NBL 2014/15 Round 7: Sun didn't quite shine for Hawks as road trip ends in disaster
The Wollongong Hawks came into the Townsville RSL off a tough loss to the Cairns Taipans last night. The Hawks did an admirable job containing Scottie Wilbekin, limiting him to 7 points for the game. Today they faced the Townsville Crocodiles, who sit just above the Hawks on the ladder. This match up of the bottom feeders, proved to be a no contest, as the Hawks looked run down on the second night of a back to back, going down 107-75.
Right from the start the Wollongong boys looked sluggish; nothing was going for them as they struggled to score. A 12-0 run mid way through the opening period, had the Townsville Crocodiles thinking it would be a walk over. However, a 3-point bomb from Tim Coenraad, started a run by the Hawks subs, who managed to give the away side some hope.
After a strong game last night from Hawks import Jahii Carson, the lighting quick and uber athletic point man couldn’t get things going early on only managing 2 points in the first. After their slow start, the Hawks were lucky to finish the first quarter only down by six.
The second quarter proved a completely different story as the Crocs started pulling away from the Hawks. The Hawks struggled to contain Queensland, a 9-0 run starting the onslaught from Townsville. This was followed by a second scoring out burst for the Crocs, that saw the Hawks trailing by 18 to end the half.
Wollongong looked tired in the second half, obviously struggling after their game the night before. Despite Carson managing to pick up the scoring for the Hawks, his 18 points and 4 assists provided the lone bright spot.
The balance scoring attack from Townsville, saw seven players score 10 or more. The home side was lead by a sniper like shooting night for Todd Blanchfield, who scored a game high 22 on 8-12 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Conklin provided his usual solid post presence, as Gladness barely missed out on a double double, falling just 2 rebounds short.
The fourth quarter proved more of the same, as Townsville extended their lead. Hawks fans were surely grateful to hear the final buzzer, with the final score reading 107- 75 in a 32-point blowout for the home side.
These two sides will meet again next week, in what will hopefully be a more competitive game. Wollongong will need to improve their offensive efficiency in the coming weeks, as they currently have a 1-10 record and sit last on the table. With 13 weeks remaining, they still have a chance to turn things around, but they will need to figure it out soon. Next week may prove the perfect game to make a change.
Townsville Crocodiles 107 (Blanchfield 22, Conklin 15, Henry 14)
Wollongong Hawks 75 (Carson 18, Coenraad 11, Nevill 9)
@ Townsville RSL