Harbour Heat will take the confidence of a late season form revival into the Bartercard National Basketball League playoffs when they host the Bay Hawks this Wednesday night at the North Shore Events Centre.

The Judd Flavell coached side suffered from a loss in confidence and form during the mid season, but rebounded to form with a stunning road win in Nelson, followed up by a comfortable home victory against Taranaki last Friday to book a home quarter final this Wednesday, something that seemed unlikely a few weeks ago.

Flavell says his side is starting to 'find their mojo' once again.

"The signs have been good the past few games as we find some confidence, in particular on the offensive side of things. The great thing about this side has been their ability to cope during the bad run and keep faith in their abilities as individuals but also as a group. We know we have the talent in this side to push anyone in the post season and to begin at home is a huge boost. We will be giving it everything on Wednesday against a very good Hawkes Bay side that has nothing to lose. This is sudden death and that can bring the best out in players, we need to make sure we get that on Wednesday night."

The match ups suggest this will be a high scoring affair with both the Heat and the Bay Hawks possessing potent outside shooters. They are especially strong in the back court with a host of guards including Paul Henare, Everard Bartlett, Nat Connell and Chris Daniel capable of playing an up tempo style of basketball.

But the Heat has weapons of its own to call on and will look to the shooting combination of Corey Webster, Kavossy Franklin and Rick Rickert in the paint to lead the scoring options. The absence of Dillon Boucher through injury though remains the biggest issue for Coach Flavell, he will miss Boucher's experience on the defensive end of the court especially, not to mention his experience come play off time when nerves can get the better of other players. Veteran forward Daryl Cartwright will be asked to step up and play big minutes in Boucher's absence.

The key might be the battle between Rickert and Josh Pace in the paint though, with Pace a standout for the Hawks in recent weeks, including their shock overtime loss against the Jets last week that dropped them below the Heat on the points ladder.

Game night Wednesday 23^rd June 7pm North Shore Events Centre. Doors open 6pm. Some corporate hospitality available.