The Wollongong Hawks lost the battle last night in Perth, but the war is not over yet.
Taking on the Wildcats in game one of the best-of-three grand final series at Challenge Stadium, the Hawks went down 75-64 after trailing by four at the end of the third quarter.
Wollongong will return home bowed but not beaten for Tuesday night's second game of the series.
SLIDESHOW: Hawks vs Cats at Challenge Stadium
MESSAGE BOARD: Show your support for the Hawks Full coverage of the Wollongong Hawks Despite the loss, Hawks coach Gordie McLeod didn't have to look too far to find positives in his team's courageous performance.
Rookie Tim Coenraad came of age on the league's biggest stage, shrugging off a stomach bug to score a team-high 16 points off the bench.
Luke Martin (11 points) provided a huge lift in the second quarter, as the Hawks chipped away at a 15-point deficit to trail by just three at half-time.
''We showed a lot of character,'' McLeod said.
''We kept fighting and kept hanging in there. We have to make a few little adjustments over the next few days, but we can take a lot out of that game.''
Shawn Redhage and Kevin Lisch led the Wildcats with 15 points apiece, while Galen Young finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Perth veteran Martin Cattalini, who was playing in his 450th NBL game, said his side wasn't surprised the Hawks got back in the match.
''They've been a tough team all year and we knew they'd come back at us,'' Cattalini said.
''We stuck to what we do best and got the job done, but it's only one game and it's not over yet.''
Almost every Wildcats fan was decked out in the team's colours, transforming the 4500-seat stadium into a sea of red.
Mat Campbell helped Wollongong get away to a positive start with five quick points before taking a seat on the bench.
His back-up Coenraad knocked down a three-pointer moments after entering the fray and the visitors were up 13-7.
Perth responded with 13 unanswered points, as the Hawks' offence started unravelling with turnovers.
Larry Davidson's lay-up broke the drought and Wollongong trailed 20-15 after one quarter.
The Cats immediately regained momentum when play resumed, peeling off a 9-0 run.
Perth's suffocating defence shut down their opponents' interior scoring options and the Hawks were forced to live and die from the three-point line.
Wollongong were down 33-23 when McLeod called time-out with 4:32 to play in the first half.
They trimmed a further two points off the margin when Perth coach Rob Beveridge used a time-out with just under two minutes on the clock.
Martin kept the Hawks on a roll with a lay-up and pair of three-pointers and Perth's lead was cut to 38-35 at half-time.
Realising they had essentially weathered the storm, the Hawks got straight back to work in the third quarter, regaining the lead at 43-42 on Campbell's two free throws.
The Cats hastily hit back, taking a six-point lead with three minutes left in the period.
They were up by four heading into the final quarter, but Wollongong had done well to be right in the game.
The Hawks managed just 11 points in the last quarter, hitting 3/12 shots.
They are scheduled to fly out of Perth early on Saturday morning.
''It's an enormous relief,'' Bevreidge said of the win.
''Wollongong just kept coming and coming and never gave in.
''They've got an outstanding record at home and we know they're going to throw everything at us in game two.''
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