NBL GRAND FINAL SERIES, GAME TWO - Wollongong ahm Hawks v Perth Wildcats

PRE GAME
After Perth stumbled over the line in Game One of the NBL Grand Final Series, its Wollongong’s turn to show why they hold a 13-1 home record. In front of a sell out crowd at ‘The Sandpit’, can anyone see them not taking this series to a decider? I have my doubts.
Wollongong will have to play with more composure and get back to playing team basketball. McLeod back’s this up by telling the Illawarra Mercury that “it’s all about consistency....We need the sum of all our players coming in and playing to the level we know they’re capable of.” Gordie felt throughout the season that it was “no secret, it’s our mantra, it’s what we need to do.” The Hawks are certainly going to have to put something special together tonight to beat the Wildcats, who recently have strung together some nice road wins, beating Melbourne and the Gold Coast.
This match should be a cracker and holds all the makings of a thriller, I lean towards the Wildcats. I just feel that they will stick around long enough for the Hawks to fall to pieces. My key matchup still stands and if the Hawks are to prevail Tragardh must stand up and deliver. If you are keen for a punt, you are getting great value on the either team to win by less that 5.5 at $3.10. Enjoy the match and I’ll have my take on the big one after the game!

GAME TIME
‘The Sandpit’ was pumping before tip tip-off, but it was not long before they were silenced, as Shawn Redhage nailed an open three to begin the match. With Tragardh a no show in Game One, it was good to see him get on the board early with a nice tip- in. Saville clearly tried to establish himself early in the match, but would have served better as a brick layer. Tragardh continued to be dominant down low, Hammer giving him the naming him thenickname of “baseline bandit”, hmmm good one.! Apart from ‘Trigger’ Tragardh working his magic, the Hawks offence was very one out allowing for easy baskets for the Wildcats down the other end. Brad Robbins coming on the court didn’t help the Hawks at all early; as he picked Rhys Martin’s pocket and forced Luke Martin into an eight8 second back court violation. However towards the latter part of the quarter, Robbins became sloppy with the ball allowing the Hawks to crawl back into the game. Larry Davidson once again couldn’t get in the game, instead wanting to push and shove whoever was in his way. Campbell (0) and Saville (2) weren’t playing well at all, and didn’t understand that Tragardh (8 points) was dominating. Inside then outside boys, you get taught that in juniors!

Bevo rotated all his players in the first quarter, all ten of them getting minutes. It seemed to be working as they took a 20-16 lead into the first break.
Trigger continued his dominance opening the second quarter with an and-one taking his total to 11 points. Dave Gruber came off the bench and played some excellent minutes in the second quarter. The Wildcats maintained their lead throughout the second through the likes of Schenscher, Lisch and Weigh all chiming in with buckets. It wasn’t until the Hawks went back to Tragardh that they found results. Trigger found Luke Martin wide open for a three and then found some time to add to his own tally. With the Wildcats taking a slender one point lead into the half time break, 33-32, Galen Young told Hammer, “we just had to weather their storm, they are looking to slow it down, and we need to be speeding it up.” When asked about the role of being the agitator he said “I try to find the weak link, I keep talking and talking, and eventually somebody’s going to break.”.

KEY MATCHUP – Redhage (3) – Tragardh (13)

The Hawks started the third off brilliantly with Dave Gruber finishing two layups off some nice dishes by Rhys Martin. Watch and learn Davidson. After a slow start, Lisch started to find his range, nailing a couple of open jump shots. The ‘Gong crowd seemed to be a little shell-shocked in comparison to last Friday’s crowd in Perth. This quarter belonged to Luke Martin, he was simply outstanding. His pull up three in transition and his long bomb in Galen Young’s face sparked the crowd and sent them into a frenzy. He even gavme the cameras a cheeky grin. Veteran Martin Cattalini helped keep the Wildcats in touch with a nice jump shot and a steal which led to an and-one from Wagstaff. Yes, Hammer it was Wagstaff that scored and got fouled, it was not a goal tend on Cats shot. Watch the replay boys. With Redhage being kept very quiet, the Hawks took a three3 point lead into the final break, 54-51.
After Rhys Martin missed some early gimmes, Larry Davidson hit a long two, giving the Hawks a five point lead. It seemed as if Perth didn’t want the match as much as the HawksGong did, as they started taking poor shots and making bad decisions. I mean Wagstaff can’t be taking two shots from behind the arc in the space of two minutes; it’s all about valuing the basketball in a Grand Final. The Hawks ‘Gong took advantage of Perth’s sloppy play, picking up easy baskets. Trigger scored at will picking up his 28th point on the back off a nice pass from Campbell, who still hadn’t scored. Luke Martin fittingly sealed the match with a nice drive and finish to blow this one out by 12 points with 2:50 to go. The Hawks repaid their fans for coming out in huge numbers winning 75-63.
After the match Trigger spoke withtold Hammer, “We pride ourselves at home. I know I was a no show in Ggame oOne, it was very embarrassing and it sure was a long flight home. It felt great to contribute tonight.” Hammer also caught up with a very happy Gordie McLeod, “I’m really proud of the adjustments we made, our defence was great and the big guys got involved. It certainly is great to be playing this time of the year.”

KEY MATCHUP: Redhage (9) – Tragardh (28)

One thing I didn’t understand with Bevo’s coaching was the fact he had his bench on to start the fourth quarter. It’s championship time; this is the time when you have your best players on the floor battling it out. A three point game turned into a seven point game before Redhage even came back on the floor. I know the guy hadn’t played well but you have to give him more than five minutes in the last quarter. Drew Williamson did nothing all night and started the fourth.

It’s set for a cracker of a third game; the Jungle will be fired up and another SELL OUT on the way. Things couldn’t get any better for the NBL.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the National Basketball League.