2006/2007

Dorset Storm Under 16s won their first match of the new season as they visited Reading Rockets. They were fielding a younger than normal team, both in terms of experience and the actual age of the players.

Storm took an early lead as both Reece Barker and Declan Carter got to the free throw line sandwiching a Jamie Lines drive. Coach West was not content with the start however and called a timeout. The rallying call certainly had an effect, as Storm came out and went on a 15 - 0 run, closing out the first quarter in total control.

Reading started the second quarter with much more composure and scored eight quick points as Storm gifted them some easy steals through poor offensive play. Barker and Lines though steadied the ship, with the next nine points for the visitors. A few silly fouls at the end of the half however, gifted Reading the chance to close the gap as they visited the line four times in the closing stages. Luckily for Storm there conversion rate was at 0% - so Storm carried a 23 - 32 lead into the half time intermission.

Jonathon Baker and Lines got the scoring underway in the third quarter, with Reading answering with their own counter punch of their captain Vaughan and Martin. Storm continued to find away to the hoop as Pete Thomson started to get into the game, slashing his way to the basket on several occasions. When put at the foul line he also looked comfortable hitting three of his four shots during the quarter. All in all a good quarter of basketball that saw Storm increase their lead to 36 - 48.

Entering the final quarter, it would be important that Storm played with cool heads as fatigue will always set in during the closing minutes of early season matches. Thomson got Storm underway again with another slash drive into the heart of the Reading defence. Early on though, the defensive end of the court was proving the biggest problem as both the influential Lines and Barker picked up their fourth personal fouls. The problem was compounded further with just over half the quarter played, Barker picked up his fifth and final foul. The young Yung Kwok was then left with a large responsibility as the sole out-and-out guard on the team. Thomson continued to be the driving force at the offensive end, attacking the hoop and drawing a couple of fouls allowing Storm to stay in control. With the clock ticking down, Storm managed to hold out for a well deserved seven point victory.

It was a pleasing first performance from a young team. Although far from polished, there were certainly glimpses of the sort of performance that saw the team make the play-offs last year. Captain Jamie Line led all scorers with 17 points and did more than his fair share on the defensive boards. Offensively Reece Barker handled the ball well, and when he dribbled with his head up the flow of the offence certainly improved. It was Peter Thomson whose aggressive driving and slashing to the hoop allowed Storm to keep their opponents on the back foot as he contributed 15 points and a pile rebounds and hustle plays. The Under 16s will be looking to keep this momentum going as they head into their second game next weekend, which seems them host Tamar Valley at Rossmore LC with a 1.30pm tip-off.

Scorers: *Lines 17, *Thomson 15, *Barker 11, Baker 6, *Carter 3, Hewins 2, Kwok 2, *Holden, Stockley.

Rossmore Leisure Centre was the venue for the NBL Under 16s South Western Conference match between Dorset Storm and Tamar Valley Cannons. Storm played well last weekend to defeat Reading Rockets on the road, but they knew they would have more of a task this week against more experienced and physically larger players.

Storm took to the court with Reece Barker and Jonathon Baker as the two guards while captain Jamie Lines, James Hilton and Peter Thomson made up the front court. The opening stages of the game provide a comical interlude as they teams and the officials seemed to be a little confused as to who was shooting in which basket. With the problem quickly sorted, the opening four minutes of the match saw seven fouls called allowing neither team to get any momentum. Tamar scored early on from the line, while Baker opened up with the first five points for Storm. Tamar though were looking the more comfortable team as Spring and Buse shared baskets. It was a Barker three pointer on the penultimate play of the quarter that kept Storm in touch at 13 – 10.

Storm started the second quarter looking much more composed. Lines, attacked the hoop and drew a foul whilst Tamar committed the ultimate defensive sin and fouled Barker shooting a three point shot. All this allowed the home side to slowly claw their way back into the match. Some improved defensive play, exemplified by Thomson who took the first of his three charges during the game. The remainder of the quarter saw some scrappy basketball. Both teams made mistakes at the offensive end of the court under little pressure. The game never really settled, by the end of the half it was Tamar who held a slender lead.

Storm started the third quarter at half speed. So much so that Tamar went on a 12 – 0 run, split only by a Storm time-out. The six minute scoring drought was eventually broken as Hilton scored inside, followed by Lines from the baseline. Tamar had a reply though and with a Lines three pointer being the only other score for the home side Tamar opened up a comfortable lead. Also of concern was that several key players had moved onto four fouls, limiting the options available to coach West.

Starting the fourth period it was a case of restoring pride for the home side. Hilton, Thomson and Baker all scored early on. Unfortunately for Storm their captain Jamie Lines fouled out early on in the fourth quarter. With the result being settled it gave both coaches an opportunity to give the younger members of their squads a good run out. Yung Kwok impressed again showing a good variety of passes for Storm, whilst Declan Carter crashed the offensive boards hard creating several more chances for his team mates.

In conclusion, the third quarter was the killer for Storm. Hopefully the lesson will be learnt that any lapse in concentration will cost them dear. Jamie Lines top scored with 10 personal points and completed a good day’s work at the offensive end. James Hilton scored several times inside. Both starting guards Jonathon Baker and Reece Barker scored several good baskets, the former with slashing drives to the basket and the later with good outside shooting and capitalising from the foul line.

Scorers: *Lines 10, *Barker 9, *Baker 8, *Hilton 8, *Thomson 3, Carter, Hewins, Holden, Kwok, Stockley.

Dorset Storms Under 18s travelled to St Mary’s Leisure Centre to take on familiar opponents in the form of Southampton Trailblazers. With just two players returning from the previous season Storms Under 18s squad has a exciting, completely new and very young look about it. Storm headed into the game without their captain Michael Livesey who was not available for selection and several other players were missing for various reasons.

Storm opened the game with Reece Barker, captain Dominic Stuart and Louis Gibson at the guard spots, while Sam Grant and Oliver Robinson partnered each other in the front court. With both teams lacking in experience, the opening minutes of the game saw both teams start nervously, with the home side making the first inroads and opening up 7 – 2 lead by the midway point of the quarter. Gibson found his way to the basket for his first score of the match, and a total of 12 foul shot attempts allowed Storm to close the gap as the quarter progressed. The introduction of Pratik Tamang for his Storm NBL debut provided vivacity. At the end of the quarter Storm still trailed though, 13 – 9.

Opening the second quarter, Southampton again started strongly as Storm missed their first six attempts from the field. Gibson again showed Storm the way to go as he attacked the basket, first scoring inside and secondly drawing a foul and getting to the free-throw line. Grant then scored inside off a good pass from Baker, Grant then turned provider for Robinson who converted under pressure. With Storm still playing solid defence the gap was continuing to close. Storm used their last timeout with 44 second remaining. Out of the timeout, Robinson was given the ball by Grant off a screen and roll and was fouled attacking the hoop strongly – he calmly netted both shots from the foul line. A good defensive possession by Storm saw Alex Blake complete a steal and set Chris Baker off and running. Niall Adamson was the eventual finisher on the buzzer and Storm took the lead for the first time in the match.

A pleasing first half that saw Storm come out on top meant the home side came out with the bit between their teeth. A quick start saw them regain the lead and it was not until after a timeout by Storm that the visitors scored their first points of the second half via Grant from along the baseline. Robinson also added two from the perimeter and Blake attacked the hoop strongly on the break, getting fouled and thus to the foul line. Despite this, Storms footwork at the defensive end of the court was looking slow and lethargic. At the end of the quarter however, Storm found themselves still well and truly in the match, trailing by just seven points.

Entering the final quarter, Jamie Lines provided a source of energy off the bench, scoring a slashing lay-up in the break, feeding Robinson inside for an easy two points and grabbing an offensive rebound too. However with Storm edging their way back into the match and trailing by just five points Southampton started to assert themselves on the match. Tamang, fouled out early in the quarter and Robinson and Grant both picked up their fourth fouls quickly too causing problems as far as Storms front line was concerned. It was several poor decisions at the offensive end that cost the team though as turnovers allowed Southampton to run the ball back for easy lay-ups. Storm then showed their inexperience as they found themselves second to every ball, and allowed their heads to drop. Despite two timeouts, Storm failed to ever rally together and get themselves out of the hole that they built. Grant and Blake scored the final baskets in the closing minute, but it was too little too late as a 20 – 0 run over a five minute period in the final quarter saw a game that was there for the taking slip away.

All in all the coaches were more than pleased with the performance on the court. If you take away that horrific five minute spell in the last quarter then the match was tied. Although there is still plenty to work on, the team have proved that they can compete at this level, and despite missing several key players had a genuine chance of winning the basketball match. For Storm, Oliver Robinson was the outstanding player as he finished with 12 points and nine rebounds to his name. Louis Gibson also contributed well with eight points, 6 rebounds and four steals. Alex Blake looked comfortable on his debut while Reece Barker and Jamie Lines both looked capable of playing at this level despite their youth. Storm will have next weeks training sessions to put things right before they make their first appearance of the season at home, as they welcome Torbay Tigers to Rossmore Leisure Centre on Saturday - 1.30pm tip-off.

Scorers: *Robinson 12, *Grant 8, *Gibson 8, Blake 3, Adamson 3, *Barker 2, *Stuart 2, Lines 2, Tamang 1, Baker.

After a pleasing start to the season, despite coming out on the loosing side, Dorset Storms Under 18s were looking to get their first win of the season. A good week at training had seen the players work hard to put right the things that were a little weak in the opening match of the season. Storm went into the match, without Sam Redfearn who made himself unavailable for selection, while Moyi Liu and Luka Cavor were both out injured.

Storm opened the game with the same starters that did a good job the previous week meaning that Reece Barker, Dominic Stuart and Louis Gibson were in the back court and Oliver Robinson and Sam Grant in the front court. Storm started well, playing good defence in the opening exchanges. Two foul shots from Gibson who was fouled on the break gave Storm an early 4 – 3 lead. A timeout by Torbay, saw the visitors regain their composure but the introduction of Storms captain Michael Livesey for the first time this season saw the balance readdressed as the first quarter was very tight. In the final minute of the quarter, Storm switched off and Torbay took advantage as they scored eight points – six of which were from familiar looking out of bound plays. At the end of the first quarter, Storms minute of madness saw them loose the lead and their guests head into the intermission 26 – 19 ahead.

Starting the second quarter, Torbay came out in a full court press which in itself proved no problem for Storms guards to break with some good passing. The problem came in getting the ball inbounds. Several players made the elementary and unnecessary mistake of stepping on the line when in bounding the basketball, gifting the ball back to the opposition. Once they managed to pass the ball in though, some good ball movement and strong moves to the basket saw Storm get to the foul line 17 times in the quarter. Torbay were also enjoying getting to the line as both teams committed numerous “reaching in” fouls. Indeed, Torbay visited the line 24 times in the first half and Storm a total of 26 as the half took 75 minutes in real time to complete! Storm continued to get good shots, but some silly fouls saw their good work only marginally close the lead as foul trouble for Pratik Tamang, Robinson and Grant took the gloss off a solid first half performance.

Coming out in the third quarter, with the importance of good defence being emphasised by the coaching staff at half time Storm did close the gap with Grant and Robinson working well inside as both scored baskets in the early going. Unfortunately, Storms foul trouble did not go away as Grant picked up his fourth foul along with Robinson early in the quarter. Captain Michael Livesey continued to play well at the offensive end attacking the hoop and finishing strongly in the key, Niall Adamson and Louis Gibson also did solid jobs filling in outside of their normal positions. Reece Barker was controlling the tempo for Storm as he continued to show that he can handle the basketball well under pressure despite playing up. Captain Michael Livesey picked up three fouls in two minutes to move onto four personal and join Robinson and Grant with four fouls and Tamang who had fouled out on the bench. Even with some serious foul trouble Storm had done enough, to keep themselves in the match trailing by just seven, 58 – 65.

Storm opened up the final quarter in a zone defence that caused problems early on for Torbay as Livesey and Grant combined to score the opening eight points for Storm. In the third minute though, Robinson joined Tamang as he picked up his fifth foul and to make matters worse he then picked up a technical foul for his reaction. Without any height around the basket, Torbay took full advantage as they went on an 11 point run which saw then take a 10 point lead. Grant finally found the hoop for Storm, but he received little other help and his team mates missed all seven of their foul shot attempts in the quarter. Defensively Storm still committed silly fouls gifting Torbay easy points. Despite getting several steals after pressing full court, Storm failed to convert several lay-up attempts as they slipped to their second defeat of the season, 77 – 93.

On reflection, it was a second really pleasing performance. Coach Jill Kemish was satisfied with the effort that the team put in.

“The boys worked hard and played well. Our biggest challenge is now to learn how to finish off games.”

