Essex come close in OT thriller

Essex Rebels Division 1 men made the away trip to Hemel Storm on Sunday in search for a win to help their relegation battle.

The match up turned out to be a thriller and a great advert for NBL D1 basketball. Rebels had a fine evening of shooting, making 20 three’s however Hemel came out winners. 

Rebels started well, playing with a fast paced and highly efficient offensive combined with executing the scout saw them create a 12 point lead going into half time.

A shift in momentum after half time saw the Rebels lose their offensive flow and allowed Hemel to capitalise on turnovers. A poor shooting quarter allowed Hemel back into the game and it was tied up 72 – 72 going into the final stanza. 

Again, another even performance saw a high scoring quarter of 33 – 33 and in regulation the game finish 105 – 105. 

In overtime, the first few possessions allowed Hemel to stretch a 5 point lead and Essex were unable to claw back the lead. Some big shots by Jake Eynon and Lee Hodges allowed Rebels to stay within touching distance but time was not on Essex’s side.

The game finished 127 – 118. 

Essex were led by Lee Hodges 25 points and 16 boards, whilst Rory winter pitched in 24 points going 7 – 9 from 3.

Coach Norfolk was pleased with the performance. “Again we have showed that we can compete with the top teams in the league. A couple of long runs by them allowed them to gain some valuable momentum. Our shooting display was impressive”.

Essex now look ahead to Oaklands in a huge relegation battle on Saturday.