Storm secure Trophy qualification as they return home in style
Hemel Storm secured their BCB Trophy quarter-final spot with a 90-74 victory over Oaklands Wolves on Sunday evening in their first home game of the new campaign.
There were impressive StormDome debuts from Jabari Nurse and Ty Nsangu as Tom Baker’s side made it three group-stage wins from three and set up a shootout with Milton Keynes Breakers for top spot next Saturday.
With the first two weekends of excitement coming on the road, Storm fans flooded in to get a glimpse of the new star-studded roster in home colours, and they weren’t disappointed.
With his countryman Jared Small ruled out with a precautionary back injury, American Nurse followed his Team of the Week-winning performance against Birmingham Rockets last Sunday with another fine display here.
An athletic showing carried him to 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals, and as first impressions go, this one was rather endearing.
Nsangu has been in dominant form since signing from Reading Rockets in the summer, and in just under 25 minutes on Sunday night he pulled down a huge 17 rebounds alongside a tally of 12 points.
Fellow former Rocket Victor Olarerin also made his presence felt in Hemel, notching 20 points of his own, and last season’s Coaches’ and Fans’ Player of the Season Brayden Inger collected 18.
New Zealand international Alex McNaught is another who’s made a big impact since his summer arrival, bringing infectious energy from the bench and at one point even diving headfirst off the court to retrieve the ball and locate Olarerin for a lay-up.
Court time was again evenly split, with no one playing more than 30 minutes, and the luxury of having such a deep roster means Baker can rotate to keep his troops fresh with no drop-off in quality.
The relentless pace his side are playing at was evidenced by their 29 fast-break points, 28 of which came from turnovers, and the frenetic speed at which they look to win the ball back allows opponents no time to breathe or think, although just an 18-per-cent shooting percentage from behind-the-arc suggests there may be some improvement to come in that regard.
Nonetheless, the signs are good for Storm this season after building on the good work done at the end of last season under Baker, who was coming up against his former side here, and they’ve now won seven of their last eight games.
NBL Division One side Oaklands Wolves looked like a potential banana skin, having beaten the BCB’s Loughborough Riders only last weekend, and they led for the majority of the first quarter, before four Inger points and a three from Jovan Rai gave Storm a 17-14 advantage at the buzzer.
A 10-0 run for the hosts extended their lead early in the second, and a late Nsangu lay-up pushed it to 11 at the half - 41-30 the score.
Three consecutive long-range hits from Milo Sigmund-Gordon cut the deficit to four early in the third, but Nurse and Inger regained control and took their side’s lead to 18 come the final break.
It reached a game-high 22 early in the fourth period, before Liam Jefferson’s side battled hard to reduce it to 16 at the conclusion, Storm running out 90-74 victors.
The win cemented their place in the BCB Trophy quarter-finals, but to earn a home tie they’ll have to beat MK Breakers in the final game of the group stage next Saturday.
Your support could be crucial and tickets are expected to sell out fast, so make sure you secure yours on the Fanbase app now!
Written by Callum Humphrey