With a clear understanding there is no room for error, the Ringwood Hawks dug deep to keep their top two hopes alive with a hard earned win over the Diamond Valley Eagles on Sunday.

There were no surprises that this game was going to be a physical battle as the Hawks and Eagles have a long history of great contests. The Eagles are out of the Finals race but were very happy to try and put a dent in the Hawks top two aspirations and early in the game it looked very much like an upset was on the cards. Some poor Hawks defense gave the Eagles some early confidence but a few late baskets in the last minute of the first quarter pulled the Hawks back to within 2 points.

Slowly the Hawks managed to edge their way in to the lead with Mike McCahey (21 points and 9 rebounds) and Shaun Clarke (18 points and 14 rebounds) leading the way. The Eagles were not going to go away quietly though and received a boost as they watch the Hawks leading scorer Jacob Gibson leave the court with a shoulder injury. The Gibson injury seemed to slow the Hawks down and at the half only lead by 4 points.

With too much to lose, the Hawks dug deep in the third quarter. Nathan Truman (11 points) and Matt Fennell (13 points and 11 rebounds) picked up the offensive slack left by Gibson and the Hawks pushed their lead out to 10 points. It was also a better defensive effort by the Hawks that enabled them to take control of the game.

“Our defense was Ok in the second half but in the first it was garbage.” Hawks Co-Captain Shaun Clarke said.

“This is an area we need to be better out next week and in the playoffs.”

Diamond Valley gallantly tried to work their way back in to the game late but the Hawks maintained their advantage and ran out 12 point winners, their 17th win of the season.

The Big V ladder makes interesting reading with just one week left of the regular season. Ringwood, Knox and Waverley all sit on 17 wins and 4 losses and all three teams remain hungry for a top two finish and a bye in the first round of the playoffs. For the Hawks it is a very simple equation, beat Waverley at Waverley next Sunday and they will be guaranteed a top two spot.

“Simple? There’s a terrible word. I would not call it simple.” Hawks Coach Ken Harrington joked.

“Waverley is a great team but you are right, we have our destiny in our own hands. Win and then we get a week off.”

Ringwood Hawks 92 (McCahey 21, Clarke 18, Fennell 13, Latham 12, Truman 11, Snowball 8) defeated Diamond Valley Eagles 80 at The Rings.

 

Watch a replay of the game here and the women's curtain raiser here.