36ers clash looms pivotal for Hawks' finals chances

Sitting at 8-7 and having played 10 matches at home, the Illawarra Hawks know how important all their remaining games at the WIN Entertainment Centre are.

Especially this Friday's round 13 showdown with the Adelaide 36ers, as the Hawks hit the road for three straight away fixtures straight after.

Fresh off a tough loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers, Brian Goorjian and his troops are hell-bent on returning to the winner's circle on Friday.

"We're in a deep dark box right now," Goorjian said.

"I've got to get more out of our team, we've lost a lot of games at home now and where do you go from here?" Goorjian said.

"I think a lot of teams have fallen by the wayside, everyone is talking about the (top) four and they certainly don't see us in there.

"But I like our group, I like the way they compete and I do think we're going to fight and I do think we're going to bounce back."

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To bounce back as Goorjian alludes to, his Hawks are going to need to improve getting to the free-throw line (currently sitting 10th in the league at 14.5 attempts/game), rebounding (eighth at 41.3 boards/game) and assists (eighth at 15.1 dimes/game).

In particular, point guard Tyler Harvey will want to reignite his offensive displays, scoring 12, seven and 11 points respectively in the Hawks' past three matches - a far cry from his 20.44 points/game in NBL21.

But that task is easier said than done, with the 36ers possessing one of the top defensive backcourts in the NBL, led by Mitch McCarron and Sunday Dech.

The other intriguing match-up on the night will be between the big men of both sides.

Duop Reath has refound his mojo, averaging 19.67 points and eight boards in his past three fixtures.

The Australian Boomer and his teammates Sam Froling, Harry Froling and AJ Ogilvy will be tasked with slowing down 36ers big men Daniel Johnson, Kai Sotto and former Hawk Cam Bairstow.

These three have been a big reason behind the 36ers winning two of their past three matches, including a last-up 82-71 win against Cairns, where Johnson scored a team-high 18 plus nine rebounds.

Friday's clash will also see the Hawks honour co-owner Michael Proctor, who sadly passed away recently following a six-year battle with cancer. 

Tickets to the round 13 fixture, which will have i98FM as the game night partner, are available via Ticketmaster.