Hemel Storm were victorious in their first game back at the StormDome since April, winning 96-68 against Division Two outfit London Elite.
Suiting up with many new additions and one full practice together, with Canadian Matt Ellis arriving into the country on Thursday, the team continued to gel as the game went on, after an intensely fought first half.
It was the visitors who were better in the opening quarter, as they thrived off Storm turnovers, alongside their dominance on the rebounds. Former Storm player Romario Spence was at the heart of the visitors, showcasing fantastic skill around the rim and connecting with a couple of three pointers. Storm, on the other hand, were moving the ball into good positions, but lacked the cutting edge when taking the final shot. Elite went into the second quarter winning 17-24.
The start of the second quarter saw Storm react to the 7 point deficit well, with an 8-2 run, forcing London Elite into an early timeout. New signings Monkman and former Loughborough Rider Joe Bielak started to showcase their talents, with Bielak showing excellent accuracy from three point range, and Monkman’s energy to hustle and finish under a heavy amount of contact. A common theme for Elite’s offensive plays would result in the ball reaching the hands of the threatening Spence, who went on to have 23 points at the end of the first half. However, an 8-0 run in favour of Storm in the closing stages of the second quarter sent the hosts into the half time break, winning 44-42.
Storm started the second half with a high tempo, and began to show their quality. Both Sam Newman and Monkman were key to the Storm, as their accuracy and threat was constant to the visitors. Storm did a good job of defending Spence, as they forced turnovers as a result of Elite overdribbling the ball. Elite scored 12 points during the third quarter, which was a brilliant effort from the Storm defence. Baskets from Veron Eze and Bielak closed out the third quarter, as Storm were winning 67-54.
A 13-2 start to the final quarter saw Storm extend their lead further with American Tra’Michael Moton beginning to find his range with a couple of contested three pointers. The team had shown immense improvements since the first quarter, and found their shooting form. They scored 29 points in the quarter, whilst restricting Elite to just 14. Quick movement of the ball was able to find the players cutting towards the basket, as Eze in particular thrived off this. The game drew to a close, with Storm winning 96-68.
It was a good win for Storm, who showed character to react to the early setback. The roster looked to have gelled together as the game went on, with an array of quality ball movement, and defensively organised.
Check out the photos from the game here.
Storm now face Thames Valley Cavaliers back at the StormDome on Saturday 21st September 7pm tip. Tickets can be purchased via the Fanbase app here.
Written by Ollie Heathcote
Photos by Matt Cook