As the Hawks shuffled the backcourt as the bell began, Hickey blocked the winner in a 92-90 New Year’s Eve victory.
Hickey and Bayles, who grew up playing together for the Sydney Comets and played for the club in NBL1 2025, combined for 15 points, nine boards and four assists, but crucially it returned Hickey to the role that led the Hawks to the NBL25 championship.
Tatum said: “(Biwali) organized us all week in practice. I reward guys who help us prepare. You can’t ignore that.
“Hopefully that mentality rubs off on the rest of the team.”
But it was not easy. The Hawks survived only after Hickey blocked David Johnson’s game-winning three-point attempt. Tasmania’s Bryce Hamilton grabbed an offensive board, but his reverse layup was still in his fingers as the clock expired.
Hawks center JaVale McGee had 16 points, six rebounds and six blocks and star guard Tyler Harvey said having both McGee and Sam Froling on the floor at the same time was creating opportunities for the entire team.
“The two big threats have opened things up for everyone,” Harvey said.
“If teams are doubled up, they duke it out. If not, it’s one-on-one competition between the bigger teams. It’s a cat-and-mouse game we haven’t played all year. This is the first time we’ve had almost a full team. We’re still figuring it out, but I thought we did a good job tonight.”
The Hawks are now 7-13, three games behind the sixth-place Jackjumpers at 10-13.
“I’m really happy with our players and the way they played for 40 minutes, even though we went through a tough stretch in the last five minutes of the game,” Tatum said.
“We found a way to win.
I congratulate guys like (Wani Swaka Lo Buluk), who held Bryce Hamilton to 10 points in 32 minutes – incredible.
This guy next to me (Harvey) has been out for over a week or two with back spasms, coming off the bench, great team supporter, comes out and helps us with 15 or 16 points. Total team effort.
“I really salute guys like (Biwali) who came in and created a defensive environment and had some offensive opportunities.
“Anything with this team right now – everyone wants to find a way to contribute to help us win games, and they’re going to get the opportunity.”
Tasmania Jackjumpers coach Scott Roth faced another close ball game and was just shy of sending it to overtime.
“Obviously had a very intense end to the game,” Roth said.
“If you take positive things from me, you are back there. It’s all positive. We tried our best.
“We played as hard as we possibly could. That’s what we do every night. So it’s all good for me. We continue to stay in the fight and show up, and that’s really enjoyable.
“It’s obviously disappointing, but the battle is real with us. We swung and maybe didn’t execute as well in some situations. We missed a lot of foul shots.
“But at the end of the day they keep competing, which is great in this short time and with all these games coming our way.”
Main details
by numbers
- Josh Bannan (Tasmania) had a stellar performance with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes.
- Sam Froling (Illawarra) had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one block in 28 minutes.
What happened
The Hawks established early control with solid shooting in the first half, leading 50–39 at the main break. Illawarra’s efficient attack was led by their balanced attack, with five players reaching double figures. The Hawks shot an excellent 50% from the field compared to Tasmania’s 44%, while both teams connected on 10 three-pointers.
Tasmania made a strong comeback in the second half and outscored Illawarra 51–42 in the final two quarters. The Jackjumpers’ fourth quarter surge saw them outscore the Hawks 25–19, reducing what was a comfortable lead to just two points. Tiger Campbell’s efficient 18-point performance on 7-13 shooting was key in keeping Tasmania within striking distance throughout the contest.
Josh Bannan had a standout performance for the visitors, shooting an impressive 11 of 14 from the field (78.6%) and finishing with a game-high 25 points. Their dominance in the paint was complemented by David Johnson’s 16 points off the bench, while Majok Deng contributed 11 points despite shooting struggles from beyond the arc.
The Hawks’ defensive presence proved decisive, particularly their rim protection led by JaVale McGee’s six blocks. McGee’s 16-point, six-rebound performance was matched by a spectacular double-double effort from Sam Froling. Tyler Harvey added 15 points off the bench, going 4-of-9 from downtown to provide key scoring when the game was on the line.
Illawarra’s superior rebounding (44-38) and free-throw shooting (76.9% compared to Tasmania’s 58.3%) ultimately made the difference in this tight contest. The Hawks’ ability to control the defensive glass limited Tasmania’s second-chance opportunities, while their more reliable charity stripe performance proved vital down the road.
With this hard-fought win, the Hawks maintain their position at the top of the NBL standings at 19-9. The loss leaves Tasmania 12-16 in seventh place as they continue their fight for a playoff position. The Jackjumpers would regret their poor free-throw shooting, going only 14-24 from the foul line, which proved to be a costly two-point loss.
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