A near-capacity crowd had its prayers answered on Friday night at WIN Entertainment Centre, spurring on the Wollongong Hawks to a memorable 102-95 victory over the Adelaide 36ers.
Playing their last home game ever, the Hawks went out on a winning note in front of 5674 ecstatic fans - the NBL foundation club's best turnout in four years.
If Wollongong had regularly shown up with similar support this season, the Hawks would be fighting on next year rather than folding after a 31-season existence.
A special pre-game ceremony was held for Hawks icons Mat Campbell and Glen Saville, with the club honouring the pair by retiring their playing jerseys.
Leading the way against the Sixers in the most fitting of finales was Campbell, who poured in a team-high 23 points, while Saville was also instrumental with 15 points, five assists and three steals.
``The crowd was unreal,'' Campbell said during a post-game on-court interview.
``I wasn't sure how many people would turn out tonight but it's a credit to the people of Wollongong. I want to thank you for all your support and supporting the team.''
The Hawks led all the way except for a brief moment in the first quarter.
Tears, hugs and high-fives were in abundant supply after the match, as the team received a send-off befitting a champion.
``It's been a pretty emotional night. The support we got tonight was fantastic,'' Saville said.
``I've got a lot of fantastic memories and it's just unfortunate we won't be here next season.''
Belarus-bound Hawks import Kavossy Franklin was moved by the crowd's response.
``This is great. This is what Wollongong is all about,'' Franklin said.
The Hawks will hit the road one more time this morning, taking on the Gold Coast Blaze tonight in their last official appearance.
While Saville and Campbell received their dues, tribute was also paid to long-serving Adelaide guard Brett Maher, who has announced his retirement after 18 NBL seasons.
Dusty Rychart got Wollongong off to a flying start by hitting two quick shots, while Campbell and Saville each nailed a three-pointer to show they weren't overcome by the occasion.
The Hawks bolted to a 12-3 lead and looked like they couldn't be stopped, but the Sixers clawed their way back to forge ahead 18-16.
A clearly energised Campbell got Wollongong back on the front foot, sinking another couple of threes and a tough driving lay-up.
After a fast-paced opening quarter, the Hawks had made 56 per cent of their shots and held a 33-27 lead.
With the crowd cheering everything the Hawks did, the margin swelled to 12 early in the second period.
They continued to hold sway, paced by the hot hands of Saville, Franklin and Anthony Petrie.
But the visitors refused to buckle, peeling off a 12-0 run to tie the score at 52-all before Cam Tragardh's lay-up broke the drought.
The Sixers worked the ball around for the last shot of the half in the dying seconds, only for Saville to swoop on Maher's loose pass and start heading back up the court.
Rather than hoist a half-court prayer, Saville calmly checked the clock before cleverly passing to his best mate Campbell, who sank a buzzer-beating three to electrify the crowd.
Wollongong's lead was 57-52 at half-time, with Campbell on 15 points and Saville up to 13.
Adelaide's man of the moment Maher had 11, including 3/4 threes, while 216cm centre Luke Schenscher had 12.
The Hawks made 53 per cent of their shots for the half compared to 47 per cent for their opponents.
The only worry for Wollongong coach Eric Cooks was his team being out-rebounded 26-19.
Picking up where they left off, the home side came out smoking in the third quarter, with Tragardh, Campbell and Franklin hitting virtually everything to make it 80-66.
If it wasn't for Schenscher's dominance in the paint, the Sixers would've trailed by at least 20.
The Hawks held an 86-76 lead after three periods, as Campbell boosted his tally to 23.
Schenscher was having a night out at the other end and was up to 28 points and 12 rebounds. He finished with 37 and 15 in a monster performance.
Despite enduring a few anxious moments when the Sixers rallied to trim the margin to four, the Hawks stuck to their guns down the stretch and sent the fans home happy.
Rychart tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Franklin and Petrie added 15 and Tragardh chipped in 12.
The Hawks boosted their record to 11-18 and can climb as high as seventh with a win over the Blaze.
Email a friend