In the end, the margin of victory flattered Torbay, as the match was tight and fiercely fought throughout. For the home team, Sam Grant scored 21 points, many of which came inside the key from a variety of moves. Pratik Tamang looked more comfortable in his second week back after sitting out three months injured. Reece Barker handled the ball well and made good decisions and pushed the ball down the court quickly to allow Storm to get easy points on the break. The best performance of the day came from Captain Michael Livesey though as he scored 24 points, shooting over 64% from the field. Despite some silly fouls that forced him to miss much of the third period he also contributed in other areas as he collected 12 rebounds, handed out five assists and grabbed one steal. Storm have a fortnight off before heading over the Severn Bridge to take on league new-boys Baglan Ballers.

Scorers: Livesey 24, *Grant 21, Tamang 14, *Gibson 10, *Stuart 2, *Robinson 2, Blake 2, Adamson 2, *Barker, Lines, Baker, Thomson.

Storm Under 16s travelled to Mountbatten School in Romsey, when to take on Southampton Trailblazers in the NBL Under 16s Western Conference.

Storm started the game really well, and despite Trailblazers have a lead at the end of the first quarter Storm displayed glimpses of the good basketball they are capable of producing. Storm continued to improve their display in the second quarter as they fought their way back into the game, trailing by just six at the half time intermission.

After the break, a rattled home team came back with a full court press that Storm were continuously unable to break. Indeed, it both slowed down Storms offensive production and took away any chance they had of playing good defence as they gifted some easy baskets to their opposition.

A special mention must go to Jonathon Baker, who looked at home in just his third match for the Under 16s, as he continuously piled on the points. Although the players and coaches were disappointed with the final score line, coach West will have an idea of what needs to be worked on and put right before they face their next opponents, Guilford heat on 5^th November at Rossmore LC, tip-off 1.30pm.

This Sunday saw the first tournament of the season for Dorset Storms Under 15s team against Cardiff Celts and Team Gloster Meteors. However, by last Friday afternoon it became clear that it would no longer be a tournament but would be a single match instead. The reason Cardiff where unable to compete was due to the fact that they have no licensed players… over a month into the season! So a single match it was, against Team Gloster Meteors.

Coach McKensize opted for experience in his starting five with Jonathon Baker, Guy Taylor, Martyn Williams, Alex Lander and Yung Kwok. Despite this ploy, it was a shaky start for the home team as Gloster looked the more comfortable of the two teams. By the mid-way point they had an 8 – 6 lead and coach McKensize called a timeout. It appeared to pay dividends as Storm took the lead with baskets from Baker, Taylor and Adam Stockley. Unforced errors at the end of the first quarter though saw Gloster rattle in three consecutive baskets and retake the lead at the end of the first stanza, 17 - 18.

Starting the second quarter it was Storm who seized the initiative after a tight opening 10 minutes. Some excellent work at the defensive end saw Baker steal the ball and go on to create easy scoring opportunities at the offensive end. Lander, Taylor and Ulas Temel also tied up the defensive rebounds for the home team who stretched their lead to nine points at one point during the quarter. Gloster kept themselves in the game though as their captain Hobbis relentlessly attacked - that meant Storm could only take a 40 – 33 advantage into the half time break.

It was the home team who started the third quarter the same way as they had the second. Strong defence that lead to easy scores at the offensive end was the order of the day as coach McKenzie had his players pumped up to be first to every ball. By the mid-way point of the quarter Storms lead was their largest of the game – 10 points. It was at the point too that disaster struck as Baker fouled out having picked up 4 fouls “soft” fouls in just three minutes during the quarter. This meant that the inexperience of the Storm team would have to step up and carry Storm through to the end of the match if they were going to hold on to their lead. It did not go well as three quick turnovers followed, forcing coach McKenzie to take a timeout. His players responded to his rallying cry however as Kwok hit a couple of open shots, courtesy of nice passes from Taylor on both occasions. At the end of the penultimate period of play, Storm still held a lead, 56 – 49.

Opening the fourth quarter it was Tom Duffy and Chris Amhoff who provided Storm with yet another lightning quick start to the period. After scoring the opening three baskets of the period and looking more comfortable without their most experienced guard, Storm held an 11 point lead with just over two minutes to go. It was the return of the unforced errors – possibly through complacency or just lack of awareness that allowed Gloster to take the score line from reading 76 – 65, to 76 – 73! With time running out Glosters players where instructed to foul and put Storm at the line. This resulted in an unsportsmanlike foul being called as a Gloster player grabbed Kwok’s jersey – he netted both foul shots. With Gloster continuing to try and foul, Storm remained calm at the line as the hit three of their final four attempts. Victory was sealed for the home side as Gloster’s coach was penalised for protesting to loudly and a technical foul was awarded.

All in all a very pleasing display with plenty of debutants performing well. Jonathon Baker played well before fouling out, Guy Taylor played solidly at the defensive and offensive end. The two experienced players were helped out by major contributions from Chris Amhoff – six points and seven rebounds, Tom Duffy – six pints and some good ball handling and Ulas Temel – 2 points and eight rebounds. All in all a good team display that will have given coach McKenzie plenty to work on over the next couple of weeks before the next tournament.

Scorers: *Taylor 27, *Baker 23, *Kwok 11, Amhoff 6, Duffy 6, *Lander 2, Temel 2, Stockley 2, *Williams, Green.

Saturday saw the Cadets Boys welcome Guildford Heat to Rossmore Leisure Centre in the opening match of November. Storm had a couple of weeks break in the schedule and used the time wisely to prepare thoroughly for this match. With plenty of positives from a very good first half display in their last game at Trailblazers the team was aiming for 40 minutes of good basketball – if they achieved this then they felt that they had a good opportunity to pick up another win.

Coach West welcomed back Peter Thomson who was absent for the previous match against Trailblazers. He was joined by Jonathon Baker, Jamie Lines, Reece Barker and James Hilton in the starting line up. The opening six minutes saw both teams exchange baskets, with Peter Thomson netting six points early for Storm, four of which were courtesy of good passes from Barker. The scores remained close before a 12 point run over the closing three minutes saw the visitors open up a large lead by the end of the quarter.

Storm started well in the second quarter. Lines attacked the hoop and the Guildford defence had no answer as he scored six points in the quarter. Storms aggressive play at the offensive end of the court saw them get themselves back in the game. Declan Carter provided some energy at the defensive end of the court, knocking several balls away. Barker continued to push the basketball and found his way to the foul line on several occasions. Guildford though closed the quarter strongly as their own Carter scored their final eight points of the half.

After a disappointing first half in which the payers thought they started too slowly, they were determined to put on a better display in the second half. Peter Thomson again opened the scoring as Storm went on a six to nil run in the first four minutes. Guildford fought back as the remainder of the quarter was a topsy-turvy affair as neither team could take control of the ball game. Miss matches that were caused by Storms lack of height allowed both Hilton and Lines to use their ball handling skills to good affect as they regularly beat their defenders off the dribble. Despite this, at the close of the penultimate stanza Storm still found themselves trailing by 18 points.

Starting the fourth, Storm continued their good start. They started so well in fact as Baker, Lines, Hilton and Matthew Holden all scored in a 13 – 0 run which saw Guildford call a timeout to try and stem the flow of points. The timeout paid dividends for Guildford as they scored two quick baskets. A couple more silly turnovers meant that the home team failed to get a shot off on several occasions and the quarter drew to a conclusion. Storm kept fighting though as they continued to get to the foul line – unfortunately they were only able to convert three out of 11 foul shots in the quarter as their challenge faded in the final couple of minutes.

Despite the result going against the home team, the second half display was really pleasing. Indeed if you take away the first quarter of the match Storm actually won the final three quarters of the contest by two points. For the home side both James Hilton and Jamie Lines used their ability to get to the basket and draw a good number of fouls on the opposition, they were both joined by Reece Barker who also netted double figure points. Peter Thomson again top scored with 16 but he was hampered by some foul trouble in the second half. Storm now have one week before they entertain Plymouth at home next Saturday, tip-off 1.30pm.

Scorers: *Thomson 16, *Hilton 13, *Lines 10, *Barker 10, *Baker 7, Holden 2, Carter 2, Hewins, Harris, Clarke, Carey.

With the winter drawing in, Dorset Storms Under 18s faced the 170 mile trip to play Baglan Ballers. Baglan are a new team to the league and this is their debut match in the National League. Storm had plenty of time to prepare for this match, having had the previous two weekends off – offensive execution had been their main focus over this period. With two really pleasing performances behind them, the team travelled determined firstly to put in another good performance and secondly come home with their first win of the season.

Storm travelled without some regular players who had been left out due to missing training sessions over the last fortnight. This meant that a change to the starting five was necessary, with captain Michael Livesey slotting in for the absent Louis Gibson. He was joined by Reece Barker in the back court while Dominic Stuart, Sam Grant and Oliver Robinson would open in the front court. Storm stated slowly with four turnovers in the opening 90 seconds - Baglan however came out firing, and took an early lead. Storm eventually got going as Barker and Robinson executed their two man game for their opening score. A further score by Barker, and Robinson being found open inside by Livesey saw Storm tie the game at six. Baglan kept the pressure on with a full court defence, and although Storm managed to beat the press, some quite woeful finishing in which they missed 17 shots in a row forced coach Kemish to call a timeout. After having it made quite clear what was expected from them Storm came out with a renewed energy and purpose. Pratik Tamang entered the game and immediately gave Storm a lift; he found his way to the basket on several occasions and further quick scores from Livesey and Robinson saw Storm take the lead. A mixed finish to the quarter saw Storm hold a rather precarious 14 – 21 lead.

Storm where again sluggish at the start of the second quarter, somehow, managing to leave Carhok open in the corner to start the period with a three pointer for the home side. It was Luka Cavor who provided instant energy as he grabbed two steals to give Storm the momentum – and helping Storm to put together an eight point run. A couple of careless turnovers saw Baglan run in easy scores to narrow the gap once again. A second eight point run in which Chris Baker made a couple of big plays saw Storm eventually put a bit of distance in between the teams as the half approached.

Despite holding the lead, the coaching staff emphasised that the first half performance had not been up to scratch and issued clear orders on what was expected in the second half. The players responded, and took much better care of the ball at the offensive end. Dominic Stuart started particularly well, playing strongly at the defensive end of the court while Sam Grant started to come alive making good decisions at the offensive end. A little more patience saw large holes open up in the Baglan defence which could be exploited. Storm also played better at the defensive end, with Robinson and Tamang dominating the boards. Barker looked more comfortable handling the basketball and importantly improved his decision making as the game went on. At the end of the quarter Storm were dominating the match with a 50 point lead.

Entering the final quarter the players continued to play hard. Storm continued to execute at the offensive end of the court. Tamang continued to find gaps inside of Baglan defence, and Alex Blake made a number of good passes to give his team mates easy scores. Storm went on to score 43 points in the quarter, a run that was broken only by a single basket by Baglan. Storm cruised to their biggest ever victory margin finishing the match winning 128 – 35.

It was a game of two halves as far as the coaching staff were concerned. Perhaps the long journey contributed to a sloppy first half display, which included 16 turnovers and poor footwork and teamwork defensively. The second half was much better, Storm showed patience and performed their set plays much better. As usual, there were plenty of minutes up for grabs from the start and the players that came off the bench played exceptional well. In particular Pratik Tamang who scored 31 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his best performance in a Storm jersey. Luka Cavor also played exceptionally well, having returned just one week ago from injury, to score 10 points off the bench. The production was good from the starters too, with Reece Barker netting 18 points and dishing out five assists and Oliver Robinson also scoring 18, and grabbing 13 rebounds. The best individual performance though came from captain Michael Livesey who netted 18 points, dished out nine assists, while collecting eight rebounds and seven steals. The most pleasing point from the coach’s viewpoint was the group effort, as noted by coach Kemish.

“We had all nine players score, seven players in double figures. It was a total team effort – 31 assists shows that you are playing together as a team.”

Indeed, player for player the bench averaged more points than the starters. The margin of victory at 93 points is the largest ever in club history, taking over from the 81 point victory against Thames Valley Tigers back in 2001. Unfortunately the team have yet another break as Gwent have pulled out of the league. The match versus Gwent will however be replaced and another team found to give the them a competitive match. The tip-off will remain at 3.30pm and will follow the Cadets match versus Bristol Academy at Rossmore Leisure Centre.

Scorers: Tamang 31, *Livesey 18, *Robinson 18, *Barker 18, Blake 11, *Grant 10, Cavor 10, *Stuart 6, Baker 6.

Dorset Storms Under 16s played host to Bristol Academy at Rossmore Leisure Centre. Having had a hard fought match the week before against Guildford, in which Storm eventually were edged out by their opponents, Storm were determined to put in another good performance to come away with the victory. Coach West wanted to see his players push the ball harder and take advantage in the open court.

