Tim Coenraad scores during the Hawks' 81-74 win over Sydney on Friday. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER
The Wollongong Hawks aren't beating themselves up over Friday night's careless finish against NSW rivals Sydney.
A 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter was sliced to six with just over a minute remaining, leaving nervous Hawks fans wondering if they were witnessing a repeat of Wollongong's round 20 home loss to Adelaide.
The Hawks led the 36ers by eight with 30 seconds to play that night, only to lose the unloseable in overtime.
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They held their nerve a little better on Friday, claiming a vital 81-74 victory and taking a big step towards a semi-finals berth.
But after turning over possession just once in three quarters, the home team had a whopping eight turnovers in the final period.
Despite the poor close-out, the Hawks are confident they don't have major problems when it comes to maintaining big leads.
"We don't go into the end of games feeling like it's an issue for us," forward Dave Gruber said.
"I give Sydney a lot of credit for the way they came out in the fourth quarter. Whether it was a defensive let-up or mentally us needing to stay focused a bit more, we'll look at the tape.
"It's not a fatigue issue. It's more the evenness of the competition, because anybody can knock anyone else off on any given night if you're not locked in."
Nerves seemed to take hold of the Hawks in the first quarter on Friday.
They made just three of 16 shots and missed five free throws, allowing the Kings to lead 20-18 at the second period. Sydney extended it to five before the Hawks scored nine unanswered points, taking a lead they never lost.
Wollongong were up by 20 at three-quarter time, but the Kings caused a spate of turnovers and gave themselves an outside chance of stealing victory.
Wollongong are alone in third spot with a 12-15 record.
The Hawks will look to go into the playoffs with a win over last-placed Adelaide on Saturday.