NBL1 East Illawarra Hawks Round 3 Recap

Round 3 of the NBL1 East competition saw the Illawarra Hawks face a double header away trip against the Bankstown Bruins on Saturday afternoon, and then the Centre of Excellence in Canberra on Sunday.

The Illawarra Hawks women’s team tipped off proceedings, going down to the Bruins in a close contest, 78-70.

Ella Dent top-scored for Illawarra with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven steals while Chelsea Hogg contributed 15 points and Lauren Gatwood 10 to go with seven steals and four rebounds.

The Illawarra Hawks men’s team made a fast start to set up an eventual 86-67 win at Bankstown Basketball Stadium. Illawarra put up 31 points in the opening quarter and that set the tone for the eventual 19-point win with Davo Hickey ending the evening with 16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Former NBL veteran Lucas Walker added 14 points and six rebounds, Noah Pagotto 13 points and three boards, and Harry Morris 10 points and six rebounds.

Both teams then made the gruelling trip down to Canberra to face the unbeaten Centre of Excellence women and men at the AIS Basketball and Netball Centre.

The Hawks women’s team went down for a fourth straight loss 86-50, with Ella Dent continuing to shine, scoring 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Hawks men’s team encountered their first loss of the 23 season, going down 104-80 against the CoE.

NBL23 breakout star Davo Hickey continues to be on triple-double watch with 14 points, six assists and five rebounds while Harry Morris had a team-high 19 points.

The Illawarra Hawks NBL1 East teams hit the road again for round 4 against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on Saturday 11 April.