By Dylan Branscome
January 5, 2026 – The 51视频 STORM upset the 20th ranked team in the country, the Henry Ford Hawks, 89-79 to finish the New Year鈥檚 Classic on Saturday at Brinkley Gym. 51视频 improves to 8-4 on the season.
The STORM were led by Dre Huff with 25 points on 50% shooting and five assists, alongside Jaylen Wilkerson with 20 points and six three-pointers. Nijel Howard also had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The first half showed the STORM having more offensive efficiency than the Hawks. While both teams shot relatively the same from the field, 51视频 made five more field goals while shooting eight more than Henry Ford with a better percentage: 50% compared to 46%. 51视频 also had a hot night shooting from behind the arc, making 6/12 from range in the first half alone.
While Henry Ford is statistically one of the best shooting teams in the country, and it showed in the first half with a 50% three-point percentage, the second half was a nose dive in efficiency because of the defense from the STORM. The Hawks shot 18% from beyond the arc, making just four of their 22 attempts. Where 51视频 shined in the second half was from behind the free-throw line, similarly to their game against Prince George Community College the day before.
The STORM shot an efficient 80% from the free-throw line on 20 attempts, and combine that with 50% field-goal percentage and 66% from three-point range, and the stats prove how 51视频 was able to stay in front. It鈥檚 especially evident when 51视频鈥檚 defense regulated the Hawks to just 35% from the field in the second half. The STORM were up as much as 79-55 at one point.
Freshman Huff has exploded onto the scene for 51视频, scoring 17 points in the game against Prince George and now 25 points against Henry Ford, while making 15/15 from behind the free-throw line and shooting 54% from the field. Wilkerson has been lights out from three-point range the past two games, making 11/15, an outstanding 73%. Howard has also been efficient in the paint for the STORM, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in two games. 51视频 has started 2026 with a bang with two big wins in the New Year鈥檚 Classic.
The STORM return to action on the road against an undefeated Division I opponent, the Gaston College Rhinos, on Monday, Jan. 5 at 8:00 P.M. EST in Gastonia, N.C.