Basketball On The Internet.

SURRENDERING a 34-point second quarter to South East Melbourne and trailing 54-61 at halftime, Illawarra applied the defensive clamps after the break, containing the Phoenix to 33 points for the entire second half as Trey Kell led the Hawks to a comfortable 101-94 home win in Game 1 of their NBL semi final.

Kell finished compiling 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists after Illawarra rode a third period Tyler Harvey 3-point blitz that left the Phoenix struggling to find a route all the way back.

They started positively enough, Derrick Walton's return yielding a 15-point, 11-assist double as he sought to engage grateful teammates.

But South East coach Josh King could not exhort much from his stud import Matt Hurt, who played a whopping 34:35 for a paltry 10 points off 3-of-6 shooting, six boards, a block and two turnovers.

This was the same guy we've enjoyed all season, running around barking "can anyone guard me?" Well mate, isn't it also supposed to be "when the going gets tough, the tough get going?"

He sure didn't. Waving his arms at referees as if to imply he was being hard done by. Guess he had a surprise to find the Hawks aren't Adelaide's conscientious objectors on defence.

Nathan Sobey was another producing a disappearing act for three quarters before scoring 10 of his 17 in the final quarter. 

But typically, he decided to win the match for the Phoenix and his charging foul into Harvey inside the final 90 seconds, the Hawks only up 98-92 after a Joe Wieskamp three gave SEM hope, was a big error of judgment.

So too his next attempt at heroism, grabbing a defensive rebound, dribbling down the floor and jacking a three that only immediately returned possession to Illawarra.

For all the absolutely outstanding work King has done with this club since his arrival and the record at 2-6 after the 0-5 start led to Mike Kelly's dismissal, he still has not realised the guys who you want making the decisions in the clutch.

Maybe they have less talent but they rarely take unnecessary early chances, and he can select from names such as Hunter, Foxwell, Glover, Lewis and Ayre.

Fortunately Wieskamp finally had a game worthy of an import, his 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, with 3-of-5 triples and morale-lifting dunks to close both the first half and third quarter.

Seven rebounds and three steals showed he stayed active everywhere instead of lamenting his missing shot.

But that 21-0 Illawarra explosion in the third quarter which swept it from 54-65 to 75-65 was mesmerising stuff that had the sell-out crowd in raucous rapture.

Harvey was magical, Will Hickey added six points, nine boards, seven assists, two steals, Sam Froling 10 points amid foul woes, and warrior Todd Blanchfield banged in an invaluable 16 points at 50 per cent, with four 3-point makes to accompany six defensive rebounds.

The Hawks soar into John Cain Arena on a high but for the Phoenix, it's not all bad. To have so little of value contributed by Hurt, Sobey, Hunter and Malique Lewis suggests Game 2 should tell a different story.

NBL SEMI FINALS (1v4) ILLAWARRA HAWKS v SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX

Game 1 - Illawarra Hawks 101 (Kell, Harvey 24, Blanchfield 16, Froling 10; Kell 10 rebs; Hickey 7 assts) d South East Melbourne Phoenix 94 (Wieskamp 22, Sobey 17, Walton 15, Hurt 10; Sobey 9 rebs; Walton 11 assts) at WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong. Crowd: 5,491 Illawarra leads best-of-three series 1-0

Game 2 - Sunday, March 2, John Cain Arena, Melbourne, 2:30pm AEDT

Game 3 (if required) - Wednesday, March 5, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, 7:30pm

NBL SEMI FINALS (2v3) MELBOURNE UNITED v PERTH WILDCATS

Game 1 - Melbourne United 105 (Goulding 41, Clark 22, White 13, Lee 10; White 10 rebs; Dellavedova 9 assts) d Perth Wildcats 93 (Pinder 24, Cotton, Doolittle 22; Pinder 11 rebs; Cotton 6 assts) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne. Crowd: 7,473. Melbourne leads best-of-three series 1-0

Game 2 - Saturday, March 1, RAC Arena, Perth, 8pm AEDT

Game 3 (if required) - Tuesday, March 4, John Cain Arena, Melbourne, 7:30pm AEDT