Sunday’s game saw Hemel Storm travel to face Essex Rebels, as they looked to move one step closer to the league title. Whilst they battled against the Rebels for the majority of the game, Storm experienced a second league loss with a narrow 81-76 defeat.
A key factor to the result was Storm only having eight players available to play, with Matt Ellis unable to play in line with the concussion protocol; Joe Bielak with an arm injury and both Ade Atiba and Jarvis Chater unavailable. Early foul trouble saw two of the five starters benched and Rebels were able to tire the thin roster out throughout the game with their high tempo approach, moving the ball at a fast pace.
After heading into the half time break with a four point lead, the third quarter proved pivotal, with the visitors struggling to create any momentum, as they slumped to just 13 points throughout the entire period. Whilst there were opportunities to capitalise from turnovers, Storm struggled to use any success to extend their lead further, which resulted in the hosts eventually gaining the lead.
Hakeem Sylla led all scorers throughout the game, as he scored an impressive 21 points. Having been slowly eased back into action, recovering from his ACL injury, he was able to continue his good work in the paint. His ability to appear in the right positions at the right time definitely helped to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Veron Eze also had a good performance, as he registered a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Eze continued to show his consistency and aggression when driving at the basket to create opportunities for himself and benefitted off securing rebounds.
A key moment in the game saw Storm winning by 5, with the Rebels in foul trouble during the fourth quarter. Whilst momentum looked to have been in favour of the away side heading into the final stretch, they failed to take advantage of missed shots and turnovers by the Rebels, which proved costly as the hosts thrived off their perimeter shooting.
Whilst the defeat looked to have heated up the title race, results elsewhere saw fellow title challengers Reading Rockets lose to the Derby Trailblazers, which puts the Rockets at a 16-5 record, in contrast to Storm’s 17-2. This means that Storm would need four wins to become champions if Reading were to win their remaining games.
These next few games prove vital for Storm, as they will look to bounce back next Saturday in a clash at home to Loughborough Riders. It is sure to be a tough test, but Storm will need to thrive off their home support to keep winning. Make sure to secure your tickets using the Fanbase platform as tickets will be high in demand.
Written by Ollie Heathcote