Storm started with Jonathon Baker and Reece Barker in the back court, while the forward line included Peter Thomson, James Hilton and Captain Jamie Lines. Storm started well as Lines set the tone be attacking the hoop and getting to the foul line. Indeed as the fourth minute mark passed, all five of Storms starters had already registered on the score sheet and an early 14 – 4 lead forced Bristol to call timeout. Storm continued to put the pressure on their opponents and despite Bristol finding a way to get some points on the board, the home side held a commanding 22 – 10 lead at the end of the period.

Storm had a sloppy start to the second quarter and allowed Bristol to get themselves back into the match. Matthew Holden though provided a source of energy off the bench as he spread the court for the home team. Thomson also attacked the hoop off a variety of moves and managed to finish well in the closing minutes of the half. At the halfway period Storm held a comfortable 20 – 48 lead.

Storm started slowly once again in the third quarter of play as Bristol opened with an 8 - 2 run. Baker though continued to attack the hoop, and find ways in which to put the ball in the hoop. Bristol continued to attack and looked a much improved team. It was Baker who was the star player for Storm as he scored 14 of his game high 31 in the quarter to keep the visitors at bay.

The final quarter was one which saw the ball go end to end with the result already decided. Declan Carter played with good aggression at both ends of the court, and Thomson and Baker continued to score plenty of points as they combined for 16 in the period. With both teams making plenty of substitutions the game lost some of its fluidity as Storm extended their lead to run away easy winners.

The score line might have made the match look more one sided that it actually was but Storm certainly played well and deserved their victory. For the home team, the two starting guards were outstanding as Reece Barker took good care of the ball and Jonathon Baker piled on the points in a whole variety of ways scoring an excellent 31. Jamie Lines was the pick of the forwards as he scored 16 points and collected a whole host of rebounds at both ends of the court. Storm have one week off before playing Plymouth Raiders at Rossmore Leisure Centre, tip-off 1.30pm.

Scorers: *Baker 31, *Thomson 19, *Lines 16, *Barker 13, *Hilton 13, Holden 4, Clarke 2, Carter, Hewins, Carey.

Dorset Storm’s Cadet Men failed to capitalise on a good performance against Bristol the week before with a sluggish display against Plymouth Raiders. With a full strength side that was full of confidence, Storm were positive that a performance similar to last weeks would guarantee them a second consecutive win.

Both sides exchanged baskets early on, but Plymouth took the early advantage with a 7-2 run midway through the second period to lead 22 – 18. The match continued to be tight throughout as neither side could put together a run long enough to break away from the other. It was Plymouth that held the advantage going into the fourth quarter though.

Despite a huge effort in the final quarter it was in vain for the home side as they slipped to a narrow two point loss. Storm will consider this to be one that they let get away as they never really got into their full stride. The top player for the home side was captain Jamie Lines with 13 points and 8 rebounds to his name.

Scorers: *Hilton 16, *Lines 13, *Barker 10, *Baker 8, *Thomson 8, Carter, Holden, Harris, Clarke, Carey.

Dorset Storms Junior Men headed into the match against Reading having had another two week break in their somewhat segmented schedule. Reading entered the game sitting top of the league, having lost only once this season – that defeat coming at the hands of Torbay Tigers – so Storm knew that they would be in for a tough contest. Storm where hoping to be able to field a full strength team for the first time this season with all players available after injury and at their last training session of the week on Thursday evening it looked like this would be the case. Early Saturday morning the news that Oliver Robinson was laid up in bed and unavailable came as a big blow to the team who even with Robinson in their line-up look like a small outfit.

Without the ill Robinson, a change was made to the starting line-up with Louis Gibson and Sam Grant opening in the front court and the usual Reece Barker, Michael Livesey and Dominic Stuart at the guard positions. Both teams struggled to get going early as plenty of missed shots and scrappy offensive possessions ensued. Storm managed to work their way to an early 8 – 5 lead with good work from Gibson seeing him score five points early. Reading though managed to put together an eight point run of their own and closed out the quarter the stronger team.

Starting the second quarter Storm came out more composed, through pushing the ball and making better decisions they began to close the gap. Grant attacked the gaps in Readings defence with good effect getting to the foul line, and Chris Baker added a basket with a tough finish inside. It was at the defensive end of the court that Storm were struggling, picking up a large number of fouls saw Livesey, Grant, Pratik Tamang and Barker all spend time on the bench as the foul count mounted. A couple of scores inside from Grant, both courtesy of nice dishes by Livesey kept Storm in the contest but Reading had extend their lead at the half time intermission to 15 points.

Storm came out in the second half determined to make an impact and fight their way back into the match. They battled much harder against the much bigger Reading team and continually found their way back to the foul line. Storm continued to apply pressure at the defensive end – Luka Cavor lead the way as several steals lead to easy baskets at the offensive end for the home team. Gibson and Grant continued to battle inside and collected a mass of defensive rebounds which also lead to transition baskets for the home side. Through improved work at the defensive end of the court the home side had clawed their way back into the match, limiting the visitors to just eight points in the quarter, to trail 49 – 54.

Storm wanted to maintain the defensive energy that had seen them close the gap during a productive third quarter. Some early panic at the offensive end of the court forced Storm to call an early timeout. The home side kept up their great intensity at the defensive end of the court and were unlucky with a couple of 50-50 calls that did not fall their way. Storm continued to struggle at the offensive end of the court as Livesey put the first points on the board for the home side in the sixth minute from the foul line. As Storm searched for answers, they committed several turnovers and this allowed Reading to run in several easy scores. Reading put in a much improved performance in the final quarter and ran in 24 points; many of those points were unfortunately courtesy of Storms unforced turnovers which saw them gain another win that kept them top of the league.

For Storm Sam Grant and Dominic Stuart both played more minutes than usual and battled hard inside. Captain Michael Livesey produced another solid performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists. In what was a very physical match, the top performer who stepped up in the absence of Oliver Robinson, meaning he was playing out of position, was Louis Gibson who had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, as well as three steals. In the second half fight back, it was the energy from the players on the bench that helped provide the catalyst for the defensive effort. Once again with the scoring well spread it was a team effort at the offensive end too. Storm will continue to work hard in the training sessions next week ahead of their visit to Swindon Sonics who they visit next Sunday.

Scorers: *Livesey 16, *Gibson 11, *Grant 11, Redfearn 4, Cavor 3, Tamang 3, *Barker 2, Baker 2, Adamson 2, *Stuart, Blake, Lines.

Dorset Storm travelled to Swindon to take on the team currently sitting one place above them in the Under 18s National League Western Conference. The team travelled without the Under 16s squad members who themselves were on the road to Abingdon. A couple of players had faced late fitness checks but they came through and this meant that Storm travelled with a team of 12 players with everybody keen to make some sort of contribution. Traditionally the matches between the two teams have been close and over the last three years both teams have won three matches each, with all but one match being decided by single figures.

Storm welcomed back Oliver Robinson from illness and he retook his place in the starting line-up in place of Reece Barker who was with the Under 16s. Also starting in the front court were Sam Grant and Dominic Stuart while Michael Livesey was joined by Louis Gibson, this week starting at the guard spot. Storm started slowly, and found themselves trailing by six at the midway point in the quarter. They were relentless at the defensive end however and they also pushed the tempo, and this created several good chances on the break. With some good team basketball at both ends of the court, Storm fought their way back and by the end of the quarter managed to take the lead as they closed out the final two minutes with a 9 – 2 tear. Storm had turned it around with some good team basketball and stifling defence – of the 11 players that played a part in the opening quarter, eight of those players scored.

Storm started slowly once again in the second quarter – with a couple of turnovers leading to easy Swindon baskets. When Gibson re-entered the game, he used his experience and sliced his way to the hoop and converted from the perimeter courtesy of a nice pass from debutant Moyi Liu. Swindon soon regained the initiative though, and a twelve nothing run over the middle five minutes of the quarter saw Storm call another timeout to slow down the home sides momentum. After the timeout, Gibson again scored and Livesey also ran in a score on the break as Storm once again upped the pressure defensively to close out the first half strongly. The team’s intensity at the defensive end of the court saw Stuart pay the price as he took a knock to the side which would see him play no further part in the contest. However, at half time the match was all square with both teams tied at 38.

Down another starter, Chris Baker started the second half and combined on the break to create a couple of clear cut chances which unfortunately didn’t fall in. Grant did eventual break Storms scoring duck, but Swindon’s coaching staff were not happy with what they were seeing and called a timeout. The home side responded, but scores from Pratik Tamang and Alex Blake saw Storm regain a narrow lead. Storm lost Niall Adamson at the midpoint of the quarter as he was shaken up after a collision that saw him loose his contact lens. Some more excellent team defence and in particular some outstanding anticipation from Livesey saw Storm force several turnovers – their inability to take advantage at the offensive end of the court though saw Swindon keep themselves in the game. In the closing stages though, good play from Luka Cavor, two foul shots from Gibson and a Robinson basket on the buzzer resulted in Storm taking a lead into the final stanza.

Swindon again started much the stronger team in the final quarter of play, indeed the home side scored the opening nine points of the quarter – the only thing that slowed Swindon was a Storm timeout. It looked like history might repeat itself. With their lead now a deficit it wasn’t until the return of Livesey that Storm were able to regain the lead. The match remained tight and by the thirty-seventh minute of the ball game the teams were tied at 62. Following a timeout it was Storm that came out the more composed. Once again their success was due to their defensive effort, as Pratik Tamang cleaned up on the boards and two passes later Livesey was scoring on the break. Good ball movement offensively coupled with good decision making saw Storm get the ball inside and as a result to the foul line. In the closing two minutes of the quarter Storm converted all five of their attempts to have a one point lead with 17 seconds remaining but, the job was not done yet as Swindon had possession. Another good defensive play saw Storm tidy up on the boards, with Gibson collecting the rebound he also made the heads up play finding Livesey streaking down the court and as the buzzer sounded he scored the lay-up and was fouled. Meaning that to the delight of all, Storm came out victorious by the score of 66 – 70.

Storm certainly deserved the victory and played with enormous amounts of composure in a hostile and certainly very loud atmosphere! All 12 players made an impact; nine different players got at least one steal, rebound or point. There was an outstanding effort on the boards – an area that Storm certainly controlled – and this allowed Storm to really push the ball down the floor, something that they did well without their starting guard Reece Barker. It was a fantastic team effort, but some stand out performances came from Louis Gibson – 19 points and seven rebounds, Pratik Tamang – 16 points and nine rebounds and Oliver Robinson nine points and eight rebounds. Despite having a patchy second half by the standards he has set himself this season, captain Michael Livesey continued his highly impressive run of form finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and eight steals. It was the total team effort that saw Storm win and pleased coach Jill Kemish:

“It was an excellent example of a complete team effort. Players on the court and on the bench supported one another throughout the match – even in the tense final quarter.”

Storm will be looking to continue their good start to the season in their final match of the year next week when they invite Abingdon Eagles to Rossmore Leisure Centre. The match tips-off at 3.30pm, following the Under 16s match at 1.30pm – why not come down and support the team, it would be greatly appreciated by the players to have some support in what looks like being another close encounter.

Scorers: *Gibson 19, Tamang 16, *Livesey 12, *Robinson 9, *Grant 4, Blake 4, Redfearn 2, Baker 2, Cavor 2, *Stuart, Adamson, Liu.

Storm travelled to Abingdon Eagles who were looking to maintain their place at the to of the Under 16s Western Conference. Storm started well in this match, and took an early lead, this lead was then slowly whittled away by Abingdon how held a small lead going into the second period. The second quarter was completely dominated by Abingdon on their home court - despite some good basketball from Abingdon, Storm will feel that they themselves contributed to their own downfall in this period.

Storm did start the second half much more positively after some rallying calls from their coach during the half time interval. However a right point run in the final three minutes of the quarter saw Abingdon maintain their lead entering the final stanza. Abingdon maintain the pressure and with both coaches giving all their players a run out, Abingdon cruised to a convincing victory.

Dorset Storms Cadet Men slipped to defeats versus Taunton tigers who move to the top of the NBL Under 16s Western Conference thanks to 52 – 88 victory at Rossmore Leisure Centre on Saturday afternoon

The Tigers led from start to finish, and led by twenty-seven points at 19 - 46 at the end of the first half.

The third quarter saw the Tigers continue to extend their lead, and enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 27-57 midway through the period off the back of a 8-2 tear. Storm valiantly attempted to get back into the game, but the Tigers saw them off to pick up the victory.

