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The Illawarra Hawks comfortably defeated the Sydney Kings on Saturday night with dominant efforts in the first and third quarters setting up a 24-point win.
34-20 in the first quarter and 32-21 in the third, the Hawks were comfortably the better side and completed a season sweep against the Kings.
Kirk Penney had 29 points to be the most productive scorer on ground, while Tom Garlepp was the best for Sydney with 18.
Final Score
Sydney Kings 90
Illawarra Hawks 114
The Illawarra Hawks will be looking to complete the season sweep against arch-rivals the Sydney Kings at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:30pm (AEDT).
After losing a close battle with Melbourne United on Thursday night, the Hawks will be eager to rebound with a victory over the Kings.
Meanwhile, Sydney are coming off a full week’s worth of rest after beating the Cairns Taipans, however are missing players through injury.
Centre Julian Khazzouh was injured in the previous meeting between these two teams, and has been replaced by Melbourne-born Jordan Vandenberg. Standing 7″1′, Vandenberg averaged 4.8 points and 4.7 rebounds playing for North Carolina in the NCAA.
With guard Steven Markovic also missing time due to surgery, Indiana Faithful has been recalled after featuring in the Kings’ preseason game against Louisiana State University.
The Hawks will field an unchanged starting lineup, barring any late changes or injuries. Kirk Penney, Kevin Lisch and Andrew Ogilvy will look to combine as they have in previous outings against the Kings; together averaging 51 points per game. The trio have scored over 50 per cent of the Hawks’ total points in games against Sydney, including the most recent game, which Lisch missed due to injury.
While the Hawks are heavy favourites, the Kings want to finish the season strongly in front of a home crowd.
The game should be a high-scoring affair, with the Hawks averaging a winning margin of 13 points against the Kings this season, while the five games the Kings have won this season have been by an average of 16 points.
Prediction
The short turnaround for the Hawks gives Sydney an advantage, however Khazzouh’s injury offsets this.
While both Vandenberg and Faithful are expected to be ready to play on Saturday, the Hawks should prove to be too good for the Kings once again. While most will be hoping for a tight contest, it wouldn’t be surprising if the game turned into a blowout.
Can the Hawks complete the season series over the Kings? Or will Sydney surprise fans with an upset victory? Join The Roar from 7:30pm (AEDT) for scores and debate in out live blog.
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