One down, one to go.
That's the scenario facing the Wollongong Hawks after last night's stunning 87-68 annihilation of the Townsville Crocodiles at WIN Entertainment Centre.
Making their first play-off appearance in four years, a mercilessly efficient Wollongong romped to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semi-final series with the Crocs.
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VOTE IN POLL: Will Wollongong win the best-of-three series against Townsville?The Hawks can book a grand final berth by completing a 2-0 sweep in Wednesday night's second game in Townsville.
Last night's contest was effectively over after the first quarter after the home side bolted to a 27-12 lead.
The Crocs had no answers and coach Trevor Gleeson has no shortage of adjustments to make for game two.
Wollongong received lionhearted contributions from every player who stepped on the court and made 57 per cent of their shots as a team.
Cam Tragardh (27 points, seven rebounds) was sublime in his first finals game for the Hawks, while Larry Davidson (17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five blocks, five steals) continued to make a compelling case for a call-up to the national squad.
Glen Saville (11 points, two blocks) was superb at both ends of the floor and Rhys Martin (nine points, five assists, two steals) showed why he has emerged as a contender for the NBL's Most Improved Player award.
"It was just an awesome game," Davidson said. "We came out from the start and really played the way we wanted to .. the first half was just unbelievable.
"I was just trying to be as active as I could and I'm probably the most tired I've ever been.
"There's no reason why we can't go up there and win on their court."
Hawks coach Gordie McLeod praised his side.
"The guys did a really good job of coming out and playing smart," McLeod said.
"We set a good tempo at the defensive end of the floor and that got us running. We were effective in the half-court and we were great in the effort areas.
"The next game is a huge challenge and we know they'll come out after us."
Making his play-off debut, Rhys Martin came out with the composure of a seasoned campaigner. The 23-year-old hit his first two shots and dished off for an assist to help the Hawks establish an 11-4 lead after three minutes.
Tragardh also got away to a perfect start, twisting and curling around defenders for lay-ups and short jump shots on the way to 12 points in the opening period.
When Saville's three hit nothing but net five minutes into the quarter, the Hawks had an 18-8 lead and an exasperated Gleeson called time-out in a bid to stop the rot.
But the party had started and the visitors couldn't do a thing about it, Wollongong surging to a 27-12 lead after one period.
As efficient as they were offensively, the Hawks played a near-perfect quarter at the defensive end, with the ever-present Davidson the catalyst.
He didn't score a point in the period, but had three blocks, two steals and two assists.
While the Hawks connected on 63 per cent of their shots, Townsville couldn't execute a thing, making just 6/19 field goals and turning over possession a whopping nine times.
The scoring pace slowed in the second quarter and turnovers (seven in the quarter) briefly hurt Wollongong's momentum.
But their defence remained virtually unbreakable and they soon started finding the basket again with monotonous regularity.
The lead blew out to 27 and the Crocs were powerless to stem the tide, as Wollongong took a commanding 50-26 lead into the half-time break.
Tragardh was unstoppable with 18 points and four rebounds, Rhys and Luke Martin combined for 14 points, while Davidson had showcased his all-court versatility in the form of four points, four rebounds, four assists, four blocks and four steals.
The Hawks knocked down a blistering 23 of 34 shots (67 per cent) and out-rebounded their opponents 21-16. The Crocs' woes were highlighted by the fact they registered just one assist in the first half.
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