Peter Thomson and Reece Barker led all scorers netting 14 points for Storm, while Liam Hewins put in a particularly impressive performance off the bench for the homeside. Storm now have three weeks off over Christmas before they welcome Team bath to Rossmore Leisure Centre on Saturday 6^th January, tip-off 1.30pm.

Scorers: *Thomson 14, * Barker 14, *Lines 8, *Hilton 6, *Carter 2, Hewins 2, Clarke 2, Harris, Carey.

Dorset Storms Junior Men faced Abingdon Eagles in their last match of 2006. The team were looking to build on their impressive team performance the week before against Swindon Sonics and to finish the year on a real high. The team were yet again missing players as Sam Redfearn, Sam Grant and Niall Adamson were all unavailable and a host of players also missed the final training session before the match. This meant that with a couple of late additions Storm could field only ten players – a rarity this season where 12 players have been present more often than not.

Storm started with Reece Barker and Michael Livesey reunited in the back court with Dominic Stuart, Louis Gibson and Oliver Robinson in the front court. Storm opened well with Michael Livesey scoring twice with aggressive moves to the basket. Abingdon responded and went on a nine point run of their own, a run in which many of their baskets came off second, third or even fourth opportunities. However, scores from Robinson and Pratik Tamang to close the quarter, along with some good defence from Luka Cavor allowed Storm to claw their way back into the game, but still trailed 10 – 14.

Storm still failed to continue their momentum into the second quarter as their sloppy play at the defensive end continued. Having picked up three fouls in the opening minute of the quarter, Storm found themselves in the penalty by the third minute. It wasn’t until the mid-point of the quarter that the home team showed some of the grit and determination that they had plentifully demonstrated the week before. Offensively some good ball movement allowed the ball to end up inside and Tamang, Gibson and Robinson all benefited. However, it was Abingdon who managed to maintain their advantage and extend their lead to seven points, 30 – 37 at the half.

Opening the second half the teams continued to exchange scores. Storm had cut down on the number of turnovers, but some costly missed lay-ups meant that they could not make any significant inroads into the Abingdon lead. Infact, both teams inept ability to finish close to the basket saw the scores remain low during this quarter. Barker turned up the heat defensively as he came away with three steals for the home side along with a blocked shot but the rest of the home team were unable to follow his lead. Storm found themselves still training 40 – 50 at the end off the penultimate stanza.

A couple of scores, one from either team was the only real action in the opening two minutes of the final quarter. What happened next was best described as a blip, the home side pressed the self destruct button as Abingdon went on a 16 – 2 run in under two minutes. The cause of this run was just poor defence; Abingdon could pick off pass after pass and found open shots with a little patience. At the other end of the court, the guests had also picked up their defensive energy which made life tougher at the offensive end of the court for Storm. Half way through the final quarter Abingdon had more than wrapped up the match, holding a 26 point lead. The remainder of the quarter was pretty uneventful apart from a timeout from Abingdon with less then two minutes to play when they were twenty eight points ahead!? Chris Baker provided some resistance in the final quarter with a coupe of points and three rebounds - although a few fouls saw him have to take an early seat too.

On reflection a solid, if unspectacular first three quarters saw Storm in with a definite chance heading into the final quarter. A lack of spirit and enthusiasm at the defensive end of the court saw Storm suffer their most disappointing defeat of the season. The area (defence) that is emphasised week in and week out at training sessions, and an area in which Storm have improved over recent weeks was their downfall today. Storm will have to pick themselves up and brush themselves down as they hit the floor over the Christmas period and will return determined to open 2007 in a positive manner as assistant coach Cran alludes to:

“It’s our first disappointing performance of the season. So a new challenge awaits the players in terms of how they respond… it’s a month to our next game so it will be a test to put this match to the back of their minds in training and start with a bang next year.”

For the home side there were a couple of pleasing individual performances as Michael Livesey finished with 17 points and eight rebounds whilst Louis Gibson ended with 11 points and 11 boards. Storm now have a long break over Christmas and New Year and will face a tough away trip to interim league leaders Cardiff Celts in January.

Scorers: *Livesey 17, *Gibson 11, *Robinson 10, Tamang 8, Baker 2, *Stuart, *Barker, Blake, Liu, Cavor.

A long away tip to Plymouth saw Storm start poorly against Tamar. Tamar put a quick 10 points on Storm and the quarter finished 10 - 4 Tamar. Storm's defence needed picking up.

Second quarter saw a better effort from Storm, with Chris Amhoff pulling down some big boards and Storm stopping Tamar's fast break. Storm's defence kicked in and the half ended 19 - 10 Tamar.

Unfortunately Storm could not keep this run going and started the third quarter poorly missing lay-ups as they went the first five minutes without a basket and trailed 27 - 10. But Storm were nothing if not resilient and in the last two minutes Baker, Amhoff and Taylor all scored for a quick 8 points to finish the quarter 33 - 18.

A quick start to the fourth quarter was needed, sadly it was not forthcoming. Storm then went to a full court man to man defence to try and get some quick baskets and this seemed to help with two quick scores, but Tamar countered with a couple of fast break baskets to put the game away. Tamar won 50-29.

Scorers: Baker 10, Taylor, 10, Amhoff 2, Williams 2, Barton 2, Kwok 2, Duffy 1, Lander, Temel, Stockley.

In a replay of a game two weekends ago, Storm had to take on Bridport. In the last game Storm lost by two points in the last minute following a basket Bridport. Storm were not willing to lose this time. The game started slowly for both teams; Bridport 6'8" centre was causing Dorset trouble on the offensive boards but Temel was instrumental in boxing him out and allowing Storm to fast break. Quarter 1 ended Storm trailing Bridport 11 - 10 on a buzzer beating 3 pointer by Bridport S Jackson.

Jon Baker was on fire at the start of the second quarter as Storm went on a 12 - 0 run all by Jon and took a 22 - 11 lead. The end of the second quarter was fast and furious as the teams scored at will. The quarter ended 26 - 18 Storm.

The third quarter went well for Storm with everyone concentrating on good passing and boxing out. Yung's jump shot was on and he scored eight points in the quarter, all from 15 foot + range, to lead Storm to a 41 - 27 lead at the start of the fourth.

However, Bridport are feisty and S Jackson started the fourth with two quick three pointers to cut the Storm lead to 10. Storm were feeling nervous and with two minutes remaining the Storm lead was down to nine as Bridport put on a full court press.

Storm, with the last Bridport game obviously in their minds, played poorly with lots of unforced errors, poor shots and turnovers, forcing Coach McKenze to call timeout, to try and calm the players down (not sure that it worked!). In the last two minutes Storm were outscored 8 - 2. Jon Baker kept a cool head and with 30 seconds to go played the ball round and kept control to ensure a Storm victory, 47 - 43.

Storm men of the match: U Temel and M Williams for good defence and boxing out on much larger (6'8") opposition.

Scorers: Baker 19, Kwok 14, Taylor 6, Lander 2, Williams 2, Amhoff 2, Stockley 2, Duffy, Barton, Temel.

In the Cadet Boys Western Conference, Dorset Storm first home game of 2007 on Saturday afternoon at Rossmore Leisure Centre turned into a disappointment as Team Bath Romans overpowered them 61 - 96. Storm scored the first basket as Reece Barker nailed a triple on the opening play, but Storm would only hold the lead at two other times in the entire game, both of which were in the first half with Barley and Lange hitting shots from all over the court.

During the second and third quarters Storm looked shell-shocked leading to several unforced turnovers and easy fast break points allowing Team Bath to go two runs of 10points with out reply. At the end of the third period the score was already 44 – 67.

The final quarter saw much of the same, as Team Bath piled on the pressure. A run third run of 10 points without reply saw Bath open up their largest lead of the match with three minute remaining. The damage was without doubt done at the defensive end of the court as Storm conceded 21, 28 and 29 points in the first, third and fourth quarter respectively. Team Bath regularly penetrated into the heart of Storm defence, whether the home side were playing man or zone.

Storm were led by Jamie Lines’ 17 points and 10 boards, and showed glimpses of good basketball; however it was still not enough to pull the deficit back and left coach Colin West and his team facing their worst result of the season.

Scorers: *Lines 17, *Thomson 14, *Barker 11, *Baker 8, *Hilton 7, Holden 2, Webb 2, Hewins, Harris, Carey.

Dorset Storms Junior Men made their second trip of the season over the Severn bridge to face unbeaten league leaders Cardiff Celts. Having had over a month to reflect following a disappointing defeat against Abingdon Eagles brought on by a fourth quarter collapse it would be a test of the player’s bouncebackability. The task would be made even harder being without starting guard Reece Barker (Under 16s match), Moyi Liu and Pratik Tamang (injured). The team had trained well since Christmas and were generally looking forward to putting right a couple of areas that had been identified for needing improvement.

Louis Gibson retained his place in the starting line-up albeit at another different position alongside Michael Livesey and Dominic Stuart in the back court, while Oliver Robinson and Sam Grant were back together in the front court having not played together in the last two matches of 2006. Storm started well and got a couple of open looks that did not quite fall. Robinson did open the scoring for the visitors in the third minute, quickly followed by five points by Livesey so Storm put the home side under a bit of pressure. Storm were able to control the tempo throughout much of the opening quarter with good defensive rebounding and solid decision making at the offensive end. During the quarter seven different players scored, and despite the quick start from the home side Storm trailed by just three points, 22 – 19.

Storm started the second quarter well at the defensive end of the court, Sam Redfearn drew a charge and they continued to clean up on the defensive boards. Unfortunately their decision making at the offensive end was inadequate to say the least as they committed 10 turnovers in the quarter, many through lazy and careless play. Things improved slightly after a timeout mid-way through the quarter as Stuart, Alex Blake and Louis Gibson added to the scoreboard but they were given little help by their team mates. Storm trailed at the intermission 43 – 26.

With clear objectives to achieve in the second half, Storm started well as Luka Cavor and Louis Gibson combined to score a couple of early baskets forcing Cardiff to call a timeout. Storm continued to play better basketball, Niall Adamson and Robinson played excellent defence on Cardiff’s larger post players. Sam Redfearn had his best spell of the season as he took another charge and scored a basket in the closing minutes. Despite a little blip in the middle of the quarter, Storm continued to execute well at the offensive end of the court and Chris Baker and Stuart added further baskets before Stuart picked up his fifth foul with 30 seconds to go in the quarter. Storm had shown some fight in this quarter but still trailed at the end of the penultimate stanza.

Storm bench players continued to play well heading into the final quarter, with Cavor and Blake adding further scores. Robinson continued to find the basket at regular intervals and Gibson helped Storm take better care of the basketball with some good ball handling. Storm continued to rebound the basketball well, despite their opponents having a considerable height advantage. Cavor, Blake and Baker continued to run the lanes hard as Storm began to execute better at the offensive end. Robinson got his first rest of the second half with just 40 seconds remaining as he came off to a standing ovation from his team mates. However, it was too little too late as Storm slipped to a very creditable sixteen point defeat against the league leaders.

On reflection, Storm put three quarters of good basketball together. There was some outstanding production from the players who started on the bench, and Storm can thank them for being able to close the gap during the second half. Coach Jill Kemish summed up the teams thoughts:

“We hurt ourselves – careless passes and arrogance hurt us in the second quarter. There were some really pleasing individual performances… if we can play like we did in the first, third and fourth quarters against Plymouth next week then we have a real chance of coming away with a result.”

Luka Cavor, Chris Baker, Alex Blake, Sam Redfearn and Niall Adamson all had good games. Oliver Robinson and Louis Gibson both recorded double-doubles of 15 points, 12 rebounds and 12 points, 11 rebounds respectively. Storm can take a lot of positives from this match, and if they can reproduce this sort of performance against the rest of the teams in the chasing pack then they still have a realistic chance of making the play-offs this year.

Scorers: *Robinson 15, *Gibson 12, Cavor 8, Blake 6, *Livesey 5, *Stuart 4, Baker 4, *Grant 4, Redfearn 2, Adamson.

Team Gloster (1, 14, 15, 17) 47

An under strength Storm went to Plymouth on Sunday 21st January. First up were Gloster in a must win game if Storm wanted to advance to the playoffs. Storm did not disappoint as they jumped out to a 8-0 lead with 3 different people scoring and continued the run through good, strong defence and rebounding to finish the 1st quarter 11-1.

However, it could not be expected that Gloster would only score 1 point in each of the next 3 quarters and they came out fighting in the 2nd quarter outscoring Storm 9-2 in the first 3 1/2 minutes to bring the score to 14-10 Storm. Again Storm responded with strong defence leading to Gloster turnovers and fast break points for Storm captain Jon Baker as he scored 6 in the quarter. A much tighter end to the half saw Storm lead 19-15.

