Round 8: Phoenix vs Hawks

The Hawks head south of the border this Sunday afternoon for a date with the Phoenix at John Cain Arena.

It will be the first outing in Hawks colours for new import Michael Frazier II as the squad looks to rebound from a last-second heartbreaker against the Kings in Round 7.

The resilience and determination of the young Hawks group were on full display against the league leaders. With the late withdrawal of Peyton Siva, the side entered the match with just one import and uncertainty around the minutes' Sam Froling would play after experiencing some back tightness earlier in the week.

Enter Tyler Harvey. Harvey was at his devastating best with a game and season-high 32 points. When the Hawks needed a spark, the co-captain answered the call, almost single handily dragging the side to victory in the last quarter.

The inside-outside punch of Harvey and Froling kept the Kings' brains trust busy all afternoon, with the Boomers big man fighting through the sound of the whistle to post a 17-point and 8-rebound return.

The loss of Siva presented an opportunity for the next man up, and it was William ‘Davo’ Hickey's turn to answer the call. In his best performance as a Hawk, Hickey tallied 9-8-3 in 23 minutes, with the smooth-moving guard giving Coach Jackomas another option on his developing bench unit.

Hype man Mangok Mathiang brought the energy in the second quarter and continues to warm to the NBL style of play with every round that passes.

The result wasn't to be for the Hawks, but with a heavy December schedule ahead of them; it might just be the performance they needed to reset their NBL23 campaign.

Keep a Hawk eye on

The response.

The performances that followed our double-overtime epic against Melbourne United starkly contrasted the grit and grind shown on our home floor.

The challenge for our Hawks group will be to build off the solid four-quarter effort against the Kings in search of our 2nd win of the season.

The Hawks will hope that a Siva return and the potential introduction of Frazier to the line-up will round out a roster that has been playing undermanned for a majority of the NBL season.

Opposition Watch

After an interrupted start to the NBL23 season, the Phoenix have fought their way back to a 6-win, 5-loss record after 11 games.

Fresh off an emphatic win against cross-town rivals Melbourne United, the Phoenix will look to continue their winning ways behind a balanced and potent starting five.

Led by Mitch Creek, averaging a team-high 22.2 points per game, the Phoenix is one of the deepest teams in the league, with five players averaging double figures in scoring per outing.

Alan Williams is the man in the middle, and Gary Browne, Trey Kell III, Kyle Adnam and Ryan Broekhoff have all shown they can turn a game in the Phoenix’s favour.

How to Watch

Catch all the action from 4:00pm AEDT on 10Peach and ESPN via Kayo & Foxtel.

Hawks Socials

Follow all the action from Sunday’s game, on the Hawks social media channels @illawarrahawks and use the hashtag ‘Hawk Nation’ when you share your pics and stories.