Fresh from their worst performance of the season against Brisbane last week, the Hawks older heads stood up to deliver the victory that keeps their finals fire burning.

It wasn’t without some nervous moments, with Brian Conklin going six of six from the line down the stretch after an 11-point fourth term from Kevin Lisch got the Kings within a point.

It came after the hosts led by 15 midway through the second quarter and by eight at the final change, showing enough composure to hold off their arch-rivals.

Veteran sixth-man Tim Coenraad had 11 of his 18 points in a single unanswered match-turning burst to start the second quarter and also finished with five boards.

Conklin finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double while David Andersen had seven of his 11 points in the first quarter.

Lisch did all he could to spoil his great mate’s 300^th with 19 points, but Jerome Randle (13 points) was the only other King in double figures – though Andrew Bogut contributed 19 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

“It was amazing to see where we came from last week, where we were tonight against the number one team in the league,” Beveridge said.

“They’ve got the most talent, they’ve gelled as a group, and I thought we did a helluva job taking them out of a lot of their stuff from a defensive perspective.

“The mindset in how the guys approached the game was just so much better. We were very, very disciplined.

“I wouldn’t say we lost our way in that third quarter, [Sydney] are an incredibly good team and they made big plays, but the grunt we had defensively was great.

“Being [my] 300 games I couldn’t be prouder of these guys.It’s one of the most memorable games I’ve had.” 

It continued a stunning round of NBL upsets that breathed new life into the playoffs discussion, with the Hawks looking to take another step towards that objective at home against Adelaide on Thursday.

Andersen had his side’s first five points after opening their account with a three, but Lisch fired back from the perimeter to keep things level.

Cedric Jackson had a drought-breaking triple and a tip-in as the lead swelled to seven, though Andersen was forced to sit with his second foul.

Randle had a deep two and a lay-up, while Daniel Kickert got busy from the bench with six points as the guests drew within two at quarter-time. 

Coenraad caught fire to start the second, with 11 straight points, including two triples and a four-point play as the lead went out to 12.

It forced Andrew Gaze into a timeout, with Coenraad picking up his third personal after the resumption and having to sit with the lead at 13.

Brian Bowen had his side’s first points of the term from the line and Bogut had four straight, though Jett did the same to keep a handy cushion.

Gaze was forced into a second timeout when the lead ballooned to 15 on a runner from Blanchfield. Randle and Kyle Adnam briefly pegged it back from the line to keep the margin at 10 at halftime. 

The visitors opened the third with a 6-2 run punctuated by a three from Brad Newley, who also added two from the line to cut the margin back to five.

A pull-up from Randle brought it in to just three, forcing Beveridge to halt proceedings. Bogut got the Kings within one before Blanchfield finally got going with his first three.

Lisch and Conklin traded shots from he line before Coenraad drained a transition three and Jett finished neatly at the basket to re-take a nine-point buffer.

Gaze burned another timeout, with the pace slow for the rest of the quarter with both sides in the bonus before Daniel Grida took a eight-point lead with a crucial three on he buzzer.

He pushed the lead back to double figures with a steal and fast-break bucket to start the fourth. Gaze saw enough, calling an early timeout to reset.

It had the desired effect, sparking a 10-1 run, including two triples from Lisch, that put the game back on a knife-edge with just under four minutes to play.

Beveridge’s timeout again turned momentum, with Conklin and Anderson firing to push the lead back out to seven.  

Lisch dropped his third from long-range and backed it up with two of two from the line to get within one with 30 seconds left before Conklin iced the game from the line.