Difficult weekend away from home for Storm

Hemel Storm’s difficult weekend on the road ended in a pair of defeats, despite the best efforts of Tom Baker’s team. 

First up was a 104-85 loss to the Breakers in Milton Keynes on Saturday, in a game Storm led at half time. 

Then they were second best in Birmingham on Sunday, defeated 90-82 by the Rockets. 

Performance levels are at least on an upward trend and Storm feel closer than ever to ending a winless run now spanning eight games. 

But they remain a side stripped of confidence and are struggling to piece together forty minutes of polished basketball to get them over that winning line. 

They fell behind early in MK on Saturday, but clawed their way back into the game thanks to an inspired second quarter, scoring 33 points to lead by one at the half - 54-53 the score. 

Jack Burnell was instrumental in that success, connecting with a trio of consecutive three-pointers and racking up 14 points across the quarter. 

They couldn’t hold onto that slender advantage though, and the Breakers roared back to take the third period by eight points as Storm’s offence came unstuck. 

And MK sealed the win with a dominant fourth quarter as Storm’s attention perhaps drifted to the following day’s duties. The score as the final buzzer sounded read 104-85 to the Breakers. 

Matt Norman top scored with 20, despite spending large periods of the game off the court with a cut on his face, and Kai Walker battled hard to claim a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double. 

Their trip to Birmingham on Sunday saw them face the Rockets for the second weekend in a row, and the Midlands side sealed a 3-0 sweep of victories across the season. 

It was Storm who took the first period 19-18, but the Rockets took control of the game in the second. They won it by nine and Storm trailed by eight at the half - 44-36. 

It seemed to be slipping further away for Storm as Birmingham extended their lead to 12 by the end of the third quarter, but Baker’s men came close to a memorable comeback in the final period. 

They upped the ante on defence and harried the Rockets into a string of turnovers, hauling the deficit back to two with a layup from the impressive Di-Jani Parkinson. 

But they couldn’t quite rein the Rockets in, who held their nerve to secure a sixth consecutive victory. 

Parkinson’s energy off the bench earned him 16 points, while Veron Eze also brought plenty of life at both ends of the court, claiming 15 of his own. 

Next up for Storm is a trip to Bristol next Saturday as they take on the Flyers.

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

Written by Callum Humphrey