The Illawarra Hawks snapped two major NBL streaks with a 104-93 victory over the Cairns Taipans at the Cairns Convention Centre on Sunday. The win was the Hawks' first in Cairns after eight consecutive losses in Far North Queensland, and it ended the Taipans' Australian sporting record of 17 straight opening-round home wins. Cairns had not lost an opening home match since 2000.
Hawks forward Todd Blanchfield led the charge with a career-high 32 points, shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from three-point range. Blanchfield credited his off-season in Queensland's state league for his improved confidence. After leaving the Sydney Kings, he played for the Mackay Meteors in the QBL, where he was league MVP and averaged 21 points under coach Cameron Tragardh.
Hawks coach Rob Beveridge praised Blanchfield's performance, saying, 'Todd is an incredible player and I don't know if he knows how good he could be. We want him to be our main scorer.' The Hawks were missing stars Andrew Ogilvy and Kevin White, with five players sitting out practice midweek due to injuries.
Jordair Jett added 22 points for Illawarra, while veteran Brian Conklin overcame a third-quarter ankle scare to contribute 21 points and six rebounds. The Hawks committed only 10 turnovers compared to Cairns' 17, a key factor in the win. The Taipans were led by American imports Melo Trimble (28 points) and DJ Newbill (22 points).
The Hawks showed resilience after a tough opening round that included a quadruple-overtime loss to Melbourne United and a 40-point defeat in Perth. The victory marked a significant turnaround for the team.
