The Storm had no idea what to expect going into Halifax with nine new faces, but that didn’t seem to matter because Summerside pulled off a 105-97 win over the Rainmen today.
At 2 p.m. fans got their first look at the squad when PG Al Stewart; SG Greg Plummer, SF Chris Cayole, PF Louis Birdsong, and C Dokun Akingbade stepped up as the team’s five starters.
Summerside jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held it until the finals seconds of the first half when Hillary Haley, a Rainmen guard, hit a 3-point buzzer beater to give Halifax a 48-47 lead.
In the third quarter and early in the fourth, Halifax pulled ahead and led the game 92-78 with 8 minutes left to play. However, the Storm went on a 27-5 run over the last eight minutes to steal a come from behind win.
Hillary Haley kept Halifax in the game with his 31 point effort that fell short down the stretch.
Head coach Joe Salerno was pleased his team showed character coming back in the game and he felt the win gave them the confidence to realize they could win in the NBL. Salerno also singled out Antonio Ballard and Doug McKinney who he felt came up big defensively for the Storm late in the fourth quarter. Salerno said the win was a good one but the team has plenty of work to do to get ready for the upcoming regular season.
Greg Plummer, who was signed by Summerside last week had an exceptional game, scoring 30 and grabbing 8 rebounds. Louis Birdsong also put in a solid game, with a double double that gave him 18 points and 10 rebounds. Avery Smith added 9 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Storm are celebration their first win at Boston Pizza in Halifax before heading back home tonight.
7,000 plus fill the Halifax Metro Centre for this pre-season affair
