This was published 8 years ago
Illawarra Hawks win NBL's Australian Basketball Challenge over Melbourne United
By Roy Ward
Illawarra Hawks confirmed they are legitimate title contenders by winning the NBL's Loggins-Bruton Cup at the Australian Basketball Challenge in Brisbane on Monday night.
The Hawks and Melbourne United were scheduled to play the last game of the tournament and it ended up being the trophy decider as they both topped the ladder entering that final contest.
Hawk Mitch Norton shoots.Credit: Chris Hyde
An undermanned Melbourne led 69-67 at the final change but were over-run by the experience of the Hawks' lineup in the last 10 minutes, as AJ Ogilvy (24 points, nine rebound, five assists) and import guard Marvelle Harris (16 points) saw their side to a 94-86 win.
Melbourne was without Boomers big man David Andersen who sat out the last two games with a tight hamstring while fellow Boomers and Melbourne star Chris Goulding did not return after playing the first five minutes as he had battled calf tightness earlier in the tournament.
Marvelle Harris dunks for the Hawks during the Australian Basketball Challenge match against Melbourne United.Credit: Chris Hyde
Forward Tai Wesley led Melbourne with 19 points and Cedric Jackson added 14 points and seven assists.
The trophy was the Hawks' first silverware since the 2009 Top End Challenge.
Ogilvy said he was proud to see the Hawks' win the event.
"It's a good confidence boost if nothing else and it really shows the league we are a team who is going to be competitive and get after it," Ogilvy said. "We know how good we are and we proved that to other people.
"It is the preseason and doesn't hold a lot of weight come round one but it's always nice to win."
Harris was one of the surprise packets of the tournament impressing with his ability to score from all parts of the court while Clarke, a former NBL most valuable player, showed his elite level shooting skills remained.
"We are 11 deep and we are going to play 11 players every game just because of the way we want to play," Ogilvy said. "We have a lot of progression to go but we are really coming along in leaps and bounds.
"They have to learn our system and we have to learn their games.
"Marvelle showed everyone what he can do and Rotnei still has a lot more than he can do as well."
Melbourne are confident both Andersen and Goulding will be fit for round one and weren't going to risk them so close to the season proper.
Wesley said United would use the next two weeks in the lead up to round one to integrate Andersen and Goulding into their team.
But he said Melbourne was coming together well.
"We have got to play better defence and that comes with time," Wesley said.
"We have only really just come together with our whole team, we have a lot of work to do but it was good to see the rest of the competition and have some guys play some minutes they probably wouldn't usually play."
Wesley's own shooting stood out throughout the three Melbourne games and he made all three of his three-point attempts against the Hawks.
"I have put in work and I'm trying to shoot the three a lot more and make it a lot more," Wesley added.
Cairns Taipans guard Cameron Gliddon won the Ray Borner Medal as tournament most valuable player after playing a more assertive offensive role with the undermanned Taipans.