Burnell fires Storm past Flyers
A 31-point Jack Burnell display led the Storm charge in an action-packed 131-97 victory over Bristol Flyers II on Saturday night.
The Hemel boy lived up to his reputation as one of the best long-range shooters in the country, converting nine times from beyond the arc to top score as his side returned to winning ways after defeat in Derby last time out.
There were also 25 points for Taylor Johnson, completing an impressive stat line with 13 rebounds, eight assists and three steals, while Brayden Inger also managed 23.
It was a game played at an incredibly high tempo, and with Storm still wounded by the absence of Matt Norman, Kai Walker, Jovan Rai and Hakeem Sylla, the bottom-placed Flyers refused to lie down. Nassim Ladjimi in particular put up a strong fight, racking up 11 threes and 36 points of his own in just under 28 minutes.
But a well-rounded team display from Storm’s eight-man squad was enough to get the job done, with Darien Nelson-Henry, Di-Jani Parkinson and Veron Eze all also reaching double-digits and Sam Newman registering another 11 assists, as the team’s offence obliterated the Flyers’ floundering defence.
It was Burnell who got the StormDome going in the opening stages, connecting with three consecutive three-point efforts, but the Flyers and Ladjimi fought fire with fire, and at times it felt like a straight shoot-out between the pair. Johnson then got in on the act and ensured his team ended the first period 35-22 to the good.
Inger and Parkinson combined to steadily grow Storm’s lead during the second quarter and Eze beat the buzzer from behind the arc to extend it to 29 points as the sides headed for the locker rooms, 67-38 the score.
The points continued to flow in an even third period, with Storm just one away from reaching three-figures after only thirty minutes of action, leading 99-67 at the final break.
The Flyers looked deflated and Storm began to run riot, extending the lead to a game-high 43 with two minutes to play as Inger and Parkinson caught fire. A 13-2 Flyers run took some gloss off the scoreline, with Parkinson awarded a game-disqualifying foul and ejected after a brief fracas. Fittingly, though, there was still time for Burnell to score the final points and take his tally above 30 as his side ran out 34-point, 131-97 victors.
Head coach Jake Rothauge will be pleased with his team’s offensive display and will hope they can take some confidence into next week’s meeting with Essex Rebels, while also knowing they may have to tidy up some of their defensive work.
The win takes their record to 3-5, one which they’ll hope to improve over the winter in a relentlessly tight-packed British Championship Basketball league.
See more photos from the game here.
Tickets for next week’s home meeting against the Rebels are available to purchase on the Fanbase app.
Written by Callum Humphrey
Photos by Matt Cook
