Illawarra Hawks silence Sydney fans with derby win

The Boomer was dominant under the rim, finishing with 27 points and seven rebounds as Illawarra secured a 92-84 victory.

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The result was the punctuation mark on a week of verbal sparring, the Hawks able to return home having finished on top where it matters most, the final scoreboard.

Sydney were undermanned, R.J. Hunter a late withdrawal with knee soreness and Jaylen Adams also absent, however Illawarra will remain thrilled to continue their unbeaten start to the season.

The value of new recruits Reath and Antonius Cleveland was evident throughout the encounter, the pair playing a starring role as Tyler Harvey and Jusitnian Jessup struggled to find their range.

Reath controlled the paint throughout the second half, the Kings unable to prevent the big man from claiming offensive rebound after offensive rebound.

Cleveland added seven rebounds along with a number of crucial buckets, finishing with 19 points.

Harvey, for his part, overcame a slow start to add 13 points, Jessup also scoring 13.

Former Hawks Angus Glover and Xavier Cooks were outstanding for the Kings, the pair doing everything they could to secure a victory against their ex-team.

The pair combined for 30 points and played a key role in a fourth-quarter run that kept the game close.

The match was heated at times, with tensions threatening to bubble over with 24 seconds to play.

Glover had his shot rejected by Sam Froling, the duo becoming involved in a tussle that saw players rushing in.

Glover was ejected for his role in the incident, while Jessup was handed an unsportsmanlike foul.

The match started in back-and-forth fashion, both teams controlling play at times.

Illawarra burst out of the gates, jumping out to an 8-2 lead on the back of two Jessup threes, prompting an early timeout from Kings coach Chase Buford.

From there, Sydney worked their way into the match, going on an eight-point run later in the quarter to claim a 20-15 lead, before the Hawks got back into their rhythm.

Three late free throws from Tim Coenraad cut the deficit to one, Illawarra trailing 25-24 at the first break.

Reath took over in the second quarter, adding a further eight points to his tally to help turn a one-point deficit into a three-point half-time advantage, the Hawks leading 46-43.

Both Cleveland and Harvey also found their groove to land their first buckets of the match, including a statement dunk from Cleveland that silenced the Sydney fans.

Illawarra started the third quarter on top and looked as though they would pull away, however the hosts refused to yield and fought hard to stay in touch.

The Hawks led by as many as seven before the Kings reeled their opponents in to hit the front late in the period.

The run was short-lived, Illawarra scoring the final nine points of the quarter to lead 67-60 with one stanza to play.

The Hawks kept their noses in front throughout the final period, even as Sydney threw everything they had at their opponents.

A monster Glover three cut the deficit to just one with 2:21 to play, before Reath hit a three of his own to slow the Kings momentum.

A Froling lay-in ensured Illawarra held a six-point lead with 55 seconds remaining, the Hawks able to close out the game to secure a crucial victory over their northern rivals.