Storm bounce back with a convincing 80-111 victory over Loughborough Riders
Hemel Storm earned their first victory of their BCB league campaign after a comfortable 80-111 against Loughborough Riders. After bouncing back from a narrow defeat to Reading Rockets last weekend, Saturday’s win looks to be key as Storm aim to muster a winning run.
Brayden Inger led the scorers for Storm, shooting 55% from the field; however, it was Sam Newman who earned his first triple double of the season with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists. Overall, each player earned themselves over 10 minutes with seven of the nine scoring over double figures.
The first quarter saw Storm start with a purpose, looking to work the ball into good shooting positions which helped their shooting percentage as a whole. Darien Nelson-Henry played a key role, taking advantage of the mismatch inside the paint and using his experience to work his way into promising areas. Storm were able to capitalise off Riders’ turnovers, which kept the lead in their favour. Leading 18-27 at the end of the first period, Storm aimed to keep their fluid style of play to continue to extend the lead.
This was very much the case in the second quarter as a Sam Newman three pointer forced the Riders into an early timeout with a three pointer from the corner. Following this, a 0-7 run in Storm’s favour including a Jack Burnell three pointer gave the visitors a 20 point lead, giving the Riders no choice but to call another timeout. Storm showed excellence on both ends of the floor, as their defence forced turnovers and their methodical approach to offense resulted in high percentage shots being taken. Storm led 30-52 heading into the half time break.
The half-time break seemed to work in Loughborough’s favour, as their shooting percentage began to increase. Whilst Storm started well with three pointers from Inger and Matt Norman, the Riders were able to exploit the Storm defence which was spearheaded by Johde Campbell. The visitors were forced into a timeout with under three minutes left to play, which gave them the opportunity to refocus. Both teams went into the final quarter with Storm commanding a 56-79 lead.
Whilst Loughborough continued to shoot well, the final quarter saw Storm score the most points of the four quarters with 32 on the board. Fast movement of the basketball combined with their good shot selection saw Storm rarely turn the ball over, whilst also extending the lead in their favour. Kai Walker proved to be a threat in and around the rim as he increased his points total, whilst Norman continued to knock down his three point opportunities. A pleasing display earned Storm a well-deserved 80-111 win.
Overall, the performance was one of encouragement as the Storm roster looked to have gelled throughout the opening stages of their campaign. After finishing the start of four successive away fixtures on a high, Storm will look to build some momentum as they battle in the East Midlands once again - this time against Nottingham Hoods. Storm play Hoods on Saturday 25th October, 6.30pm at Harvey Hadden Sports Village, Nottingham, NG8 4PB. Tickets can be purchased here.
Storm’s next home game comes on Saturday 15th November, as they host the Bristol Hurricanes at the StormDome. Details and tickets can be purchased on www.stormbasketball.net.
Written by Ollie Heathcote
Photos by TGD Visuals