Gloster started a full court press at the start of the 3rd quarter which Storm struggled with. Storm turned the ball over too easily with careless and soft passes. In a mixed 3rd quarter Guy Taylor scored 10 of Storm's 16 points in a variety of drives, fast breaks and jump shots. The Storm defence and rebounding were good but the Gloster press was still causing problems, as was Gloster 23, (D Hobbis) who scored 8 in the quarter. This led Coach McKenzie to assign Rhys Barton the challenge of marking him full court in an, in your face, deny the ball, defence. This was to force the other Gloster players to beat Storm. With 2 minutes left of the 3rd quarter Taylor did a huge, full force rejection of a Gloster players shot, unfortunately the ball hit Martyn Williams full force in the face and caused him to turn an ankle. He would not play for the rest of the day. A huge blow for Storm. The quarter ended 35-30 Storm.

Taylor started the 4th quarter as he finished the 3rd with 6 quick points as Storm built an 11 point lead. The press was still causing Storm problems and Gloster put 6 points on the board in one minute as the Storm offence and defence went to sleep. With 3 minutes to go Storm led 45-41, but a series of turnovers saw Gloster tie the game with 36 seconds to go. Storm then gave the ball back to Glaster with a poor pass. However, they made up for the mistake with some outstanding team defence resulting in a full court drive from Taylor to give him his 22nd points and 20th for the second half. With seconds remaining Gloster 23 drove in from the right but good defence from Barton resulted in a poor lay-up being thrown off the basket back supports as the final buzzer sounded.

Scorers: Taylor 22, Baker 14, Temel 6, Barton 4, Amhoff 3, Goddard, Grey, Williams.

Cannons beat the Storm

Dorset Storm        (6, 6, 8, 4)             24
Tamar Valley       (25, 12, 14 ,17)    68

A battered and tired Storm faced off against Tamar. Martyn Williams and Jon Baker were sidelined with injuries and Guy Taylor exhausted from the first game meant that the other 5 Storm players had to step up. This they did and Storm kept with Tamar for the first 2 1/2 minutes matching them basket for basket with Barton, Grey and Temel all scoring. But Tamar's deep bench and fresh legs forced a lot of turnovers from Storm and the quarter finished 25 - 6 Tamar.

Dorset started the 2nd quarter with more composure and better defence, limiting Tamar to 12 points in the quarter. Unfortunately they only scored 6 themselves. Good boxing out from Grey and Temel in the quarter limited Tamar's second chance shots.

Grey started the 3rd quarter with a long 3 pointer to provide Storm with some encouragement, but unfortunately it did not last as Tamar went on a 8 - 0 run to put the game out of reach. Storm's defence continued to be good with Goddard playing a big man role at the back of the defence, pulling down some big rebounds against larger opposition.   Dorset only allowed 14 points in the quarter but their offence would not fire and they scored only 8 themselves.

With the game effectively over at the start of the 4th quarter, a tired Storm played with a lot of heart as Tamar went on an 8 - 0 run.    Temel fouled out in the first minute of the quarter resulting in no substitutes for the rest of the game with Williams and Baker already out with injuries. Baskets from Barton and Taylor kept the Storm offence alive but Tamar won 68-24.

All credit to Storm's players for their hard work and positive attitude even though they were playing without any substitutes and were very tired.

Scorers: Baker 2, Barton 6, Grey 5, Temel 2, Taylor 9, Amhoff, Goddard. Williams did not play

Dorset Storms Under 16s entertained Southampton Trailblazers in the first match of a double header. Storm entered the game on a back of an unacceptable mess-up which saw them fail to travel which will not doubt cost the club a substantial fine and also cost the team a point – effectively ending any chance that they had of making a play-off place.

The home side started well in this match as Peter Thomson sliced his way through Trailblazers defence with continuous success. Reece Barker also added a couple of baskets and there were contributions all round as Storm raced in to a 17 – 11 lead. Storm failed to keep up their initial good work in the second quarter – some inept decision making at the defensive end which resulted in eight fouls being committed in the quarter and the foul count mounting up for the home side as Trailblazers took the lead at the halftime intermission.

Starting the second half, Storm regained some composure and discipline while Trailblazers misplaced theirs. Storm, lead by captain Jamie Lines with seven points in the third quarter, took the lead in the fifth minute of the half. It was a lead that they were never to relinquish as Trailblazers hit the self destruct button with three technical fouls and two players fouling out in the closing minutes of the match allowing Storm to extend their margin.

For the home side, Jonathon Baker played well at the defensive end and contributed 16 points at the offensive end. Jamie Lines was the outstanding player as he collected a huge haul of rebounds to go with a mammoth 25 point haul.

Scorers: *Lines 25, *Baker 16, *Thomson 16, *Barker 11, Hilton 4, Carter, Hewins, Holden, Clarke, Carey

In the second match of the day, Dorset Storms Under 18s also faced local opponents in the form of Southampton Trailblazers. The teams had not met since the opening day of the season when a fourth quarter surge from Trailblazers saw them come away with the honours. Storm have felt that they have managed to be competitive in every match they have played in this season and have picked up several hard fought victories along the way. The team were entering this match without Moyi Liu, Sam Grant and Niall Adamson for a variety of reasons – some were not selected and some have made themselves unavailable. This meant that for the first time this season Storm could only put 10 names on the score sheet.

Coach Kemish was able to keep his starting five intact although a change is inevitable next week with Reece Barker being unavailable as the Under 16s have a match. That meant that Barker, Michael Livesey and Dominic Stuart were in the back court while Oliver Robinson was joined by the ever versatile Louis Gibson up front. Early on the teams exchanged blows and with the scores tied at 6 all in the fifth minute there was nothing to separate the team either. Neither team could break away but three points from Froud ignited a mini-run for Trailblazers as they took a significant six point lead into the second stanza.

Storm had failed to control the boards as effectively in the opening quarter as they had in their previous match against Cardiff. Two six point runs, coinciding with some improving defence allowed the home side to take the lead for the first time, 29 – 27. Robinson and Pratik Tamang showed their improving understanding in the runs as they combined for 10 points. Storms two forwards continued to work well together and despite some loose ball handling that resulted in nine turnovers in the quarter the match reached the halfway stage with the scores all square at 37.

With the players aware of what they had done well, and what needed to be done better Storm looked to pile on the pressure early. A change in defence from their regular man to man into a zone resulted in Trailblazers struggling to get the ball inside as they suffered from a lack of shooters. Indeed the only players to score for Trailblazers in the quarter were the two forwards, Restall and Smith. At the offensive end, Storm took better care of the basketball and that resulted in them scoring 25 points throughout the quarter. However, in the final minute they took their foot off the gas as Trailblazers were able to run in three easy baskets in transition to stay in touch at the end of the third, 55 – 48.

Starting the final quarter Storm wanted to ensure that they built on what had turned into three quarters of solid basketball and record their first win in 2007. With solid defence from Stuart at the defensive end of the court, and some top quality passing from Chris Baker Storm started well. Livesey was also able to score on the break as Storm continued to control the boards and with them, the game. Storms ability to execute down the stretch has in the past been questionable with a mixture of successes and failures so far this season. Barker returned to the game and kept a cool head as he netted twice as the shot clock ran down, while Robinson put back a miss too as Storm finished the match strongly. Storm won comfortably in the end by a score of 78 – 65.

It was a total team effort from the 10 players that played, all of whom made valuable contributions in various ways. At the offensive end of the court, Storm have continued to look more comfortable and this was an area highlighted by coach Kemish:

“You can see the players thinking things through on the court, looking to read and react to the defence and offence. They’re understanding much more of what we are asking them to do and using their heads to play basketball”

For Storm, Michael Livesey and Reece Baker had 14 and 10 points respectively along with three assists. Oliver Robinson helped Storm control the key with a 14 point, 14 rebound haul. The star performer for the home side was Pratik Tamang who registered 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in his best performance of the year. The players will undoubtedly be pumped up for next weeks training sessions and will be looking to record another victory as they visit Torbay Tigers.

Scorers: Tamang 25, *Livesey 14, *Robinson 14, *Barker 10, Redfearn 5, Blake 4, *Gibson 3, *Stuart 2, Baker 1, Cavor.

In the first match of a mammoth triple header it was the Under 12s who were seeing their first action of the 2007 season. It was a battle between the Greens, coached by the veteran Jill Kemish and the Reds coached by the rookie Dominic Stuart.

It was the Reds who started the brighter as they managed to open up an early lead. Callum Heath looked particularly impressive early on finding his way to the basket on several occasions. With two scores in the final minute of the first quarter, the Greens managed to keep themselves in the match. The second quarter was much more evenly balanced as Georgina Worsfold and Connor Barton lead the attack for the Greens.

The Reds continued to struggle in the second half, but Ashton Wischhusen kept them within touching distance. For the Greens it was Ben Rowley who was begin to influence the match with some good passing and strong defence. In the final quarter the Reds tried bravely to close the gap but the just could not do it.

A great first match with a lot of young talent on show, there is certainly lots to look forward to considering many of these players were playing their first game. There was plenty of enthusiastic defence on show from both teams along with some good passing and team play.

Red Under 12s Scorers: Heath 9, Wischhusen 6, Wilkinson 4, G. Williams 4, Galea 2, Krips, Rhys.

Green Under 12s Scorers: Barton 10, Rowley 10, Worsfold 8, Kay 4, Newman 2, E. Williams, Jack, Chris.

The second encounter of the day saw the impressive looking Under 14s take to the floor. Coach Luke Kemish took charge of the Reds, while a combination of Louis Gibson and Harmony Wong lead the Blues from the sidelines.

Early on both teams exchanged baskets but, with Tom Weaver scoring six points in the opening four minutes the Blues quickly took control of the game. Henry Baker lead the fight back, ably supported by some good finishing from Ethan Davies. The Blues continued to dominate the key however, with Tom Eads and Ryan Goddard proving to be a real handful for the Reds who could not find a way to stop the Blues who piled in 27 points in the second stanza.

The second half saw the Reds fight back. Davies continued where he had left off in the first half and as the game moved on Raul Mentor and Mylo Ofei-Kwatia looked increasingly comfortable. Matt Lawson was doing a great job of controlling the tempo and finding his team mates wide open for the Blue team.

Despite the slightly one-sided score line, this was a fiercely competitive game and the players definitely displayed some of the skills that they have been learning over the past few months. Once again with the majority of players playing in their first game it was really pleasing to see the ball really being pushed down the court and the players really thinking about what they were doing when playing defence. There were lots of good individual performances but it was the team basketball that was on display that was the aspect that most impressed the coaches.

Blue Under 14s Scorers: Goddard 22, Eads 19, Weaver 12, Lawson 10, Clarke 8, Derby.

Red Under 14s Scorers: Davies 16, H. Baker 13, Ofei-Kwatia 7, Mentor 7, Price, J. Baker, Williams.

The final match of the day saw the Under 17s players square up to each other. Coaching the Blue team was Adam Cran while Dominic Stuart was dealing out directions to the Red team.

Both teams started competing right from the off but it was not until the introduction of Jonathon Baker that saw the Blue team take an early advantage. Both teams continued to play tough defence and open shots were few and far between. Harmony Wong scored five quick points during the second quarter to keep the Reds in contention as the half drew to a close.

The second half continued to be a tight affair as Ryan Goddard crashed the boards hard and came up with some big scores. Matt Holden quietly went about adding to his total but it was impossible to separate the teams in the third as the Blues edged it 17 – 15. The final quarter belonged to Declan Carter who scored six points in the closing minutes to hold off the late challenge from the Reds who despite a great effort could not quite close the gap sufficiently.

The match was played at a high intensity level, while a good spirit was evident throughout. In the end it was probably the added experience of the Blues that saw them pick up the win but there was very little to separate the teams throughout. Plenty to build on and the teams can look forward to having some good results if this display is anything to go by.

Blue Under 17s Scorers: J. Baker 15, Holden 15, Carter 14, Temel 6, Carey 5, Lander 4, Clarke 4, Smith.

Red Under 17s Scorers: Goddard 12, Kwok 11, Wong, 9, Grey 6, Hewins 5, Williams 4, Draper, Barton, Nicoll.

Storm made the trip to take on the Tigers of Torbay who were currently sitting in second place in the league having lost just one match all season. Storm were looking to build on a promising start to 2007 with a good performance away at Cardiff and a comfortable win last week versus Southampton Trailblazers. Reece Barker was the only notable absentee, as he travelled with the Cadet Boys to take on Guildford Heat.

Michael Livesey, Dominic Stuart, Oliver Robinson and Louis Gibson were joined by Sam Redfearn in the starting five. It was Redfearn who got Storm off to a good start, picking up an early steal and converting from the right wing. Dominic Stuart scored two more on the break, but some fundamental errors at the defensive end allowed Torbay to find themselves at the heart of the Storm defence on too many occasions. The momentum swung into Torbay’s favour midway through the quarter and a nine-point run split only by a Storm timeout saw them take control of the basketball match. Alex Blake provided some hope for the visitors as he scored three points in the closing stages of the quarter.

