BASKETBALL
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Wollongong forward Tim Coenraad has pinpointed the Hawks' bullseye shooting from downtown as the key factor behind his team's ability to stay in matches.
The Hawks trailed by 16 points last weekend's win over Cairns before a second-half clinic from beyond the arc (8/12 threes) guided them to a memorable 82-79 away victory.
A similar formula a week earlier beat Perth, shooting 11 of 23 from long range, and Coenraad is confident it can keep working.
"I don't think we are out of any game just because of our ability to shoot the three ball when we have got a line-up out there where we have got five guys who can shoot the ball sometimes," Coenraad said.
"I guess it is tough for guys at times to shoot the ball from the three-point line.
"We are a team that can take more threes than some other teams but with the wealth of shooters that we have on the team it is hard not to sometimes."
Star import Rotnei Clarke has led the charge for the Hawks from three-point range this season, shooting 15/20 in the two matches leading into last weekend's match.
But the former Butler Bulldog put in a more subdued performance against the Taipans, shooting 2/5, as teammates Rhys Martin (3/5) and Oscar Forman (4/10) stepped up.
"At the end of that Cairns game, Ozzie was getting those threes off purely because we are making them help," Coenraad said.
"We are doing a good job of drawing the defence. If they don't close out on Ozzie there we have got Dave [Gruber] in the middle for an easy two.
"I think we are doing a pretty good job of late, when knowing when to shoot it."
The Hawks could be at odds to find the same success with those tactics this week, as they come up against the same Taipans line-up.
But Coenraad believes the replay still has its benefits.
"I guess it is good practice for the play-offs because you have got to play a team one week and then you have to back it up next week," Coenraad said.
"So you have to re-evaluate what works, what doesn't and you have to look and see how they attacked us and make adjustments.
"It is not the best thing in the world in terms of the regular season but that is the way the cards have fallen."