IN THEIR final game of the 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the Illawarra Hawks ended their campaign on a high, defeating the postseason-bound Tasmania JackJumpers by 33 points on Wednesday night.

The encounter kicked off the final round of the season, and with the top-six sides locked in, it was considered a dead rubber. However, the JackJumpers were looking to tinker with their gameplan ahead of the play-in tournament, while the Hawks were playing for pride and giving their fans something to cheer for heading into the offseason.

Surprisingly, it was a dominant display from the Hawks on the road at MyState Bank Arena, with the visitors snatching control of proceedings early in the piece, and it was the big names starring as Illawarra wrapped up its championship defence.

Tasmania JackJumpers (70) def. by Illawarra Hawks (103)

The Hawks were playing at their best from the opening frame, getting the ball into the hands of their stars to jump out to a double-digit lead to send a hush over the typically energetic crowd in Hobart. The margin ballooned out to as much as 12 points before the JackJumpers reeled it back in to eight at the first change, in a strong start from last year’s champs.

Tasmania continued to claw away at the deficit and brought the margin back to five early in the second frame, before a pair of 9-0 runs saw the Hawks take control of the contest once again. Illawarra seemingly always had the answers, and played with plenty of flair and freedom in its last outing of the season to lead by 22 points, largely due to inaccuracy from the home side, who missed all 10 attempts from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

The third quarter was mostly one-way traffic, as the Hawks continued to put the foot down against the JackJumpers and began to have fun on the offensive end. The ball movement was lightning quick, and the visitors found it tremendously easy to score against a scrambling Tasmania defence. On the eve of three-quarter time, Illawarra’s lead was blown out to 30 points and the game was all but done with a quarter to play.

Although Tasmania did well to break even in the final frame for the most part, the result was already determined with the Hawks cruising home to a comfortable 33-point triumph to give themselves something to smile about, and Tassie plenty to ponder heading into the play-in.

The backcourt pairing of Tyler Harvey and QJ Peterson proved too much for the JackJumpers, as the duo torched the home side on Wednesday night. Harvey dropped a game-high 21 points, four rebounds and four assists on 6/10 shooting from behind the arc, while Peterson had 20 points of his own at a 50 per cent clip.

In what could be his final game in Hawks colours, big man JaVale McGee posted another double-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks, and although he was not at his most efficient, the NBA champion was still quite the presence.

Although offence was hard to come by for the JackJumpers at times, Josh Bannan and Tyger Campbell both worked hard to try and generate some scoring. They each finished with 17 points and can hold their heads high.