IN a fitting finish to the 2023/24 National Basketball League (NBL) play-in tournament, Illawarra Hawks booked the final spot in the semi-finals after defeating the New Zealand Breakers their elimination game on Wednesday night.

The contest came down to the final shot, with New Zealand unable to conjure a match-tying three-pointer as time expired, as Illawarra held on for a thrilling three-point victory to keep its season alive.

It was a tough game to predict coming in, given the Hawks were convincingly beaten by the Tasmania JackJumpers last Wednesday, while the Breakers got the job done over the Sydney Kings on the same night. Regardless of the winner, it was going to be an impressive feat for either side, considering both spent time on the bottom of the ladder throughout the fixture.

After the Breakers clawed their way back into the contest, the Hawks had all the answers late, knocking down plenty of crucial free throws to keep their fairytale season rolling into the penultimate stage of NBL24.

Illawarra Hawks (88) def. New Zealand Breakers (85)

The Hawks made the most of having home court advantage in the opening term, and burst out to an early lead to put the Breakers on the back foot. It was evident in the first quarter that Illawarra would look to take high percentage shots from inside the arc, rather than force contested three-pointers, and it resulted in a whopping 14-point lead at the first change.

The Hawks were well and truly in control, and their method of getting their interior offence rolling early was paying dividends, while New Zealand’s lack of presence on the glass (three for the term) proved costly.

New Zealand trailed by as much as 15 points early in the second period, but the team’s energy lifted after Mody Maor called timeout and fired his side up. Star guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright got involved in both freeing up his teammates through clever passes and scoring the ball himself. After storming down the court and nailing a lay-up to beat the buzzer, ‘PJC’ had led the Breakers to tying the game up at the main break, and giving them hope heading into the second half.

It was an even affair in the third quarter, with the Breakers continuing to roll after half-time, but their efforts were matched by Illawarra. Having been the best transition offence side in the NBL for the 2023/24 season, the Hawks kept their score ticking over with fast break buckets, and took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter, with the game well and truly up for grabs.

It was as close a final quarter as it could have been, with the lead changing hands 10 times in the last 10 minutes. Justin Robinson hit two three-pointers late in the game to put the Hawks in the box seat, as both teams traded fouls and free throws.

The difference proved to be Illawarra’s ability to knock down shots from the charity stripe in crunch time, which helped the team to a three-point lead with just seconds on the clock. Jackson-Cartwright had the chance to send the game to overtime on the last possession, but his three-point heave rattled out as WIN Entertainment Centre erupted.

Robinson was as important as anyone in the season-defining win for the Hawks, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half when the game was on the line. He went a perfect 14/14 from the free throw line to go with three steals in a clutch performance. Big man Sam Froling stood up early and helped set the team up in the first quarter. He finished the game with 21 points (9/13 FG) and nine rebounds in a tremendous showing from one of the team’s stars.

Despite not being able to drag his side into the semi-finals, Jackson-Cartwright was still ultra impressive, shaking off extra defensive attention to almost conjure a second consecutive comeback win. The import poured in 19 rebounds and nine assists, and came devastatingly close to being a match-winner, but it was not meant to be.

New Zealand’s campaign is now done, as the team will look to make off-season moves to take the next step in the coming seasons, while the Hawks will prepare for their upcoming series against Melbourne United, which kicks off at John Cain Arena on Thursday night.