the final score showed on the scoreboard, it was Storm who controlled the tempo of proceedings for the majority of the fourth period. Within 3 minutes of play, the lead was extended to 17, as Storm aimed to close the game out in style. This was eventually extended to 19 points with just under four minutes left to play, as Storm began to relax. However, the Rockets were keen to mount a late comeback, applying heavy ball pressure and forcing Storm into turnovers. As time expired, McGregor was able to connect with a buzzer beater three pointer; however, this did not have an impact on the final result, as Storm secured a 88-92 victory.

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It was a performance which was positive for many moments. With Birmingham being a tough place to play, with experience and a hostile environment at the Nechells Wellbeing Centre, Storm were able to relax and work together to claim the victory.

This fixture also saw Hakeem Sylla make his return to action for the first time since March last season, after sustaining an ACL injury. After playing only a handful of minutes, his action on the court will be managed to continue to build the strength of his body back up.

Hemel Storm now move to 13-0 following this victory, and have the chance to continue their unbeaten run in the league with a blockbuster clash at home to Derby Trailblazers on Saturday 8th February, tip off 7pm.

It’s a huge night for the Club as we welcome the “NBL Live” team to the game for the first time. We urge all fans to make sure you come to the game to show the basketball community what a great place the StormDome is!

Tickets will be high in demand so make sure to get your tickets using the Fanbase platform.

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