BOASTING one of the most famous names in Australian basketball, Dante Bruton was a shining light for the Illawarra Hawks during their time at the NBL1 National Finals, particularly shining in the win over the West Adelaide Bearcats.

The two sides locked horns in the consolation game at Southern Cross Stadium last Saturday afternoon, having both fallen short of the National Final match the following day. The Hawks still impressed during the tournament having been a late in for the Knox Raiders, while the Bearcats had also shown promise throughout their campaign.

Illawarra was the dominant team for the first three quarters, steadily building a strong lead in their final outing of the Finals and holding a 18-point buffer at the final change. Although the Bearcats came home strongly in the final frame to give themselves a sniff, it was too little, too late for West Adelaide, as the Hawks held on for a nine-point triumph to finish the tournament on a winning note.

Son of the great Cal Bruton, the youngster was one of the more impressive performers for the Hawks, coming off the bench and having a strong offensive showing in his team’s final win of the National Finals.

Illawarra Hawks (106) def. West Adelaide Bearcats (97)

Dante Bruton – 14 points, one assist, one steal

The 18-year-old was excellent against the Bearcats last weekend, having a huge say for his team on the offensive end and showing why he is expected to take a massive leap in the coming seasons, particularly as a scorer.

He came into the match midway through the first quarter, and hit the scoreboard a couple of minutes later by making one of his two free throws after drawing contact on an aggressive drive. He continued that good work a couple of minutes later with a nice turnaround jumper that showed his touch and instincts with ball in hand, but he was not done yet.

A pair of midrange jumpers off the dribble in the final minute of the quarter showcased not only his ability to score in quick bursts, but Bruton’s knack for getting to his spots on the fly to close out the term in style.

After impressing with seven points in five minutes, Bruton remained on the court to start the second frame, finding teammate Toby Campbell with a nice pass, with the latter nailing the reverse layup to keep the Hawks rolling on the offensive end. He then spent some time on the bench, before returning to the fold for the final five minutes of the half.

After trying his hand at three-point shooting and missing his first attempt, Bruton returned to his usual method of driving at the basket and finding immediate success, nailing a nice layup through contact for an and-one opportunity, although he could not convert.

After missing another triple, he finally made contact on a long-range attempt, nailing a three-pointer from a standing start in the final seconds of the half to lead his side to an eight-point buffer at the change.

Bruton returned to the bench to start the second half, and returned to the match midway through the third quarter, but found himself dealing with a bit more defensive attention. Despite the fact that he did not hit the scoreboard, the guard was able to create a transition scoring opportunity by poking the ball free from the opposition’s grasp with excellent timing to close out the penultimate period with some strong defensive instincts.

The Hawks played Bruton for most of the final quarter, with his only offensive impact coming at the free throw line, although it was promising to see him convert both shots after missing some shots at the charity stripe earlier in the piece. He still looked dangerous with ball in hand, particularly getting to his spots off the dribble, and his improved confidence was evident after a strong outing.

He finished the match with 14 points on 5/11 shooting from the field, with four of those makes coming from inside the arc as he got his eye in from midrange. If he can build on this performance in season 2026, he could be in for a massive breakout campaign next year.