Hemel Storm came through a pair of tough tests to capitalise on defeat for title rivals Reading Rockets and further tighten their grip at the top of the Division One table. A 92-102 win away at Nottingham Hoods was followed by an 80-69 victory over London Cavaliers at the StormDome on Sunday evening as Storm maintained their 100% league record.
Saturday saw them pushed all the way by the Hoods, a team sitting near the bottom of the standings but on their way up, with recent history of overturning title-chasers. They beat Derby Trailblazers with a scarcely-believable buzzer beater in January, and led Reading Rockets for large parts last week.
They were ahead here, too, but eventually a well-balanced team display was enough for Storm to fight back and seal the win. Veron Eze led the side with 19, and he was supported by a further five members of the squad who posted double figures. Tra’Michael Moton had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 assists, and they survived without the presence of Darien Nelson-Henry for large parts, after he found himself in foul trouble.
Nottingham raced out the blocks on their home court, with a 12-2 run asking questions of Mark Clark’s men. Seven straight points from Eze meant the deficit at the end of the first period was down to 5 - 28-23 the scoreline.
There were more valuable minutes on the return from injury for Hakeem Sylla, and he had six points and a couple of rebounds. They were struggling to contain their hosts’ lively offence, but captain Sam Newman took matters into his own hands at the other end - 11 late points putting his team 52-50 ahead at the halftime buzzer.
Storm’s Canadian pair of Matt Ellis and Trent Monkman carried the load of the scoring at the start of the third, and Sylla beat the buzzer with a layup to keep his side four up heading into the final break.
They never felt totally comfortable in the fourth, but a much-improved defensive display got the job done and they claimed an important 92-102 victory on the road.
The visit of London Cavaliers the next evening was never likely to be a straight-forward one, but Storm survived a third-quarter blip to come away unscathed.
With Reading falling to a defeat against MK Breakers earlier that day, it was another mammoth step in the direction of the title for Storm, and with their closest challengers now sitting on four losses, a victory over them when the sides meet next Saturday would surely be a dagger blow by the unbeaten Storm.
With the game in the balance coming down the stretch, Storm having thrown away the lead they established in the early periods of the tie, it was Matt Ellis who stepped up to power his side over the line. He has made a handy habit of coming to the fore at the biggest of moments and his 25 point, 10 rebound double-double was the difference between the sides here.
It was Storm who had the hot start on this occasion. Moton had eight points before a minute-and-a-half had passed, and long-range hits from Trent Monkman and Newman pushed them into an early 14-5 lead. Ellis put together eight consecutive points of his own and his side finished the first quarter with an eight-point advantage, 26-14.
The deficit was stretched to 20 in the second period, Storm perhaps feeling a comfortable evening was to unfold, and they headed to the locker room 50-35 ahead.
However, the third quarter put to bed any hopes of a cruise to the line, as Storm’s offence collapsed and they offered a route back into the game for the determined Cavaliers. Only 11 points were mustered by the home side in the 10-minute stretch, and the Cavs went nine better in scoring 20 and cut the lead down to six.
The crowd sensed the table-toppers needed some support, and upped the volume levels. But Storm continued to struggle, turning the ball over at an alarming rate. The guests' only lead of the night came as a result of the game’s very first play, but they did pull the contest level with just under seven minutes to play.
Then Ellis asserted some authority, and with the help of a trio of three-pointers from Jack Burnell, he helped Storm navigate the test and secure their second win of the weekend - 80-69.
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They now face a blockbuster clash with Reading Rockets on home turf next week, in a chance to place one hand on the NBL Division One title. Tickets are available for that one on the Fanbase app.
Written by Callum Humphrey