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The Illawarra Hawks came away with a seven-point win on Saturday night but it proved to be a much closer match than was expected by most.
History told us that the Crocs didn’t stand a chance in this one, everything pointed to it being a one sided affair. Throw in that Kirk Penney was returning and you would have been laughed at if you picked this one being a nail biter.
Tonight again confirmed to us all why the NBL is back in a big way and why she’s here to stay.
Townsville hadn’t been able to get off to a fast start in any game against Illawarra all season but those signs looked diminished when they jumped out with the Hawks in an offensive showdown. After the first they found themselves down by 3 (25-22).
It was much of the same throughout the entirety of the game, Illawarra dominating from behind the arc whilst Townsville gobbled up every single rebound in sight. The Hawks defensive press paid huge dividends as the Crocs committed 19 turnovers compared to the Hawks’ 9.
Monster games from Jordair Jett (19 points + 4 assists) and Nicholas Kay (24 points + 15 rebounds) kept the Crocs in the contest at every turn.
The Crocs refused to die and actually had the Hawks on the ropes deep into the fourth quarter. But Illawarra are a champion side and champion sides just find a way to win, clutch shots from big name players sent the game into overtime and from there the maturity shone through.
Townsville can walk away with their heads held high after that effort and they should, they’ll learn a lot from this game.
Illawarra can now breath a small sigh of relief as a top 3 finish is all but confirmed, they now get a nice rest before the Adelaide 36ers come to town for their final game before playoffs.
Final score
Illawarra Hawks 104
Townsville Crocodiles 97
The Illawarra Hawks and the Townsville Crocodiles will do battle tonight in what the betting markets have listed as a completely one-sided affair. Join The Roar for all the action from 7:30pm (AEDT).
Illawarra currently occupy third place on the NBL ladder and will be looking to continue their recent run of success over the Crocs. In the last three meetings between the two sides the Hawks have an average winning margin of 23.3 points.
While Townsville has managed to topple all other NBL championship contenders (United, Wildcats, 36ers) their struggles against the Hawks are worrisome. The fast-paced spread-the-floor offence the Hawks run always undoes the Crocs.
The return of Kirk Penney to the Hawks line-up will be crucial and should allow AJ Ogilvy more offence freedom. Ogilvy – who was leading the MVP race early on in the season – has slowed over the last month however his form against the Crocs mirrors his side’s.
The Hawks lost their first home match in eight starts on Thursday night against Melbourne United but will look to get back to their winning ways in Wollongong and make it a 4-0 clean sweep over the Crocodiles.
While the offence will need to be firing for the Crocs it’s at the defensive end that they’ll really have to be locked in. The play of Jordair Jett and Clint Steindl will be crucial to the outcome of this game.
While ladder position isn’t a concern for Townsville, Illawarra can secure third place with a victory before a final round game against the 36ers at home.
The Crocodiles still have three matches to play including this one, but are well short of finals in seventh place and five wins behind the Adelaide 36ers. All they can hope for is to overtake the Cairns Taipans into sixth but even that would require their fellow reptiles to lose both of their remaining matches.
Prediction
Illawarra Hawks by 14
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