Storm back on the road as they face Rebels
Hemel Storm will look to make it three wins from three to start the league season as they travel to Essex Rebels on Sunday.
Tom Baker’s side have battled their way through two nip-and-tuck contests at the StormDome to start their BCB campaign, having topped their Trophy group with a 4-0 record.
First, they downed MK Breakers in a double-overtime classic, before coming from behind to beat London Cavaliers on Saturday.
Now, they hit the road for the first time on league duty to take on an Essex Rebels side who were stung by two gut-wrenching defeats last weekend.
Opposition Focus
The Rebels’ solid start to the season hit a bump in the road last weekend, with two defeats taking their league record to 1-2.
Two wins and two losses saw them narrowly fall in the BCB Trophy group stage, before they overcame playoff champions Newcastle Knights in their league opener at the start of the month.
And they looked to be cruising to victory in head coach Joshua Perkins’ first game against Loughborough Riders on Saturday, 17 points up with four minutes to play.
But tempers began to flare as the Riders inched back into contention, narrowing the deficit to five with 32 seconds remaining, before basketball gave way to chaos with a mass brawl under the basket.
Six resulting free throws helped the Riders force overtime, which they then won, and the Rebels compounded their woes with a two-point defeat in Nottingham on Sunday.
Key Matchup
Both sides have recruited talented American stars this season, and their fortunes may be key to deciding who comes out on top on Sunday.
Aliou Cisse has started his rookie campaign well after spells at the University of Bridgeport and Merrimack College, and an average of 25 points per game so far has the forward fifth in the league.
Fellow American Tre Baumgardner III has also begun life in the UK brightly, showcasing his all-round skills to earn back-to-back Player of the Week awards, posting 25 points, nine rebounds, 14 assists and an index of 44 against the Newcastle Knights.
He also leads the league in assists, with 11 per game, which may have caught the eye of Storm’s own playmaker Sam Newman.
Meanwhile, Storm’s American duo of Jabari Nurse and Jared Small have both been impressive, the former having been named in the BCB Team of the Week twice.
Small would have been frustrated by the injury that limited his involvement at the weekend, and will be eager to return to the court after his 26-point showing against MK Breakers.
In Numbers
Head-to-Head Record:
Storm wins: 7
Rebels wins: 5
*All competitions, since the start of the 2021/22 season.
BCB League Position:
Storm: 4th (2–0)
Rebels: 7th (1–2)
League Top Scorer:
Storm: Jabari Nurse – 20 PPG
Rebels: Aliou Cisse – 25 PPG
From the Locker Room - Brayden Inger
“We look forward to playing another good squad as we look to go 3-0 on the season.
“The last few games have been a lot closer than we’d hoped due to a few lapses which gave other teams a head start. We’ve got to learn that against good teams there’s no room for that.
“They have a few guys who are balling at the moment so training this week has put us in a good spot to shut them down and take the dub in our first away league game.”
Game Information
Tip-off on Sunday is at 4pm, and tickets are available here if you fancy making the trip.
You can also follow along via our social media channels, the livestream or livestats.
Written by Callum Humphrey