Illawarra’s ruthless winning ways continue

Illawarra’s ruthless winning ways continue, with a third-quarter explosion seeing the Hawks past Brisbane 102-84 on Friday night.  

Just 48 hours after overcoming an early deficit to blow past Sydney, a 14-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into eight-point lead was the difference in a game pitched as a shootout between the league’s two most potent offenses. 

It made keeping the Bullets to just 84 points - well down on the 111 they had averaged in six games coming in – the more impressive feat than the Hawks now customary 100-plus points tally.  

The win in what was a third game in five days puts the Hawks well clear at the top of the ladder having not fallen further than third on the journey.   

Perhaps most crucially, it was a by-committee effort, with 10 of 11 players getting on the sheet, and five reaching double digits.  

Trey Kell continued to stack the sheet with 18 points, four rebounds four assists and four steals, while Tyler Harvey had 17, four and two. Co-skipper Sam Froling was a monster on the boards, with six of his 12 rebounds coming on the offensive glass to go with 15 points. 

Will Hickey had 12 points and four assists, while Lachie Olbrich also had 11 points from the bench, an across-the-board effort Tatum called for given the short turnaround from Christmas Day.

“We expected it to be ugly because we were just coming off a game on Wednesday, travelling on Thursday,” coach Justin Tatum said. 

“I was going to use all 10 or 11 players in the first half or first quarter, so we could stay as fresh as possible in the second half.  

“We didn’t want to give up 34 in the first quarter, but we knew Brisbane was going to come out ready fired up. I’m glad we were able to sustain it, and guys got their rhythm and their groove and the way we finished the game. 

“We did look fresh once we got it going and that’s what we expected. When we got our second wind, we knew we were going to make sure we put Brisbane in a track race.”  

Second-half flyers

The track race late has been a trend for the Hawks, who trailed by two at the break after giving up 34 first-quarter points. They kept the Bullets to just 16 in the second, and less than 20 in both quarters thereafter. 

It continued a tendency to sprint to the finish line, with Tatum’s team having led or trailed by no more than two points at the half in four of their last five games only to surge clear late.   

It’s something Hickey puts down to belief. 

“We understand how good we can be as a team,” Hickey said. 

“We know we’re not where we want to be yet, we know there’s still more left to us, but as long as we stay true to us, JT instils this belief in us where none of us really ever think we're going to lose a game. We all know and trust the person next to us. 

“Going out there, the nerves go away once you realise the calibre of players you’ve got next to you. We've had teams that come out and, because we're on top of the ladder, they give us their best, so to keep it team like Brisbane [to 84], who have been scoring at such a high clip, it's such a big win for us.”  

Vengeful mindset ahead of New Year’s Eve. 

The win over Brisbane puts the Hawks 3-0 through a stretch of three games in five days, with Tuesday’s traditional New Year’s Eve showdown with South East Melbourne in Wollongong looming. 

The Hawks will head in on a five-game winning streak, but the fact their last loss was a particularly disappointing fadeout to the Phoenix in November is not lost on Tatum.  

“We’ve got a little sour taste in our mouth from that one,” Tatum said. 

“South East is playing well and we understand we took a loss at their place less than a month ago, but it’s really not about them, It's about us. 

“[We] can't wait to get back home to the Hawks fans. They deserve to watch us in person and our guys are excited to get back there. We're tired of being on the road.”  

Tip-off at the WEC on New Year’s Eve is at 5.30pm