Storm boost their bid for league and cup success

The weekend saw Storm emerge victorious on two occasions, beating title contenders Derby Trailblazers 74-91 on Saturday, before following up with a closely-fought 94-107 win at the hands of Division Two side London Elite.

Storm particularly thrived off working the ball inside the paint, with their high tempo approach rewarding them with a great amount of high percentage shots being taken. It was very much a team display from every player, as they executed their plays to perfection. This was a statement weekend, with the team already overcoming the immense challenges of tough away venues to play at.

The heartbeat of the side this weekend was Matt Ellis, who proved unstoppable to both oppositions. Having scored 28 points against Derby, before following it up with an outstanding 44 points away to London Elite, Ellis worked his magic inside the three point arc, finding his range from mid range, alongside his ability to finish under heavy pressure at the rim.

Storm started extremely well on Saturday against Derby, as the shooting ability of Tra’Michael Moton proved an ominous sign of things to come throughout the game. It proved an excellent defensive performance throughout the game, limiting multiple Derby threats to contested shots and resulting in the hosts not scoring over 20 points in any of the quarters.

Sunday’s fixture showed signs of fatigue, with two games in as many days proving extremely tough. This was evident as the scores remained within a single digit margin as Elite looked to cause an upset. Their players looked ready for the task of defeating Storm, which was shown through their aggression on both ends of the court, which Storm were eventually able to handle. Both Josh Phillips and former Storm player Romario Spence contributed heavily to Elite’s scoring, with their shooting percentage high.

Veron Eze also had a good performance on both ends of the court throughout both encounters, using his athleticism to his advantage. His contributions proved pivotal, with his intelligence on defence preventing an easy shot being taken. On the other side of the court, his aggression when driving to the basket was a driving force behind the two victories.

Overall it was a weekend which could prove vital as the season advances, with Storm remaining undefeated in NBL Division One against a team, who had an equally impressive 7-1 record coming into the game. The victory cemented Storm’s position at the top of the table, holding an 8-0 record. Storm’s victory on Sunday means that they advance to the Quarter Finals of the National Cup, travelling to MK Breakers on the 15th December.

The next fixture sees Storm look to better their league record to 9-0 as they face City of Birmingham Rockets at home on Saturday 7th December, tip off 7pm. Tickets are available using the Fanbase.