Storm head into Christmas top of the tree and National Cup semi-finalists

Neither game came without adversity, with Storm facing an early deficit on their visit to Worthing before eventually completing a comeback to ensure a relatively comfortable scoreline and then coming through a close-fought tie with MK Breakers.

Saturday’s 18-point win over Worthing Thunder, 93-111, may seem conclusive on paper but in reality it was anything but, with a dominant second half showing needed to advance Storm’s league record to 10-0.

An all-round team effort was required, with six members of the squad scoring in double figures, and ultimately Mark Clark will be pleased with how his side responded to a setback and overcame a tricky atmosphere to claim the win.

The hosts, Worthing Thunder, won the first quarter by eight. Storm conceded 29 points in that period, with their defence hesitant and far too static. It was as though they felt the Thunder, struggling in the standings with only two league victories to their name thus far, were going to roll over and prove easy opposition, but the side from the south coast had little interest in that, with Elijah Maynard in particular putting up a strong fight.

He had 31 points and as the lead stretched to a game-high 15 in the second period, it looked like a venue which had notoriously proved difficult for Storm was going to haunt them again.

But Storm bounced back as the Thunder fatigued, showing the gulf between the teams at contrasting ends of the standings, to win the second half by a margin of 62-37 and slam the brakes on any possible upset.

Sam Newman was the ignition to Storm’s comeback, first with nine straight second-quarter points to keep his side within touching distance and then taking the game by the scruff of the neck, leading from the front as captain with 17 points and 15 assists to reinforce his status as the league’s leading provider.

A seven-point third-quarter lead left some work to do, but nine straight points to open the final period put the game out of sight. Storm eventually cruised to victory and attention swiftly turned to their trip to MK the following evening.

There was little to split the sides throughout Sunday’s tie, but Storm edged the contest by 3 points after a long-lasting struggle.

Storm have already made the short journey to Bletchley Leisure Centre once this term, falling at the quarter-final hurdle of the KitKing Trophy at the hands of the Breakers on that occasion. However, at the same stage of the National Cup, Storm exacted their revenge and now boast a 2-1 record over their local rivals, courtesy of last month’s league victory at the StormDome.

Matt Ellis followed a superb few weeks of action to lead Storm’s scoring with 22, hitting a crucial fadeaway shot in the closing stages to aid his side’s pursuit of a semi-final.

It was a scrappy, physical affair and Storm’s defence did well to grind MK’s offensive weapons to a halt. No-one surpassed 16 points for the hosts and as a team they were limited to just 70, evidence of Storm’s hard work under their own basket.

A Matt Disu three-pointer handed his side a narrow advantage at the first-quarter break but Nate Robinson found some flow in the second period to see his side head to the locker room five points ahead.

The Breakers then briefly stretched the deficit to double figures, but Darien Nelson-Henry and Matt Ellis tussled like warriors under the rim and the side from Hemel regained the upper hand, leading by two - 56-54 - at the final break.

In such a tight clash, Storm would have looked to floor general Sam Newman to steady the ship, but his evening came to an end prematurely after his battle with foul trouble saw him leave the game with a significant five minutes and 47 seconds to play.

Instead, Matt Disu,Trent Monkman and Veron Eze stepped up with valuable contributions. A Disu steal and slam pushed Storm’s lead to six points with just under five minutes left but the team’s continued to trade baskets and they were separated by only the width of a hair down the stretch.

The margin was one, 71-70 in Storm’s favour, with under a minute on the clock when up stepped Matt Ellis. A trademark jumper from the top of the key gave his side some breathing space and they then secured a stop as Chris Tawiah missed, with MK’s team foul tally too low to stop the game soon enough to alter the outcome and the buzzer sounded to confirm Storm as semi-finalists.

That game will be played in early January with a draw set to spell out Storm’s fate. Newcastle Knights, Derby Trailblazers and the winners of Reading Rockets and Team Solent Kestrels are the possible opponents in a clash to secure a spot in Manchester for the final.

For now though, it’s time to focus on one of the biggest weekend’s in Hemel basketball’s history. Next weekend, Manchester Basketball are in town in the first round of the SLB Cup as Storm test themselves against the top tier of the British game.

Tickets can be bought through the Fanbase app here; make sure you don’t miss out on what’s sure to be a thrilling night of action with plenty of merriness as the festive season rolls around.