The second quarter continued in much the same vain as the home side dominated the rebounding department and forced home their advantage. As the quarter wore on, Tamang and Robinson began to find their feet inside, and both added scores and picked up some boards to slow Torbay down. Storm still had problems keeping possession of the basketball as they struggled to deal with the pressure Torbay were putting on the basketball, and far too often reverted to dribbling rather than passing and moving. Perhaps the difference in the teams was summed up on the last play of the half as Torbay got three shot attempts off in the last 20 seconds, simply from having greater energy levels and hustle, with the third of these attempts being a drained three on the buzzer.

Despite finding themselves in uncomfortable territory during the half time intermission Storm restarted the second half with renewed fight. Storm came out much stronger and started to put things right that had cost them in the first half. Importantly the defensive rebounding picked up with the guards helping the forwards out much more. At the offensive end some better ball movement saw Storm get the ball inside and with it they scored a couple of easy lay-ups and got themselves to the foul line. Indeed Storm put Torbay under some pressure for the first time in the match and forced a timeout to be called. A small lapse in concentration and a couple of costly fouls in the closing minutes of the quarter resulted in both Robinson and Gibson having four personal fouls by the end of the quarter.

The home side were once again quicker out of the starting blocks as the final quarter began. Torbay scored eight points in the opening three minutes with the only resistance coming in the form of a Pratik Tamang put back. Blake and Livesey both scored on the break whilst Robinson went coast to coast to round off a quick six point run. A few Storm players got preoccupied with the officiating and several unforced errors saw Storm never really take full control of the quarter as an inbounding error, a technical and a further inbounding error saw Torbay score five points in the final minute. Despite this it was a much better second half performance characterised primarily by having higher energy levels at the defensive end of the court.

In summary the game was a scrappy affair from the point of view from both teams. Poor rebounding and turnovers particularly hampered the progress made by Storm in the opening half. A much improved energy level in the second half saw Storm compete with their opponents throughout. Alex Blake continued to look more comfortable and converted on several fast break lay-ups. Michael Livesey and Pratik Tamang both had solid second halves whilst the fact that every player got a rebound and a steal shows that all the squad can make a valuable contribution. Storm have next weekend off, and will be looking to bounce back hard in training and learn quickly from this mixed result. Next up for the Junior Men is Baglan Ballers who travel to Rossmore Leisure Centre.

Scorers: *Livesey 9, Tamang 9, Blake 7, *Robinson 6, *Redfearn 5, *Gibson 3, *Stuart 2, Baker 2, Cavor.

Dorset Storms Under 18s were looking forward to hosting Baglan Ballers on Saturday afternoon at Rossmore Leisure Centre. Unfortunately, Baglan had a disastrous journey by all accounts. By the time they had arrived the officials were already leaving the venue having signed the score sheet confirming the 20 – 0 result for Storm. An impromptu friendly game ensued with a running clock to use up what was left of the court booking, with Storm come out narrow victors 46 – 39 in the shortened match.

Sunday the 25^th February saw another chance for a competitive (at least relatively) for Storms local league teams. There seems to be a lack of opposition in the Solent Area and for the second consecutive year there looks like being very little (if any) organised basketball for those players who are not playing National League. Nevertheless 64 players were split into seven teams, and a total of five matches were battled out. A brief match report for each of the matches follows:

The first match of the day saw the Under 12s take on the Under 13s. The match started brightly with the scores being tight throughout much of the first quarter. For the Under 12s it was Tom Hennessy who scored a basket and two foul shots who led the way. The second quarter was dominated by the Under 13s and in particular Mylo Ofei-Kwatia and Oliver Heath who combined for 18 points in the quarter. In the second half Dominic Wood and Rhys Hueston displayed some excellent defence and hustle for the Under 12s, while James Starmer and George Williams found the basket on a consistent basis for the Under 13s.

Under 12s scorers: Hennessy 6, Worsfold 6, Rowley 2, C. Barton 2, Wischhisen 2, J. Hueston 2, E. Williams, Huxter, Wood, K. Newman, R. Hueston, Krips.

Under 13s scorers: Ofei-Kwatia 16, Heath 10, Carman 10, Hurdle 10, Starmer 10, G. Williams 4, Bishop.

The second match of the day saw the two Under 14s team square up against each other. Early on both teams exchanged baskets but, with Matt Law scoring six points in the opening four minutes the Blues took an early lead. However, a combination of Matt Lawson and Tom Eads led the fight back for the Red team. As the quarter closed, both teams were playing physical basketball – the key certainly wasn’t a place for the faint hearted – but nothing could separate the teams as the Reds took a narrow one point lead into the second stanza. It was the Reds who extend their lead in the second quarter, with Mylo Ofei-Kwatia playing a key role in his second match of the day as he scored eight points in the quarter. At the half time intermission, eight points was what separated the two teams.

However, the game was not over as the Blues came storming back into the contest. Guards Tom Weaver and Lewis Daly led the way as the team exchanged the lead in the final minute of the penultimate quarter with the Blues taking the advantage 39 – 41. The final quarter was again tight, and some good bench rotation allowed the Blue team to finish the game with Ryan Goddard on the court. Despite some full court pressure from the Reds, it was Goddard along with Weaver who closed the match out with eight points to lead the Blues to a slender 49 – 55 victory.

Under 14s I (Blue) Scorers: Law 13, Weaver 12, Goddard 10, Mentor 6, Daly 6, Baker 6, Hurdle 2, Price 2, Tremain, Starmer.

Under 14s II (Red) Scorers: Lawson 13, Ofei-Kwatia 12, Davies 11, Eads 8, J. Williams 2, G. Williams 2, Tennant 2, Abrahams 2, Carman, Heath.

The final three matches of the day say the two Under 17s teams take part in a three team tournament along with the Under 14s development squad. In the first match, the Under 14s Development Squad took on the Blue Under 17s. The Blue Under 17s started quickly, and dominated much of the opening quarter. The second quarter saw the Under 14s adjust to the pace of the match, with Tom Eads and Matt Law both attacking the hoop strongly and getting scores whilst a whole team effort on the glass slowed the Blue Under 17s down. The second half was again tightly contested with Harmony Wong and Chris Carey standing out for the Blue Under 17s. The Under 14s can certainly be proud of the fact that they managed to win one quarter and tie another, whilst the Blue Under 17s can tick the match off as job well completed.

The second match of the Under 17s tournament saw the Reds and Blues square up to each other. Guy Taylor and Liam Hewins started brightly for the Blues, but a good team effort that created a number of open lay-ups for Yung Kwok and Dean Grey allowed the Reds to stay within touching distance. Indeed, the teams continued to exchange baskets for the quarters two and three, and at the conclusion of the third quarter the Blues held a 44 – 43 lead. In the final quarter it was Rhys Barton and Guy Taylor who dominated for the Blues, with few fast break opportunities coming the way of the Reds they saw their scoring options dry up and were forced to shoot from the outside – a ploy that brought them little success. The final score reflected that the match was relatively tight throughout, as the Blues came out with the spoils, 60 – 52.

The final match of the day saw the Red Under 17s face the Under 14s Development Squad. The match off did not seem to do the Under 14s any favours as they had a slow start. Matt Webb dominated inside whilst Lewis Clarke ran in several uncontested lay-ups on the break, allowing the Red Under 17s to take a commanding 33 to 8 lead into the second half. The Under 14s came out with much more focus in the second half, despite having already played in two matches they took better care of the basketball as Ryan Goddard and Matt Law set the tone with some aggressive moves to the basket. Ethan Davies also played much more aggressive basketball at the defensive and offensive end of the court and helped the Under 14s put up a good fight. The Red Under 17s had some spread scoring, but some sloppy play saw coach Louis Gibson with his head in his hands on several occasions. In the end, the Red Under 17s were comfortable winners, but the Under 14s can take many positives from the game too, especially from a fighting second half performance.

Blue Under 17s Scorers vs. Under 14s DS		Under 14s DS Scorers vs. Red Under 17s

14	Taylor	11	Law
12	Carey	11	Eads
10	Carter	4	Mentor
10	R. Barton	4	Goddard
7	Hewins	2	Lawson
6	M. Williams	2	Daly
6	Wong	2	Weaver
	Gubbins	2	Davies


Blue Under 17s Scorers vs. Red Under 17s		Red Under 14s Scorers vs. Blue Under 17s

28	Taylor	17	Webb
11	Carey	10	Temel
10	Carter	10	Grey
9	Hewins	9	Kwok
8	Barton	4	Holden
2	M. Williams	2	Clarke
	Gubbins		Lander
	Wong


Under 14s DS Scorers vs. Red Under 17s		Red Under 14s Scorers vs. Blue Under 17s

9	Eads	16	Webb
8	Goddard	14	Lander
6	Law	12	Clarke
4	Lawson	10	Holden
4	Davies	9	Kwok
2	Daly	6	Temel
	Weaver		Grey
	Mentor

Storm made the trip to take on Reading Rockets who were currently sitting in fourth position in the league. Having struggled against Torbay and having their match against Baglan cancelled Storm were looking for a positive performance to make their final playoff push. However due to illness and two members of the team dropping out at every late notice as well as the Cadet Boys playing, Storm travelled without the luxary of their normal deep bench.

Michael Livesey, Dominic Stuart, Oliver Robinson and Louis Gibson were joined by Luka Cavor in the starting five. With few players than normal, Storm were going to have to start the game with composure and full concentration. This however was not the case as Reading pressed the ball from the start with Storm finding it hard to keep possession leading to 10 turnovers in the first quarter, mainly due to dribbling far too often and not passing. This resulted in a 16-2 run with Reading running in easy scores split only by a Storm time out. This seemed to wake up Storm with Livesey scoring inside followed up by a 3-pointer, closing out the quarter with a 13-10 run.

Reading came out in the second quarter the way they started the game, pounding the ball inside for easy scores and dominating the rebound department allowing them second, third and even fourth chance scores. Tamang and Gibson provided some resistance with Tamang hitting from outside and Gibson scoring a tough lay-up. Storm however continued to struggle with Reading’s big men forcing a timeout to be called. This seemed to be the spark Storm needed offensively as good passing and movement resulted in excellent execution with Livesey hitting an open three, and Tamang scoring an ‘and 1’ play inside. Livesey and Tamang continued to attack scoring Storm’s last 15 points.

Storm were unable to continue where they left off and, lack of communication at the defensive end allowed Copestake to rattle in 13 straight points including three open 3’s to start the quarter off on a 14-4 run for Reading and force another Storm time-out. Storm came out of the time-out with new fight and determination resulting in a 7-0 run, with Tamang scoring another ‘and 1’ play inside and Robinson hitting a tough reverse lay-up. This forced Reading to call two timeouts in the space of a minute. Storm’s offensive onslaught continued with Stuart hitting from the wing and then good ball movement found Stuart open again for the easy lay-up. Excellent offensive execution allowed Storm to run in easy scores, but you could not fault the defensive effort allowing Reading only 4 points in the last 6 minutes of the quarter.

Storm left off where they finished the third offensively and defensively, with Robinson scoring another tough lay-up and Cavor hitting from mid-range, while forcing Reading to turn the ball over numerous times with pressure defence. This resulted in Storm taking the first lead of the match after 33 minutes with the score at 66-65. Both teams continued to trade baskets, while going into the last three minutes Storm led 74-73. However what had enabled Storm to fight their way back into the game with good ball movement, composure and defensive pressure had seemed to desert them as Reading found their way to the heart of the Storm defence hitting easy scores, while pressing the ball causing unforced Storm turnovers. This resulted in Reading finishing the game on a 9-0 run ending the hopes of a Storm victory.

In summary it was Storm’s incapability of coming out the blocks running that let to them having to fight their way back from a double digit lead many times as Reading started the game on a 16-2 run, and the second half on a 14-4 run. However, a much improved energy level and defensive pressure in quarters two and three along with some of the best offensive execution of the season led to Storm leading in the fourth with a good chance of winning. With fewer players than normal, the team can all be proud of themselves as they never put their heads down and fought till the end. The star performer was Oliver Robinson who had 14 points, 13 rebounds and was a great defensive presence. Pratik Tamang chipped in with 18 points and 9 boards and Michael Livesey had a good game with 16 points and 5 assists. The players should use this good performance leading up to Saturday’s match up against Swindon Sonics who travel to Rossmore Leisure Centre.

Scorers: Tamang 18, *Livesey 16, *Robinson 14, *Gibson 12, *Stuart 8, Cavor 4, Baker, Blake DNP.

