Wollongong Hawks imports Gary Ervin and Jahii Carson have instant imprint

The pair starred in the Hawks’ 92-83 defeat of Townsville last Friday, Ervin scoring a game-high 22 points and Carson finishing with 20.

Ervin made 7/13 shots and all five of his free throw attempts, while Carson hit 5/12 field goals and 10/14 free throws.

The second half was when they really shone, as Ervin had eight points in the third quarter and Carson scored 10 in the final period.

‘‘It starts with just learning the system, that’s the biggest thing,’’ Ervin said of his combination with Carson.

‘‘It’s about knowing when to attack, knowing when to hold it out and get it to the right place. I felt I had myself going in the third quarter and I was just handing the ball to Jahii in the fourth quarter and telling him to attack.

‘‘It feels good when you have two guys that play a fast tempo. It’s going to be a great presence for our team.’’

Wollongong were superb when they outscored the Crocodiles 33-16 in the final period, but they were inconsistent up until that point.

That was highlighted in the third quarter when they built an eight-point lead before watching the Crocs score 19 consecutive points.

Ervin’s three-pointer as time expired in the third period sparked the Hawks into action in crunch time.

‘‘We just had to dig deep and that starts on the defensive end,’’ Ervin said.

‘‘In the fourth quarter we went out and played Hawks basketball. When we get stops we’re going to be a tough team to beat in transition.’’

Carson tallied 17 points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals in Saturday night’s 86-83 road loss to the Sydney Kings.

Ervin was similarly dynamic with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block.

For all the latest NBL news check out the Hawks Nest.