Hemel Storm basketball team had a positive month overall, but one that perhaps left a bit to be desired.
Storm hit the ground running in February, beating Newcastle at home 85-79 and then, in a major upset, defeating the National League Division One’s second placed Worthing Thunder 114-109 in a double overtime thriller the next day on the south coast.
Hemel’s new 6ft 7in American signing, TrayVonn Wright, made an impressive home debut against Newcastle with 20 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks for his new team and added 14 points and eight boards against Worthing before fouling out with six minutes of the first overtime period left after a series of disputed calls.
But Storm failed to build on the back-to-back wins as they fell just short of a third consecutive victory against Leicester Warriors, losing 91-90.
They came within two seconds of pulling off a remarkable win, but with the score tied at 90-all they conceded free-throws to Leicester Warriors’ American guard Taylor Johnson, who was fouled as he drove to the basket.
Johnson sank his first attempt but missed the second to seal a last gasp win for the home side.
Further disappointment followed as Storm suffered another narrow defeat to Essex Leopards at home on Saturday, February 16, losing 99-101.
Storm managed to bounce back with a convincing 98-90 win against Bradford Dragons, when TrayVonn Wright and guard Blayne Freckleton combined for 62 points to lead their team to victory.
But the month ultimately ended in defeat as Hemel were beaten 81-101 by league leaders, Team Solent.
Storm will feel hard-done by going into March, but their positive performances will keep the club hopeful of climbing the table further. Storm sit in 10th place with 16 points at the time of writing.
Picture courtesy of Lin Titmuss
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