Hemel Storm’s BCB Trophy hopes took a big hit as they fell to a double-defeat in the first weekend of their competitive season. They were two close-fought affairs, losing out 87-89 to Bristol Hurricanes on Saturday and 84-83 in Birmingham on Sunday, but they’re left to rue a pair of missed opportunities as their wastefulness proved costly.
Saturday’s matchup was tight throughout, with Storm holding onto a narrow lead for the majority of the contest. Yet a strong fourth-quarter showing stole the win for the Hurricanes and Sam Newman saw his three-point attempt on the buzzer fall short.
He also missed a last-gasp game-winning effort on Sunday, but once more the game shouldn’t have got that far as Storm surrendered a lead as high as 15 to fall to another agonising loss.
In truth, Storm were sloppy - expectedly at this early juncture in the season - and should have been more clinical in burying both games. 45 turnovers across the weekend won’t make pretty reading for head coach Jake Rothauge and there’s plenty to work on ahead of next weekend’s home clash with Milton Keynes Breakers.
Positive points to take away, of which there were plenty, came from American Matt Norman, who continued his impressive start to life at Storm, top-scoring on both evenings with 25 and 28 respectively, and Kai Walker. Walker again hustled hard, adding energy and dynamism in showings of 15 and 17 points.
The StormDome played host to Saturday’s BCB Trophy debut, but it wasn’t an evening to remember for the home support.
Bristol outshot their entertainers 55% to 41% from the field and it was a case of live or die by the sword, or the three-point arc, for Storm - putting up 38 long-range attempts despite a lowly conversion rate of just 31%. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, targeted the inside areas, with 48 of their points coming inside the paint.
Captain Daniel Edozie, formerly of the Bristol Flyers and an England international at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, was particularly effective, racking up a 26-point double-double, while Ebuka Ekwegh consistently drove past Storm’s defence to good effect. Edozie’s opponent, Darien Nelson-Henry, fought him punch for punch, claiming his own double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds.
It was the guests who started the faster and they led by nine halfway through the first. That advantage was wiped out by the introduction of Walker, and five Norman points in the final 25 seconds saw Storm take the period 26-24.
An Edozie onslaught kept Storm busy in the second, but they battled back and preserved their two-point lead as the half-time buzzer sounded - 47-45.
It looked as though Storm were pulling away in the third, growing their lead to eight thanks to the hot hand of Norman, and they went into the final 10 minutes 73-67 to the good.
Di-Jani Parkinson showed glimpses of his potential but ill discipline let him down, fouled out midway through the final-quarter after only nine minutes on the court, and the Hurricanes began to edge back into it - Storm’s opportunity to assert their ascendancy gone.
Misplaced passes and scrappy offences were the theme of the evening and they only intensified once the game was in the balance - the guests drawing level with two minutes to play. They took the lead a minute later, and Norman, Walker and Newman all failed to connect in the final 13 seconds as Bristol snatched the BCB Trophy opener win.
Then, attention turned to Birmingham on Sunday. Norman and Walker again led from the front for Storm, but they were the only members of the team to register double-digits, while six Rockets reached that mark - the wide array of options all-important for head coach Smith.
Initially it seemed Storm had learned their lesson from the previous night, racing into an 18-23, five-point first-quarter lead that was extended to the game-high 15 midway through the second. The half-time score read 37-48 and from there Storm really should have seen the game out.
Instead, Lewis McGregor and the Rockets fired back, the British guard claiming seven straight points, and with the help of veterans Ronald Blain, Orlan Jackman and Martyn Gayle, the lead was trimmed to one at the final break - 68-69.
It was back to eight with four minutes to play but some wasteful offence and poor defence allowed the Rockets to score the last nine points of the game - Eric Donaldson’s three-point hit with 26 seconds on the clock decisive. Newman was unable to return the favour with an off-balance effort in a chaotic final possession and the buzzer brought to an end a difficult couple of days for Storm.
They’ll go away, lick their wounds and hope to come back better next week, with a tantalising local derby against MK Breakers in store. The top-two in the group qualify for the quarter-finals, so Storm still harbour slender hopes of progressing. They would need to beat the Breakers and rely on them beating Bristol the following day, with Birmingham also having to beat Bristol on the Saturday.
Check out photos from the game here.
Regardless of what happens, it’s always entertaining when the Breakers are in town so make sure you purchase your tickets, get down to the StormDome and don’t miss out.
Written by Callum Humphrey
Photo credit – TGD Visuals / Matt Cook