Illawarra have broken their 24-year NBL title drought with an emotion-charged 114-104 victory to seal a 3-2 grand final series win over Melbourne United in Wollongong on Sunday.
The Hawks lifted the trophy for the second time in the foundation club’s history, following on from their maiden triumph in the 2000/01 season.
With Illawarra missing injured starting centre Sam Froling, Melbourne shot out to an early 10-point lead but the Hawks clawed their way back to level up at 26-26 by the end of the first quarter.
With unheralded point guard Will Hickey calling the shots, the home side went on a 34-24 run in the second term to take a 10-point buffer into the main break.
United managed to stem the bleeding in the third quarter but Illawarra still led 82-72 heading into the final 10 minutes with the championship on the line.
With Hickey, Tyler Harvey and Trey Kell III running rampant, the Hawks led by 14 with four minutes left to have one hand on the elusive trophy.
It completes the final chapter in their rags-to-riches story, which began with a last-placed finish two NBL seasons ago.
They have sacked a coach since then, endured a heartbreaking elimination from last year’s play-offs, and appeared down for the count more than once in the ongoing championship series against Melbourne United.
Illawarra fought back from a demoralising game-one loss at home, injuries to Froling and Kell and headlines following coach Justin Tatum’s verbal attack on the referees.
