Hemel Storm II 68 v 79 Derby Trailblazers II (National Cup Round 2)
Hemel Storm second team’s run in the National Cup came to an end despite a gutsy performance away to Derby Trailblazer’s second string. It was always going to be a tough assignment for Hemel to overturn the Division 3 outfit on their own court but the visitors more than held their own for long periods of the game.
Having fallen behind by 7 in the first quarter, Dominic Charles came off the bench to add some defensive intensity and impressive rebounding. At the offensive end Daryl Craine continued his good shooting form and Nick Allin pierced the Trailblazer’s defence to score at the rim on several occasions. By half time the deficit had been cut to 3.
Although Hemel were able to tie the game a couple of times in the second half it was the home team that ran out winners by 11 points as Storm faded in the final minutes of the game.
But Head Coach David Allin was pleased with the performance: “Of course it’s disappointing to lose but it was great to see that our newly formed team can hold its own with a team that plays in a league higher than us. That will give us confidence for our league games that start next week.”
Scorers: Daryl Craine 18, Nick Allin 13, Michael Coumas 12, Shaun Allin 11, Ben Pearce 10, Dominic Charles 2, Craig Percival 2
Storm II’s next home game: Sunday 7th October against Richmond Knights, 5.00pm tip off at JFK School, Hemel Hempstead
