Hawks victory: Tywain tames wild cats

There's a new sherrif in town and he goes by the name of Tywain McKee.Last night the Hawks unleashed their dynamic new import on the NBL and he wasted no time sending a strong message to visiting teams that the days of riding into Wollongong for an easy win are over.McKee stamped himself all over the Hawks' thrilling 94-92 victory over Perth at WIN Entertainment Centre, toying with the much taller Wildcats as he racked up game-highs of 22 points and seven assists.The season-opening clash was not without drama, the Hawks appearing to be coasting to a comfortable win before the Wildcats mounted a last-ditch charge in a frantic final 60 seconds.Wollongong should have wrapped up the win from the free-throw line, but they missed six straight foul shots and kept the Cats in the game.Much to the horror of the 3556 strong crowd, Perth's Stephen Weigh actually had a chance to win the game, but his three-point attempt rimmed out.The Hawks had been given the cold shoulder by bookmakers across Australia, but their polished performance against the highly rated Cats showed they have the potential to be a force this season.While McKee was brilliant, forward Cam Tragardh was outstanding with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Glen Saville had 17 points and Mat Campbell finished with 16.Shawn Redhage led Perth with 20 points, Kevin Lisch had 12 and Luke Schenscher chipped in 11.The win was the perfect start to Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod's tenure with the club.Hawks captain Campbell presented the club's main financial backers Dean Tillotson (ahm CEO) and Arun Jagatramka (NRE Gujarat Mining) with personalised Hawks singlets before the game.McLeod was delighted to get the season off on the right foot but will be ordering extra free-throw practice at training this week.McKee immediately buried any nerves he may have been feeling when he drove into the paint on the Hawks' first possession and drained a running jump shot.That move was just a tasty sampling of what was to come, as the 23-year-old playmaker dished off for three assists, hit another jump shot and tossed in a three-pointer in eight crowd pleasing minutes.The Hawks were up 10-5 but the Wildcats quickly closed the gap and took a 16-15 lead with three minutes left in the opening quarter.The home side responded with a 7-0 surge, with Larry Davidson's three pointer helping Wollongong to a 24-18 lead heading into the second period.McKee returned when play resumed and upped his points tally to 11 with two free throws and a lay-up after he turned defender Brad Robbins inside-out with a lightning quick move in the open court.Wollongong led by as many as nine, only to allow the Cats to hit back again and forge ahead 36-34.But a Rhys Martin three broke the drought for the Hawks and Campbell followed with a three of his own in the face of Perth guard Damien Martin.A foul on Damien Martin presented Campbell a bonus free throw and he calmly completed the rare four point play.With the crowd roaring, Campbell connected on another three, while Rhys Martin drilled his third three of the game to extend the lead to 44-36.When the first half was over, the Hawks were deserved 50-43 leaders, with McKee having 11 points to his name.Rhys Martin had chipped in 10 off the bench.The McKee show continued in the third quarter as the Hawks stretched the lead to 67-51.Wollongong held an 80-66 lead in the final term before the visitors trimmed the deficit to eight with 5:55 on the clock.