​Storm round off with a win

​Hemel Storm bounced back with a 96-88 victory over bottom-of-the-table London Elite to round off the regular season in front of a sold out Stormdome.
Matt Disu flies high in Saturday's win. Photo: Matt Cook.Matt Disu flies high in Saturday's win. Photo: Matt Cook.
Matt Disu flies high in Saturday's win. Photo: Matt Cook.

​Due to suspensions, injuries and commitments to the University of Hertfordshire Storm in the Division Three play-offs, a roster of eight lined up for Storm.

However, it was the energetic Matt Disu who made a significant impact from the bench, mustering an impressive double double of 26 points and ten rebounds. Every player made their contribution to the scoring and showcased their ability to a vociferous Stormdome.

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This fixture saw the return of former Storm player Charles Acquah-Davis, who himself had 17 points to his name, alongside Dwayne Orija who scored six three pointers in a 20 point performance.

As Elite had already been relegated and with Storm’s hopes of a top two finish diminishing, this fixture was an opportunity for players to showcase their ability.

Despite Storm’s game high lead of 16 points, Elite remained resilient, fighting back and eventually taking a one point lead during the third quarter to stun the Storm crowd.

However, Storm stuck to executing the basics, moving the ball well to good positions. This eventually helped Storm to victory, but they were made to work hard for it.

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The number of players available within the roster went to six in the final quarter, after Darien Nelson-Henry fouled out the game, and Brayden Inger was forced off with an ankle injury.

Storm fans will be hoping that the injury is not serious, after Hakeem Sylla was announced to be out for the rest of the season. This could prove to be vital as Storm approach an important play-off campaign.

Overall, it was a tight game with both teams competing until the final buzzer. Although Storm would have preferred to win comfortably, this matchup saw impressive individual performances, with Tez Allen, Matt Disu and Sam Newman achieving a double double; a fitting reward for their hard work.

Storm now approach the play-off campaign with a home tie against the Loughborough Riders on Saturday (13th) in the quarter-final, with Taylor Johnson returning after serving his game suspension.

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