Hemel Storm returned to winning ways with an 87-91 victory over Bristol Hurricanes on Saturday evening. It was the Storm against the Hurricanes, and the side from Hemel certainly huffed and puffed, but they survived the unsettled waters and eventually did enough to claim their first win in three.
The only side that can stop their title procession, Reading Rockets, also tasted victory in Bradford, meaning Storm still need two wins to confirm their crowning, but it felt like an important moment as they battled home in Bristol despite being far from their best.
Matt Ellis returned from his spell on the sidelines and took little time to make his presence known. He had 17 points and an enormous 12 rebounds in the first half alone, eventually ending with 29 and 13 as he powered his side through a tricky contest.
Darien Nelson-Henry also had a double-double in what was a frenetic, intense tie. The game was played at a ferocious pace with little time to catch your breath, and Bristol went toe-to-toe with the Storm as they themselves look to secure the final playoff position.
There wasn’t much separating the sides throughout, with the largest lead of the game Storm’s seven. The visitors took the first period by one, despite Hakeem Sylla’s missed layup on the buzzer, and headed into the first break 24-25 ahead.
Storm’s inside pair of Ellis and Nelson-Henry came alive to start the second, combining to inspire an eight-point run for their side. In fact, seven-and-a-half minutes had passed in the period before anyone else registered a basket for Storm, when Sylla converted his put-back attempt, and a late duo of threes from Matt Disu and Tra’Michael Moton preserved their slender lead at the half-time buzzer - 43-44 the score.
Bristol held their largest lead of four a few moments into the third period as the deficit remained marginal, but again Storm found themselves up one, 68-69, as the teams headed to the benches for the final break.
Tensions were high and both sets of players left everything on the floor. Storm’s American man Moton stepped up, notching seven of his 12 points in the last period, and Ellis swatted Mayindombe away with 50 seconds left on the clock - a key moment as the visitors kept hold of their four-point advantage. Captain Sam Newman saw the win out by hitting his side’s last six points, holding his nerve from the free-throw line, and they edged to an important 87-91 victory.
Mark Clark will know the importance of the win, no matter how ugly it may have been at times, and they now head into next weekend in the knowledge that a pair of wins will wrap up the title. Saturday sees their final home game of the regular season, with Newcastle in town, before they make the short trip to Uxbridge to take on the London Cavaliers the following day.
Tickets for Saturday’s showdown at the StormDome are available on Fanbase now.
Storm are guaranteed a home playoff quarter-final on 12th April at 7pm. The opposition is yet to be decided, however tickets are also available on Fanbase.
Written by Callum Humphrey