Baker’s reign begins with final-quarter heartbreak

Hemel Storm started life under Tom Baker with a much-improved performance, but fell to a 86-101 defeat against Birmingham Rockets courtesy of a fourth-quarter collapse. 

They played with pace and freedom for the first three periods, leading for the majority of the matchup, but their offense misfired right at the critical juncture. 

A tally of only eight points in the final period was never going to be enough, and the Rockets were well placed to pounce. They mustered 30 to take the quarter by 22 and the game by 15. 

It screamed of a team lacking confidence, starved of that all-important winning habit. Passes went awry, shots misfired and their defence broke down as the finish line came into sight and the tension ramped up. 

It led to despair for Baker in his first game at head coach, but there were plenty of positives to be taken. 

Brayden Inger continued his upward trend in form, registering 22 points and fighting hard for 11 vital rebounds in the absence of the injured Darien Nelson-Henry. 

There were also 21 for Matt Norman as the pair continue to pose the greatest threat for their side, but the StormDome appreciated an all-round step up from what they’d seen in previous weeks. 

Mergim Sokoli made his first start in place of Nelson-Henry, but the game took a while to get going, scoreless in the opening two minutes. But once Inger’s lay-up broke the deadlock, the flames ignited and the clash caught fire. 

There were early signs of the problems Zack Powell would cause, the sharp British guard was hard to stop and ended with a game-high 30 points, but it was the hosts who held the lead for the whole of the first period. 

Baker’s early rotations were impactful, and Veron Eze, Jack Burnell and Jovan Rai all entered the scorer’s book to help Storm build up a 26-18 lead by the first buzzer. 

They maintained their advantage in the early stages of the second period, but a 15-4 Rockets run to end the half loosened Storm’s grip - 51-50 the half-time score. 

Rai was particularly impressive off the bench, bringing great energy and attacking the hoop with gusto, and he kicked off a string of nine unanswered points to begin the second half for his side, reasserting the home side’s control on the game. 

The lead reached a game-high 15 as Norman exploded into life midway through the period but, despite seven Di-Jani Parkinson points, the Rockets had pulled it back to seven come the final break - 78-71 Storm’s fourth-quarter headstart. 

But then all their hard work unravelled. Ronald Blain, so often the protagonist on his visits to the StormDome, put his side into their first lead of the game with just over seven minutes to play - the American ended with 26 points. 

Storm were turning the ball over with alarming frequency, they had 24 turnovers in total, double the Rockets’ tally, and it cost them. The Rockets are fighting for a top-four spot and were in no mood to waste a gift-wrapped opportunity. 

Kai Walker scored all of Storm’s six points in the first half of the quarter, and Inger’s tip-in with just over four minutes to play was their final basket of the game. 

A 13-0 Rockets run closed out the tie, with defeat marking Storm’s 11th of the BCB League campaign. 

The result will no doubt hurt for Baker, but he can take heart in the numerous positive steps taken by his team. If the performance seen in the first three quarters here can be replicated as the season goes on, the results will inevitably come. 

Photos from Saturday night's clash can be seen here.

Next up is a difficult double-header for Storm, first travelling to Milton Keynes to take on the Breakers on Saturday, and then heading to Birmingham for the reverse fixture on Sunday. 

Storm return to home action on Saturday 14th February when they welcome Loughborough Riders to the StormDome. Tickets are available on Fanbase.