South East Melbourne Phoenix defeated by Illawarra Hawks

Sleepy South East Melbourne had gutted out three straight wins, despite lulls in their play during each. Against the Hawks, the Phoenix luck ran dry.

South East Melbourne Phoenix will remain second on the NBL ladder, but a worrying trend of in-game lulls finally came back to bite them in a home loss to the Illawarra Hawks.

A dour defensive struggle in the first half yielded just 33 points each as both teams shot under 40 per cent from the field.

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The Phoenix went through a four-minute stretch in the first quarter without scoring a single point, but the game burst open after the long break.

The Phoenix reeled off a 12-2 run and looking unstoppable as they found their range. But the lapses that have plagued them in a trio of wins permeated again as the never-say-die Hawks refused to go away.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes gave the Phoenix plenty of problems. Picture: Getty Images

Through the individual talents of imports Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Antonius Cleveland, the Hawks gobbled up the buffer and rolled into the last break with a two-point lead as the Phoenix dropped their bundle.

From there, the Hawks executed better, leaping out to a double-figure lead as sharpshooter Justinian Jessup got cooking, before a late Phoenix fightback went unrewarded.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said his side’s inability to score a the back end of each quarter made it hard to stretch out a lead and, after the Phoenix took a season-high 35 threes — making just eight — he would zero in on the team’s decision making in the review of the loss.

He said the loss was no wake up call for the Phoenix — they know where their weaknesses are.

“Sometimes losing shines a light on it (deficiencies),” Mitchell said.

“But we’re pretty honest with each other — whether it’s win, lose or draw — of the areas we want to get better at.

“It’s no more critical of a team that wins in certain areas than we are after a loss. There’s things we don’t like, but if we win by 20, we’re still going to talk about those, we’re not going to gloss them over.”

Pesky defender Izayah Le’Afa was a thorn in the Hawks’ side. Picture: Getty Images

Unsung Kiwi dynamo Izayah Le’Afa did a great job on Hawks’ scorers Jessup and Tyler Harvey, with some help from Xavier Munford and Ryan Broekhoff.

Le’Afa struggled for efficiency at the other end, but scored 14 points, complementing Mitch Creek’s 18 and Ryan Broekhoff’s 15.

Leading scorer Harvey, who did not make a field goal and scored his only point on a free throw with 41 seconds to go in the game, could not buy a bucket.

Hawks import Rathan-Mayes’ ability to get to the cup and finish in traffic was uber-impressive. His sneaky athleticism and impeccable body control helped him blow past Phoenix defenders to give himself opportunities. Cleveland got up his own head of steam in the second half and provided the one-two punch the Hawks had missed with Harvey quieted, whil Jessup broke free of the shackles, scoring eight of his 15 points in the last.

The two teams meet again in 11 days, this time in Illawarra, as the Hawks next visit Tasmania, while the Phoenix prime for another incarnation of the Throwdown with Melbourne United.

Ryan Broekhoff worked hard in a losing effort. Picture: Getty Images

WORKHORSE ROWDY

You’d be hard-pressed to find a higher-profile star who does more dirty work than Ryan Broekhoff. He just does not take a play off on either end of the floor. And his work, especially on the glass, has become one of the Phoenix’s most important weapons. In a one-minute stretch in the second quarter the 31-year-old kept two plays alive in a row, resulting in an Xavier Munford layup, he then ripped away a steal at the other end and went coast to coast for an and-1. If that wasn’t enough, on the inbound, he snuck up and intercepted the ball, throwing it into Justinian Jessup as he fell out of court — Phoenix possession. He then found Munford with the assist for another layup. Just beautiful basketball and it’s no wonder he’s caught Hawks and Boomers coach Brian Goorjian’s eye for national team duty.

TOUGH RUN

Back in the four after the road win, Illawarra has 10 games left in its season and, if they do manage to hold their place in the playoffs, they will have earnt it. Six of those games are against teams in the current top five. Top-place Melbourne United looks unbeatable at the moment, it’s tough to win at RAC Arena in Perth and Sydney has won six in a row to roar back into calculations. Tough spot but, if the second half is anything to go by, their destiny is in their hands.

Mitch Creek had 18 points for the Phoenix. Picture: Getty Images

SCOREBOARD

South East Melbourne Phoenix 77-83 Illawarra Hawks

Crowd: 2989 @ John Cain Arena

Phoenix

Creek: 18 points

Broekhoff: 15 points, 7 rebounds

Le’Afa: 14 points, 2 steals

Munford: 13 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists

Hawks

Rathan-Mayes: 19 points

Cleveland: 16 points, 7 rebounds,

Jessup: 15 points, 7 rebounds,

Reath: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks

Originally published as South East Melbourne Phoenix defeated by Illawarra Hawks