Basketball: Different venue but same saga for Hawks

Liam Flynn

Sharks 82 Hawks 71 Invercargill

The basketball double-header on the road to the South Island was never meant to be a test of what the Hawks could do but more a case of how they would behave on finding out what they couldn't do.

The IMS Payroll-sponsored Hawke's Bay franchise last night lost 82-71 to the Southland Sharks in Invercargill, on the heels of the 83-62 don't argue from the Canterbury Rams in Christchurch on Friday.

In fairness to first-season coach Liam Flynn, finding a panacea in the space of two nights was always going to be a race against time because coach Paul Henare's men would have been ready with their knuckle dusters on their patch.

Last night only Nigerian import Suleiman Braimoh and co-skipper Jarrod Kenny offered anything worth writing home about.

Big man Braimoh chalked up back-to-back double-doubles with 26 points and 15 rebounds while point guard Kenny contributed 13 points and matched veteran Kevin Braswell with six assists.

Shooting guard Alonzo Burton added 18 points from the bench but Flynn said "he was not there in the first half" but was "outstanding in the second".

"When we were at our best we were very, very good. When we at our worst we were awful," he said, lamenting the lack of consistency this NBL season."

US import Zack Atkinson again had a quiet night in the 7.54 minutes on the court.

The game-high 30 points went to Southland Aussie import Todd Blanchfield. Tai Wesley added 16 and ex-Hawk Adrian Majstrovich scored 15.

The Hawks again were offensively below par and got out rebounded although Flynn said their second half was superb.

They have another road double header this week - Waitakere Rangers on Friday and back to Christchurch against the Rams on Sunday.

-Quarters (Sharks first), 1st: 29-15. 2nd: 54-28 (25-13). 3rd: 77-31 (23-18). 4th: 82-71 (5-25).