Acknowledged in the Hemel programme as the most improved team in the league, Rockets came so close to taking the win in this titanic battle for a place in the Play-off Championship Final.
The game didn’t start well for Rockets as influential point guard Jermiah Jenkins was called for his first foul inside the opening 12 seconds whilst captain Ben Dixon collected 2 personal fouls also within 1 minute 40 of the start. Storm capitalised on this with a 11-4 run but American guard Troy Cracknell scored and hit a bonus point before Reis Pinnock drove to score and Jenkins stroked the first of his three trebles to see Rockets ahead midway through the opening quarter. Cracknell scored with a slam dunk but Storm finished the period with a 9-3 run to lead 26-19 at the first break.
Jenkins and Lewis Champion hit trebles as Rockets grabbed the initiative and when Jordan Jackson scored inside, Rockets took the lead by a single point but were soaring with a 13-0 run to lead 31-26. The league champions, KItking Trophy winners and National Cup victors were not going to lie down and stormed back into the game with a brace of trebles . Champion hit 3 from 3 from the line and the game was tied 4 times during this quarter. A Finleigh Porter slam ended the period with Rockets just trailing Storm 51-52.
The third quarter was a comparatively low scoring period as both defences stepped up and again the score was tied on 4 occasions at 55, 57, 62 and 66 though a Champion score in the last 30 seconds edged Rockets ahead 68-66 as the final quarter beckoned with Cracknell still imposing himself on the game.
For different reasons both teams were determined to seek the victory….Rockets to reach their first final of the season having lost at the semi-final stage in the Kitking Trophy and Storm trying to emulate Rockets basketball history season of 2008/9 when they won every game and took the 4 National trophies. Both teams slugged it out like a pair of boxers, giving and taking punishment as neither was able to open up a significant advantage to ease off at all. Tied on 68 and 70 Rockets were called for a bench technical foul but players were putting their bodies on the line as Cracknell and Champion took charges. The atmosphere was loud and continuous as Rockets travelling supporters beat their drums and stood up encouraging their warriors to keep up the fight.
Midway through the final stanza Storm held a 80-72 lead but again Rockets hit back with a Jenkins treble, a Cracknel drive and Pinnock scoring form the free throw line to close the gap to just 2 points at 78-80 causing Strom into a time-out with 4 minutes 10 seconds remaining. Five quick Storm points saw Rockets adrift 78-85 but Champion shows all that this Rockets team is about as he takes a charge, drives, is fouled but hits both free throws and then strokes a superb treble to see Rockets just 83-85 down with 1 minute 23 secs left. Storm make a score and hit one from two form the line so edging ahead with a steal 89-83. The magnificent Rockets hit a treble through Cracknell with 14.1 sec remaining and with the last play of regular time Jenkins hit what everyone in the arena thought was a treble to take to the game to overtime but the ball spun in the basket and came out leaving Storm to take the win in what a most enthralling encounter and worthy of a Play-off Championship semi-final.
Troy Cracknell top scored for Rockets with 25 pts and 8 rebounds as Lewis Champion hit 19 pts, Jermiah Jenkins hit 13 pts and Finleigh Porter hit 11 pts and took down 8 rebounds but this was an excellent performance by Rockets against the top team in the top division of English basketball right now.