Dorset Storms Under 18s welcomed Swindon Sonics to Rossmore Leisure Centre, for a must win encounter in the National League Western Conference. Despite being full of confidence after last weeks wonderful performance against Reading, Storm were struggling to find enough fit players to compete in this match. In the end, six Under 18s players were joined by Reece Barker, Guy Taylor, Rhys Barton and Martyn Williams (all Under 15s and 16s players) and a crippled Louis Gibson. Obviously, the lack of players meant that the weeks training sessions were also not at the intensity level the coaching staff would have wished, creating problems for the home side.

Reece Barker and Michael Livesey were reunited in the back court, along with Chris Baker who made his first start of the season. Up front for Storm were Oli Robinson, with Dominic Stuart moving in along side him. In was Stuart that got things off to a good start, and some excellent defensive pressure and ball movement saw the home side open up an early 6 – 2 lead. By the mid-way point of the first quarter, this run had been extended to nine points without reply. A couple of poor decisions from Storm and Swindon relentlessly crashing the boards at the offensive end of the court forced Storm to call a timeout. Following the timeout some good ball movement and improved decision making saw Barker, and then Pratik Tamang get to the foul line. Further scores by Guy Taylor and Tamang saw Storm close out the opening quarter 18 – 10 to the good.

A slow start to the second quarter, with some quick turnovers and poor rebounding allowed Swindon to bring the scores level at 18 a piece. The re-introduction of Robinson and Taylor steadied the ship and over the next four minutes Storm went on a 13 – 4 run with Alex Blake and Robinson combining for eight of those points. Storm continued to pressure the basketball at the defensive end; often too much in the opinions of the officiating crew who called 12 first half fouls on the home side. Storm were lucky however, as Swindon failed to take full advantage as they scored just two out of 15 free-throws in the opening half. Following a timeout, Storm improvised on an out of bounds play to perfection as Taylor (who passed up the planned open shot) found the original inbounder Livesey wide open for the easy basket to send Storm into the half time intermission with an 11 point lead and plenty of momentum.

Storm knew what they had to do opening the second half, but some poor shot selection and lack of meaningful cuts and ball movement saw them score just one field goal in the opening six minutes of the stanza. This resulted in a timeout, emphasise was placed on cutting as though you want the basketball not just because you’ve got to make the cut. This saw Storm get the ball back inside, resulting in Baker, Livesey, Barker and Robinson all getting to the foul line in the second half of the quarter. Despite continuing to struggle to score from open play – something that Storm did only three times in the entire quarter – shooting 3/17 from the field – it was their stingy and hard work at the defensive end of the court that kept Swindon playing catch up. The home teams lead had been eroded though, as they led 47 - 41 with just 10 minutes to go.

Storm opened up the quarter with some good ball movement that resulted in Tamang scoring inside. Swindon were not finished yet and over the proceeding three minutes went on a 6 – 2 run. A few poor decisions saw Storm fail to capitalise in transition which allowed Swindon to trim the deficit to just a single basket, forcing a Storm timeout. A calmer, more composed Storm team took to the court, and some excellent dribble penetration and passing from Stuart found Tamang open inside for back to back lay-ups to give Storm the momentum back. It was Stuart who helped out at the defensive end of the court to, picking up two big rebounds to help the ever reliant Robinson limit Swindon to just one shot attempt during the final three minutes. With Storm holding a four point lead, Swindon called a timeout to make one final push. Despite the expected onslaught, Storm moved the basketball well during the closing possessions and their patience paid off as they closed the game out with three open lay-ups. Despite a hard foul in the closing minute, Baker stepped up to the line to score the foul shots and with the ensuing possession from half court Storm completed the well earned victory.

This was a fantastic win for Storm, who remember only had six regular players fit. The complementing players played a key role, with the three minutes or so that both Rhys Barton and Martyn Williams played in the first half allowing some of the senior players to have a rest. Guy Taylor and Reece Barker, once again showed that they can compete at this level and made valuable contributions. Of the senior players, Pratik Tamang led Storms scorers with 14, while Robinson added 11 points and 16 rebounds. Despite having some off shooting nights, Alex Blake and Michael Livesey both contributed heavily. Chris Baker in his first start had arguably the best match of his career, as he netted 10 points and played some outstanding defence. Dominic Stuart had another impressive game for the home side, and despite sitting out nearly fifteen minutes of the second half after picking up his fourth foul in the opening play of the second half, it was his reintroduction that proved the catalyst for Storm maintaining the momentum in the final quarter. This win moves Storm up the table, and they now sit behind Reading Rockets who still hold that final play-off spot.

Scorers: Tamang 14, *Robinson 11, *Baker 10, Taylor 8, *Stuart 7, *Barker 5, Blake 4, *Livesey 3, Williams, Barton, Gibson DNP.

Despite 31 points from captain Jamie Lines the Cadet Boys slipped to their second defeat of the weekend.

This would be Dorset Storms Under 14s Development Squads first match as a team. The team entered the match missing a coupe of key players who were away for the weekend making the task ahead of them even more difficult. Storms opponents were Wiltshire Wizards – who currently sit in the middle of the Under 14s South Conference in the National League.

Storm opened up with Matthew Lawson and Lewis Daly in the back court while Ethan Davies provided a link between the back court and the front court of Tom Eads and Ryan Goddard. It was the home team that started the better, and Goddard scored the first four points for Storm that allowed them to take an early 4 – 2 lead. Wiltshire came fighting back, and despite six unanswered points from Goddard – courtesy of a couple of nice passes – Storm could only take a slender 14 – 11 lead into the second stanza.

The second quarter started with the match continuing to be finely balanced. Some good work on the defensive boards from Raoul Mentor, and some good ball handling from Henry Baker saw the home team maintain their advantage throughout most of the quarter. However, the final three minutes of the period did not go to plan for the home team. Several unforced turnovers and some poor footwork at the defensive end saw Wiltshire pour in 12 points in the final three minutes, which was only halted by a timeout from the home side. Despite some better execution in the final minute - that saw Mylo Ofei-Kwatia slashing to the basket for two points - and a good final defensive possession, Storm found themselves facing a considerable deficit going into the second half.

Storm started the second half looking a little shell shocked, knowing that they had let 17 minutes of good work go to waste. Tom Eads and Lewis Daly, both scored baskets following a Storm timeout and Tom Weaver played some good defence slowing the Wiltshire onslaught as Storm fought their way back into the match. Matt Lawson and Henry Baker combined several times to get Storm some good looks at the basket at the offensive end. The home side were struggling at the defensive end as a complete lack of concentration on several occasions saw Wiltshire run in uncontested lay-ups.

Storm started disappointingly slowly in the final quarter allowing Wiltshire to extend their lead to fifteen points by the third minute. He made a strong move to the basket, Ryan Burton drew a foul and sunk both of the resulting free-throws. Matt Lawson continued to control the tempo for the home side well, but his progress was cut short as he picked up his fourth foul early in the quarter – Tom Eads quickly followed him to the bench as he also picked up his fourth personal foul. Lewis Daly and Ethan Davies inspired Storm, as they went on a 10 – 0 run, to bring Storm right back into the contest. Tom Eads also chipped in with a couple of baskets in the final minute and some excellent defensive effort – aided by some excellent encouragement from the bench - saw Storm make Wiltshire work very hard for the closing minutes. Despite a fantastic finish to the match, Storm had just too much to do as the gap proved just too big to close and Wiltshire finished with a hard fought, but thoroughly deserved, victory.

It was a valuable learning experience for the Storm side, which did not disgrace themselves at all. The whole team played with energy and enthusiasm to the end and almost pulled off what would have been a memorable comeback. Ethan Davies played particular well as he scored eight points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and some excellent defensive work. All three guards, Matthew Lawson, Henry Baker and Lewis Daly grew in confidence as the match went on, demonstrating some good ball handling skills. Tom Eads also chipped in with nine points – and ended the match with a few bruises! It was Ryan Goddard who was the outstanding performer as he finished with 14 points, 19 rebounds and a couple of steals and assists as well. All in all every player performed well, and each individual can take some positives and think about what they need to learn from. All in all a good days work and a promising start for the Under 14s – hard work, and attention to detail at training sessions will see them continue to improve over the coming months.

Scorers: *Goddard 14, *Eads 10, *Daly 9, *Davies 8, *Lawson 4, Mentor 4, Ofei-Kwatia, Baker 2, Burton 2, Weaver.

The Abingdon Eagles, who are currently in a rich vein of form, were the next opponents in what is turning out to be a busy final month of the season for Storms Junior Men. The team made the trip to Abingdon having won two of their previous three matches and were looking to turn in another good performance heading into the closing straight.

Storm opened with the same starting five as the previous week with Michael Livesey and Reece Barker in the back court with Chris Baker, Dominic Stuart and Oliver Robinson up front. They were hoping for another quick start but unfortunately, Storm started slowly and Abingdon established a 9 – 2 lead before captain Livesey and Robinson scored back to back baskets to help get Storm going. Some poor defensive play allowed Abingdon to score several easy baskets – eight of Abingdon’s first quarter baskets game in the form of lay-ups. Abingdon were able to close the first quarter out with a comfortable lead aided by scoring two baskets in the final 18.6 seconds of the quarter as Storm played some very sloppy basketball.

The sloppy basketball showed no signs of improving as Abingdon opened the second quarter scoring 11 unanswered points, taking their run over the two quarters to 17 without reply. Offensively Storm were beginning to look more comfortable and a couple of decent possessions ended with a good shot but just lacking the finish. Baker eventually broke Storms drought that had lasted some six minutes and Jamie Lines added two more. Storm certainly began to look more comfortable at the offensive end, with further scores added by Livesey, Barker and Luka Cavor who converted in his usual unorthodox fashion on the break! Despite the improvement at the offensive end of the court, Abingdon continued to find their way to the heart of the Storm defence and with it easy scorers allowing them to hold a sizable lead going into the second half.

Abingdon were able to move further ahead at the start of the third quarter but Baker responded a long two from the wing whilst Livesey was fouled and split the resulting free throws to give Storm hope. The teams traded baskets for a while but the Eagles were able to breach the Storm defence far too easily and began to extend their lead. Livesey and Lines scored for Storm but Davis responded, scoring the next 11 points for the Eagles, to ensure that they remained in control. Storm seemed to lack the intensity and spirit that they have showed in recent weeks - in particular against Swindon seven days previously.

In the final quarter the game became very open with neither team playing strong defence but this only favoured the Eagles whose shooting was superior most of the afternoon. Davis hit another triple and Pugh also kept the score ticking over for Abingdon with Livesey and Lines doing likewise for Storm. Pratik Tamang reduced the arrears slightly with four minutes left in the game but by that time the match was beyond Storm. A nine point run took the Eagles over the 90 point mark, a feat that has happened only once before this season to Storm Under 18s and that was way back in the opening week of October.

Coach Jill Kemish was disappointed at the end of the game ruing too many poor defensive possessions and non-existent transition defence by Storm which she said was “particularly frustrating giving the excellent performances that the players have put in of late.”

For Storm, there were some good individual performances, with Pratik Tamang, Oliver Robinson and Michael Livesey all contributing at the offensive end. Jamie Lines had a particularly good game finishing with eight points, three rebounds, and a couple of steals and assists. The only real energy at the defensive end of the court came in the third quarter where Storm created 11 deflections, and Luka Cavor lead the way with three steals and plenty of energy. However, the team must get back to playing strong team defence which has been a key component of their success in recent weeks. Storm have a massive week coming up, and must rediscover their hunger in time for next weeks encounter, a home match against Cardiff Celts on Saturday, at Rossmore Leisure Centre, 3.30pm.

Scorers: Tamang 13, *Robinson 10, *Livesey 9, Lines 8, *Baker 6, *Barker 2, *Stuart 2, Cavor 2.

Dorset Storm Under 15s were unable to pull off an upset against the reigning National champions East London. Storm started slowly but found their feet towards the end of the first quarter. East London continued to pile on the pressure and despite showing great enthusiasm and determination, it was not enough.

Jonathon Baker lead the way finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds six steals and five assists. Martyn Williams was also excellent finishing with six points, four rebounds to go with three assists and steals while Guy Taylor chipped in with 12 points and Alex Lander with nine rebounds.

Scorers: *Baker 12, *Taylor 12, *Williams 6, *Kwok 3, Stockley 2, Temel 1, Grey, Amhoff, Barton, Lander.

Dorset Storms Junior Men welcomed league leader Cardiff Celts to Rossmore Leisure Centre this weekend in the Western Conference clash. After a disappointing result last week, and with just one training session this week to put things right, the team were looking to bounce back. The team certainly made good use of their sole training session and despite coming into the match with only five recognised Under 18s players, were determined to put in a good display.

