Short-handed Storm suffer against Rebels
Hemel Storm’s final home game of 2025 ended in defeat, as Essex Rebels ran out 85-98 victors at the StormDome on Saturday night.
With Matt Norman, Kai Walker, Hakeem Sylla and Jovan Rai all still condemned to the sidelines due to injury, Jake Rothauge was left with just a seven-man squad and they were unable to compete with the visiting Rebels, albeit not for a lack of trying.
Taylor Johnson attempted to take things into his own hands at times and ended with 29 points and 15 rebounds. Darien Nelson-Henry battled hard under the basket as always and secured a 23-point double-double, while Brayden Inger also achieved that accolade with 10 points and an almighty 18 rebounds.
But fresh off a 50-point outing last weekend, Miles Brown did the damage for the guests with 29 points of his own, and there were strong showings too from Kyron Martin and Tom Child in a Rebels roster also containing only seven men.
Storm, as has often been the case so far this season, fell behind early, losing the first period 20-25. The deficit reached double digits early in the second and had grown to 18 by the half-time buzzer.
There was a brief third-quarter rally from the hosts, reducing the arrears to 10, but that was as close as they got as Brown and Child regained control for their side.
With his side trailing 61-78 at the final break, Rothauge cut a frustrated figure and picked up his second technical foul of the game with just under nine minutes to play, forcing him to exit the arena for the remainder of the clash.
The injured Sylla took temporary control and Storm reduced the margin to 11 as they flirted with a late comeback, but it wasn’t to be as they fell to a sixth British Championship Basketball league loss of the campaign.
A leaky defensive display and a lack of offensive efficiency, shooting only 15% from three-point range, proved costly and they’ll hope for an improved performance when they travel to Birmingham next Saturday.
Match night photos can be viewed here.
Storm aren’t in home action until the new year, tickets for their home game against Milton Keynes Breakers on Saturday 3rd January are on sale now via the Fanbase app.
Written by Callum Humphrey
