Back-to-back wins for Storm

Hemel Storm made it back-to-back wins with a 96-71 victory over Loughborough Riders at the StormDome on Saturday evening. 

It’s the first time they’ve achieved that accolade this season and it was done in comfortable style, leading the game for all but a couple of second-quarter minutes. 

There are clear signs Tom Baker’s side are trending in the right direction and many of the issues that have plagued them during a tough campaign to date were absent here. 

They won the rebound battle, aided by the return of Darien Nelson-Henry, and a collective desire to get on the boards was obvious. All nine men used in the game recorded a rebound and five of them picked up four or more. 

As a result, they limited the Riders to just three second-chance points, ensuring their defensive work on the first possession did not go to waste. They claimed 11 of their own, winning that particular metric by eight - a vast improvement on the season so far and the home game against London Cavaliers just over a month ago, where they scored none and gave up 23. 

There were contributions from all over the floor, and Brayden Inger continued his red-hot form since Christmas with another 24 points. 

Nelson-Henry had 18 and Veron Eze, who appears to have found a sense of freedom in recent weeks, went 100% from the field on his way to 15. 

Captain Sam Newman was also perfect from behind-the-arc, securing a double-double of 12 points and a ridiculous 16 assists. That takes his seasonal average to 10.6, two-and-a-half more than anyone else in the league. 

A fifth win of the BCB League season puts some distance between themselves, in 11th, and the Riders, one spot behind them, and Baker is yet to rule out a late playoff push. 

Storm started well and had the lead as high as nine at stages in the first quarter, but it was cut to five at the first break - 26-21 the score. 

An 8-2 Riders run to open the second period saw them briefly take the lead, before a well-used Baker timeout instigated an unanswered run of nine points.

The lead stood at five after a couple of Riders free-throws with only a few seconds remaining in the half - useful but far from substantial. Baker called for another timeout before the ball could be inbounded - a move marking an important momentum shift as his play was executed to perfection. 

Jovan Rai exchanged passes with Nelson-Henry and then fed Jack Burnell, who connected from long range as the buzzer sounded to send the home crowd into delirium, and put the team a commanding eight points ahead. 

Storm’s 46-38 advantage was soon extended after the break thanks to some stubborn defence. 

A Tomide Akinsuku free-throw took the Riders tally to 45 just over four minutes into the quarter, and they remained at that mark for almost four minutes. Storm scored 10 in that time and grew their advantage to 21. Good basketball always starts with good defence, as American Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight said. 

Storm conceded only 11 points throughout the third quarter and led 66-49 at the end of it. 

Six straight points to open the final period all but confirmed the outcome and a strong offensive showing ensured there was no way back for the guests. 

Baker and his opposite number, Will Maynard, both picked up their second technical fouls of the game with around six minutes to play, seeing them both ejected from the arena. While Maynard had plenty of assistants to call upon, Baker wasn’t so lucky, leaving coaching duties to Burnell and Nelson-Henry. 

Nonetheless, they remained in control, with Eze threatening to steal the show. He had 11 in the period and finished proceedings with consecutive three-pointers as his side cruised to a 25-point victory. 

In a season made up of testing times, this felt like a return to former ways. A first StormDome win of 2026 put plenty of smiles back on faces and the hosts were left enamoured on a Valentine’s Day to remember. Now they must continue their good work to ensure this is more than just a short-term fling with victory.

View the game photos here.

Storm return to home action on Saturday 28th February against Nottingham Hoods. Tickets for this game are available on our Fanbase Platform.

Written by Callum Humphrey