Storm opened up with Reece Barker in the back court along side Luka Cavor and Michael Livesey, whilst Oliver Robinson and Dominic Stuart took the two front court spots. Storm started slowly as Cardiff scored the opening five points before an offensive put back by Robinson opened Storms account. The visitors continued to dominate the opening stages but with the introduction of Jamie Lines and Pratik Tamang, Storm went on a six point run of their own. Two cheap turnovers allowed Cardiff to open up their lead once again, by which time Storms coaches had seen enough and called a timeout. It had its desired effect, as over the next four minutes, the home side would create numerous open looks. Scores from Livesey and Lines, as well as Tamang and Robinson saw Storm fight their way back to keep themselves in the match trailing 18 – 26 at the end of quarter one.

Storm continued to carry this momentum forward into the second quarter, as the opening six points all went to the home side causing concern for the Cardiff bench as the called two early timeouts in the quarter. The teams traded baskets following the timeouts, and Storm eventually managed to claw their way back with a three point shot from Cavor allowing the home side to take the lead for the first time in the match. Cardiff maintained their composure and were rewarded for some smart basketball by visiting the foul line eleven times in the quarter, while the home side shot none. Naturally then, Storm were also in some foul trouble as Tamang had three fouls, and Stuart and Robinson both had two. Despite this, the game remained evenly poised as Cardiff held a three point lead, 37 – 40 at the intermission.

Storm opened up the second half tentatively at the offensive end, and several turnovers led to easy scorers for Cardiff. In fact, the opening three minutes of the second half were identical to the opening three of the match. Cardiff scored 11 points, split only by a Robinson basket, Stuart picked up two fouls and Storm found themselves having to claw their way back into the match! Storm did manage to steady the ship following a timeout, and found some energy at the defensive end to slow the Celts down. Offensively, things continued to run smoothly as Storm regularly worked the ball inside whether it was against Cardiff’s man-to-man defence or their zone. Their good ball movement allowed them to attack the hoop, and with it they drew fouls on the opposition and got to the foul line. Despite matching their opponents for the last seven minutes of the quarter, Cardiff scored 32 points in the quarter and carried a commanding 56 – 72 lead into the final stanza.

The home side started well as they scored the opening basket, and kept the Celts at bay until the third minute. A couple of open shots from the perimeter were drained by the visitors who managed to hold a 20 point lead by the midpoint of the quarter. A Storm timeout saw the home team make one more effort to close the gap – something that they managed to do as they outscored their opponents in the final four minutes. In this stretch, the tem managed to force several turnovers and scored all six of their shots from the field, with Lines scoring eight points in the period. It just wasn’t quite enough from the home side, and credit to Cardiff who kept their heads and moved the ball well in the closing stages, despite some pressure defence from the home team, to ensure the victory 75 - 88.

With that victory, Cardiff must also be congratulated as it means that they are Western Conference champions. It was a great effort from the home side, who showed their fighting spirit once again. Lots of credit must go to the five players that played up, Jonathon Baker, Martyn Williams, Guy Taylor, Reece Barker and Jamie Lines as they all made contributions to the match. Michael Livesey (seven points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Pratik Tamang (13 points and 11 rebounds) both made valuable contributions while Oli Robinson also continued his good form with 23 points and 13 rebounds for the home side. Next weekend, the Junior Men face Plymouth Raiders in a double header weekend, as Plymouth visit Rossmore Leisure Centre on Saturday (3.30pm tip-off) and Storm make the trip to Plymouth on the Sunday.

Scorers: *Robinson 23, Lines 14, Tamang 13, *Livesey 7, *Cavor 5, Taylor 5, *Stuart 4, *Barker 4, Baker, Williams.

Dorset Storms Cadet Boys were unable to finish the season on a high. A slow start allowed Abingdon to take a sizable 10 - 0 lead early . The visitors continued to extend their lead to a point where they were leading by 23 - 2. The home side had a much better second quarter, with both Matt Webb and James Hilton establishing themselves inside the key, but still trailed at the half.

In the second half the home side continued to play hard, but constant mistakes and not settling to easily for outside jump shots saw Abingdon extend their lead further. The fourth quarter, like much of the game was a scrappy affair with neither team seeming particularly worried about the final score. Webb and Hilton eventually began to receive the ball inside, and Stork managed to put 21 points on the board in the final quarter. It was all a little late, as a disastrous opening six minutes meant the home side left themselves with too much to do.

Scorers: *Hilton 14, *Thomson 10, *Webb 8, *Carter 8, Lines 8, *Baker 5, Clarke 2, Hewins 1, Holden, Harris, Barker DNP (INJ).

Dorset Storm welcomed Plymouth Raiders to Rossmore Leisure Centre for the first of two encounters in two days between the sides. Storm still had numerous concerns on the injury front, with several players missing meaning that they could only field six Under 18s players and a selection of Under 16s and 15s players. Storm knew heading into the weekend that if they wanted to guarantee a move into fifth place in the league, they had to finish the weekend with two wins.

Storm started with the same five as the previous week, with Reece Barker, Michael Livesey and Luka Cavor at the guard spots and Oliver Robinson and Dominic Stuart up front. The match started slowly, with both teams being guilty of making poor decisions and missing what easy shots they had. By the mid way point in the quarter the score line read 5 – 0 to Plymouth. Livesey eventually found his way to the heart of the Plymouth defence and with it; converted from 10 feet – a further score from Reece Barker saw Plymouth call an early timeout. Storm continued to look more comfortable at the offensive end, as some good defensive possessions lead to easy points on the break. A 14 – 2 run over the final half of the opening quarter saw the home side close the first period 14 – 7 up.

Pratik Tamang added to Storms lead with the first score of the quarter after the opening three minutes were again scoreless for both teams. Plymouth then went on a six point run of their own, which was ended by a Storm timeout. Jamie Lines restored order for the home side, scoring four points following the timeout. The team continued to trade baskets, but the home side managed to find their way inside and finished strongly and more consistently around the hoop towards the end of the quarter. A slack final possession allowed Plymouth to run in an uncontested lay-up to narrow the gap to just seven points, 29 – 22.

Storm new what they had to do if they wanted to maintain their lead, with much of their effort focusing on playing solid defence and taking good care of the basketball at the offensive end. Plymouth started with possession of the basketball and a single backdoor cut resulted in the visitors running in two points with the clock barely started. A sloppy possession saw the home side turn it over and within the opening 20 seconds they had conceded four points and their lead was now just one basket. This lead to an immediate timeout in which Coach Kemish made his thoughts quite clear to his players. It provoked a response however; as Tamang scored inside and Stuart drained a triple from the wing. A score from Plymouth did not slow the home side down as Tamang and Lines added further scores. The intensity that Storm played with at the defensive end was immense – with a mixture of defences being played the quarters total of 19 deflections was one of the highest ever. Indeed, Plymouth scored only two points in a seven minute period whilst the home side grew in confidence running in 19 points of their own. The match slowed down in the final two minutes of the quarter as both teams scored three out of four attempt from the line. At the end of the penultimate quarter Storm held an 18 points lead, 51 – 33.

Storm maintained their concentration in the final quarter as early scores from Robinson settled any early nerves. Plymouth kept fighting and slowly narrowed the deficit. Some good foul shooting – Storm shot 8 out of 10 in the quarter – allowed the home side to keep Plymouth at arms length. In the final four minutes, the teams exchanged baskets. Martyn Williams and Matt Webb both had an impact for the home side with the former moving the ball well offensively and the latter grabbing a couple of big rebounds. In the end, the home side ran out fairly comfortable winners with a score line of that read 75 – 62.

It was the defensive effort of the home side that allowed them to record a win. A total of 43 deflections made life exceptionally hard for Plymouth, coupled with good defensive pressure which ensured that Plymouth were never able to get into a comfortable flow offensively. Storm though, from increasing patience and familiarity at the offensive end played some of their best basketball that saw them shoot the ball at well over 50% from the field. Jamie Lines scored an efficient 13 points, Robinson and Tamang also added 15 and 13 points respectively. Captain Michael Livesey had a good all-round performance with 14 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and five steals. Despite the win, only half the weekend’s job was complete and with the second match being away from home, the Raiders still held the upper hand.

Scorers: Tamang 15, *Livesey 14, Lines 13, *Robinson 13, *Stuart 7, Baker 6, *Barker 4, *Cavor 2, Williams, Webb.

In the second encounter in two days between the teams, Storm were hoping that they would be able to build on the previous days good performance. Their chances were not helped by the continued absence of several key players and four players from the previous day’s performance were also absent. The team did receive some positive news though, as it was hoped that the team’s two players currently in New York would arrive back in time on flight 01 ARL Foolious.

Storm started with Pratik Tamang in the starting line up with Reece Barker absent. Oliver Robinson and Dominic Stuart joined him in the front court, while Michael Livesey and Luka Cavor would have to share the bulk of the ball handling. Storm did not get off to a great start. Despite this, they still managed to score the opening four points of the match as Storm found ways to get the ball inside to Tamang and Robinson. Plymouth kept their composure and as a result clawed their way back into the contest taking the lead for the first time in the seventh minute of the game. Plymouth continued to look like the team that wanted the match more, as Storm found themselves being passive at the offensive end and second to almost every 50-50 ball. It was no surprise then that Storm trailed at the end of the opening quarter by a score of 15 – 9.

The start of the second quarter saw little improvement from Storms point of view. Several shocking decisions at the defensive end allowed Plymouth to score easy baskets in transition and by the time the Storm bench had called a timeout, the score was 25 – 10 to the Raiders. Storm continued to work hard at the offensive end, and did a better job of denying dribble penetration forcing Plymouth to either force the ball inside and thus turn the ball over or shoot under pressure from the perimeter. Offensively, Storm began to more the ball with more authority and greatly reduced the number of turnovers from the opening quarter. Luka Cavor finished the half for Storm with the final basket a long triple that narrowed the gap still further to just six points, 29 – 23.

The home side wanted to make sure that they started the second half much better than the previous day, something that they would have to achieve if they wanted to put themselves in a position to win the match. Robinson and Livesey combined to score Storms opening 10 points, and with some good defence and rebounding limiting Plymouth to just four points of their own, the ball game was tied at 33 points with 15 minutes to play. Plymouth continued to scrap and fight, and opened up a four point lead. However, Storm were relentless in their pressure at the defensive end, and Robinson continued to assert his authority inside to allow Storm to take a small lead. The players must be credited as they maintained their concentration despite a couple of dubious foul calls, which, if refereed to the equivalent of crickets “third umpire” would have cleared Storm of any wrong doing. At the end of the third period, Storm had taken the lead, 41 – 38. However, with Livesey having to sit down with four fouls it was looking like a hard task to close out the final quarter and win the match.

Storm opened up the quarter with a score, but the teams traded baskets during the opening half of the quarter. Tamang scored an offensive put back in the six minute of the quarter that put Storm up 42 – 47. Plymouth responded with two more of their own inside, but once again Tamang had an answer for the visitors. With Livesey back in the match and taking control of the basketball, the match was there for the taking for Storm. A sloppy defensive play in which several were guilty of ball watching allowed Plymouth to get to the foul line and get two points following a offensive rebound from the previously mentioned foul shots. A big three saw Plymouth tie the match in the final minute of the match. Storm remained calm, and Livesey found Robinson open inside and a strong finish put the home side up by two with less than thirty second to go. With 18 seconds remaining the ball was deflected out of bounds and this allowed Plymouth to take a timeout to set up a last play of the match. Controversially the shot clock was reset by the officials meaning that Plymouth potentially had all 18 seconds left to attempt a shot. A strong defensive possession saw Storm fight through two sets of screens and deny Plymouth a three point shot, and a poor pass on the ball reversal saw Tamang step in to claim the ball. At the offensive end, Robinson was able to convert once again to ensure that the match was won by Storm.

It was a great effort, from a precariously small number of players who, despite an exceptionally slow start, played with good composure for the second day in a row. The team can be thankful for their good defensive display that allowed them to keep themselves in touch with their opponents for much of the match. Despite not flowing offensively Storm created enough good looks to compete with their opponents. Dominic Stuart and Chris Baker both played despite carrying knocks, and Luka Cavor and Michael Livesey did an exceptional job in the absence of a recognised point guard with the latter dishing out eight assists. Pratik Tamang and Oliver Robinson both played the entire 40 minutes, and fought tirelessly against bigger opposition whilst importantly combining to score Storms final 12 points. Robinson particularly stood out with 23 points, 15 rebounds and six steals. The second win of the weekend sees Storm move into fifth place in the league, a position that allows the players to be thoroughly satisfied with their season’s performance.

Scorers: Robinson 23, Tamang 9, Livesey 7, Baker 6, Cavor 5, Stuart 3, Gibson DNP, Blake DNP.