Storm claim first competitive win of the season but fall short of BCB Trophy qualification
Hemel Storm overcame local rivals MK Breakers in a BCB Trophy thriller on Saturday night but agonisingly missed out on quarter-final qualification on points difference.
Having lost both games last weekend, Storm needed to beat MK and rely on Birmingham and the Breakers to beat Bristol in the weekend’s other fixtures to force a three-way tie for second. All of those results went their way, but MK’s victory over the Hurricanes coming by 29 meant it was they who advanced not Storm, with their points difference 17 superior.
Regardless, it was a manic evening at the StormDome, with an inspired second-half showing seeing the hosts erase a 13-point half-time deficit in less than four third-quarter minutes.
If Jake Rothauge had gone under the radar so far in his time as Storm’s head coach, we saw a new side to the American here. No longer the calm figure we’ve come to expect on the bench, he was bouncing every ball and shooting every shot as he passionately pushed his troops on from the sidelines. Goodness knows what he said in the locker room at half-time, but boy did it work.
The charge was led by Brayden Inger, an emphatic reminder of his ability after he was reduced to a peripheral figure by VISA issues last season, notching 12 third-quarter points and locking into a fierce zone of focus and determination.
Kai Walker was impressive against his old team, fighting relentlessly for his 15-point double-double, and Matt Norman came to life in the closing stages to muster an important 21 points, including 17 in the final period.
Those two were the star attractions last weekend but lacked some support. Here, however, it was a different story, as the whole starting five registered double-digits in a rousing team display to offer excitement for the remainder of the campaign. Darien Nelson-Henry had 11 points with an almighty 17 rebounds and to a man they battled for each other.
Initially, though, it looked like a familiar story was unfolding for Storm. Defeats against Bristol and Birmingham last week were littered with a touch of sloppiness - wasteful turnovers and lacklustre shooting.
At half-time, they trailed 29-42 and were shooting at 29% compared to the visitors’ 50%. Jordan Spencer was heating up and it looked like a long way back.
They were 4-9 down four minutes into the first when the fire alarm sounded and forced a full evacuation - and after Nottingham Hoods and Derby Trailblazers saw their Friday night fixture postponed due to player welfare (a sticky substance on the floor, apparently), it felt like it may be one of those weekends.
But eventually the spectators filtered back in and play resumed after a five-minute warm-up. No fire was found by those investigating the alarm, but Spencer brought the flames on-court, burning Storm with a series of tough shots on his way to a total of 33 points.
His team were 10 up after the first period and all the noise was coming from the away end. A 7-0 run to end the second meant their team headed into the break 13 to the good.
But Storm responded in the third. First it was Inger and then Walker. A timeout from Ben Stanley did nothing to halt their momentum and the duo, with the help of Nelson-Henry, had the scores back level at 47 apiece after just 229 third-quarter seconds.
The StormDome was now raucous and Sam Newman put the hosts ahead soon after. Veron Eze’s third-quarter buzzer beater sent them into the final break three ahead - 61-58 the score.
The advantage grew to 12 with five to play off the back of a trio of long-range efforts from Norman and, despite Spencer’s best efforts, Storm held on - 89-82 victors.
A clear blueprint was set for how Rothauge will want his team to play in the second half and they must now ensure they bring that level of intensity and tenacity to everything they do throughout the remainder of the season.
Check out the game day photos from Nicola C Creative.
With the trophy quarter-finals taking place next weekend, Storm will be out of action before the inaugural BCB Trophy league campaign begins on Saturday October 11 with a blockbuster home clash against Reading Rockets. Tickets are already available on the Fanbase app.
Written by Callum Humphrey
Photo credit – TGD Visuals / Nicola C Creative
