Illawarra to face Perth in semi-final series

On a rare quiet night from the Hawks big-guns the Hawks bench were outstanding with Rhys Martin finishing with 14 points and nine assists while Jarrad Weeks turned in a career-best effort with 14 points with the match still in the balance.

Not to be completely outdone the Hawks big-three had solid contributions with AJ Ogilvy finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Lisch had 16 points and Kirk Penney 13.

It was a tough night for Jerome Randle on his return from injury with the 36ers star picking up two unsporstmanlike fouls and leaving the court in the fourth to a raucous reception from the Illawarra faithful. He finished with 15 points while while Daniel Johnson led the visitors with 20 points and eight boards. 

It was the Hawks 11th 100-point effort for the season, the most of any club in the 40-minute era and will kickoff their post-season on the road to Perth on Friday.

Lisch scored in the opening seconds before White added a triple for a 5-0 lead. 

Things got heated early with Ebi Ere and Ogilvy hitting the deck in an all-in scuffle while before White went to the line after sneaky shove in the back from Randle earned his first unsporstmanlike foul.

Lisch and Penney both hit threes as the lead swelled to 10 midway through the quarter.

Randle chimed in with a four-point play while Lucas Walker had an and-one to peg the lead back.

The Hawks pushed the lead back out to 11 on the back of six points from super-sub Cody Ellis before a remarkable full-court bomb from Randle on the buzzer cut the lead back to 35-27.

Weeks, Martin and Larry Davidson all had early buckets in the second as the bench contributed 10 points pushing the lead out to 47-35 and forcing Joey Wright into a timeout.

The 36ers responded with back-to-back threes from Ere sparking an 11-2 run that pegged the lead back to six before a fadeaway jumper on the buzzer from Ogilvy gave the home side an eight-point buffer at the main break.

The visitors made most of the early running in the third with Ere knocking down an early three and adding two more from the line while Johnson four on an 11-2 run that cut the lead back to 58-57 forcing Beveridge into a timeout.

Lisch responded with five points and Ogilvy added four as the lead swelled back out to 70-62 before five points from Weeks gave the Hawks a 77-69 lead heading into the final term.

Randle hit an early jumper to start the fourth but it was all Hawks from there with Martin and Weeks both adding five with Weeks producing a highlight reel drive past Randle to slam the ball home and push the lead back out 87-71.

Penney had a couple of threes while Ogilvy added seven points down the stretch.

Randle’s second unsportsmanlike on a runaway Lisch took the Hawks past the century mark and put paid to the visitors night with four minutes remaining.