THE Hawks face yet another match without several key personnel on Saturday against Townsville, but star guard Kevin Lisch is certain the adversity his side is facing continues to make them stronger.
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Cody Ellis, Tyson Demos and long-term casualty Rhys Martin all sat out of Wednesday’s win over Sydney and won’t be present when the Crocodiles come to Wollongong this weekend.
Lisch, who played in both fourth quarter collapses against Perth, was adamant Illawarra couldn’t let it derail their season.
“You have to keep fighting back," the former NBL MVP said after the Kings win.
"I think the key is to enjoy those moments [like the win over the Kings], work through them and hopefully at the end of the season when you are in the playoffs, you see that it made you a better team.”
Ellis is set to spend one more match on the sidelines while Martin and Demos remain a week or two away.
It thrusts pressure back on Lisch to perform, but also his fellow guards Kevin White and Jarrad Weeks.
"Kev [White] and I are really just trying to bring energy to the team and bring a lift in defence,” Weeks said.
"We have had a key issue of playing from our defence. It is what we are trying to do and I think Kev and I are both trying to be leaders in that especially with Tyson out.
"He is our grunt guy that we can look to to get a big stop or take a charge or something like that. Kev and I have had to step up especially in his absence."
