The Illawarra Hawks have again upstaged their freeway rivals Sydney Kings, recording a hard-fought 86-79 victory at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading Playing in front of a sold-out crowd, the Hawks returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion.
Five Illawarra players hit double figures, led by guard Trey Kell III, who finished with 19 points, three rebounds and five assists. But Sam Froling, who contributed 14 points, five rebounds and three assists, took home Tyson Demos MVP ball, for the Hawks' player of the match in the Indigenous round fixture. Hyunjung Lee had one of his best games for the club, finishing with 16 points shooting at a fantastic 83 percent from the field.
The Hawks got off to a flyer scoring the first seven points of the game but then the Kings hit back and drained eight unanswered points. The rest of the first quarter remained tight, with neither team managing to impose themselves. There were nine lead changes in the term but nothing could separate the two teams as they ended the quarter 22-all.
Trey Kell III led Illawarra with six points, while Kout Noi had seven points for Sydney. The second term was almost a repeat of the first as the championship contenders threw jab after counter jab before the home side went on a 12-0 run to skip to a 41-32 lead on the back of three three-pointers from Hyunjung Lee. Illawarra then stepped up their defensive effort, holding the Kings to.