THE Wollongong Hawks surrendered an 11-point lead before fighting back in the fourth quarter to clinch a thrilling 75-73 road victory over long-time rivals Sydney on Sunday.
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After appearing well in control midway through the second period, the Hawks lost their way and fell behind by eight.
But they chipped away in crunch time, drawing level before swapping leads with the home team three times in the closing minute.
Captain Oscar Forman was the hero for Wollongong, knocking in a pair of clutch three-pointers which put his siide up for good.
Forman finished with a team-high 17 points, Jahii Carson added 14 off the bench, while Rhys Martin had 13.
Kendrick Perry led Sydney with 20 and Tom Garlepp had 15.
The last-placed Hawks (6-20) have won three of their past four games, avoiding finishing with the worst record in club history.
Sydney were without star import Josh Childress and lost captain Ben Madgen to a shoulder injury in the second quarter.
Martin got the Hawks on the front foot with a jump-shot and three-pointer, while Madgen scored his team’s first four points.
Sydney grabbed their first lead at 10-7 with Perry’s three before Wollongong responded with a 7-0 run.
Forman had five points in five minutes but had to sit down after picking up his second foul. Davidson also headed to the bench after landing heavily and twinging his knee.
Jahii Carson got free for an ally-oop dunk, while Gary Ervin found Luke Nevill on a similar play moments later, as the lead swelled to 18-10.
The Kings fought back, cutting the margin to 20-17 at quarter-time.
Wollongong made 47 per cent of their shots and held an 11-7 rebounding edge. But coach Gordie McLeod would’ve frowned at his team’s six turnovers.
Martin nailed a three to start the second period, sparking another Hawks surge.
When Brad Hill splashed a three-pointer two minutes later, the lead was up to 11.
Sydney’s late-season injury curse claimed another victim, as a screaming Madgen left the court with a dislocated shoulder.
But just when the Hawks threatened to build a commanding half-time lead, the Kings found new life, taking advantage of the visitors’ carelessness with the ball and cutting the deficit to a single point.
Coenraad stopped the rot with a baseline shot and Wollongong were ahead 34-31 at the main break.
The Hawks’ lack of offensive discipline was relected in their 11 turnovers. Sydney chalked up 10 points directly from those errors and would’ve been up at half-time if they hadn’t missed eight of their 16 foul shots.
Martin had eight points, while Garlepp led the Kings with eight.
Worrying signs appeared for McLeod when his side was out-scored 11-2 in the first four minutes of the second half.
The Hawks were out of sync at both ends of the court before a Forman three-pointer got them going again.
But the Kings seemed to sense Wollongong missed their chance to strike a big psychological blow in the first half. They played with more aggression and purpose, taking a well-earned 55-51 lead into the final period.
The Hawks got rhemselves back into the contest and kept their cool when the pressure was on, squaring their four-game season series with Sydney at 2-2.
Wollongong wrap up their season with next weeked’s games against Townsville (away) and Adelaide (home).