RINGWOOD Hawks made it 10 straight wins with two victories on the weekend and sit two games clear on top of the Big V state championship men's ladder.
On Saturday night, the Hawks showed no mercy against the struggling Sherbrooke Suns, winning 106-79 before beating the Hume City Broncos 85-70.
Clicking on all cylinders, the Hawks' big guns were unstoppable with Sam Belt (26 points and nine rebounds), Skyler Bowlin (26 points and six rebounds) and Adrien Sturt (23 points and seven rebounds).
The Suns tried valiantly to mount a comeback late in the third quarter but Shaun Clarke (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Matt Snowball (eight assists) ensured the Hawks enjoyed an easy win.
The Hawks' main focus for the weekend, though, was the Sunday challenge that was the Hume City Broncos. The Broncos are on the play-off bubble and were determined to throw everything at the Hawks.
But in what has become a hallmark, the Hawks came out blazing and quickly had the Broncos on the back foot. Belt (17 points and 11 rebounds) was again on target, as was Sturt (22 points and six rebounds), who on two occasions brought the crowd to their feet with enormous alley-oop dunks.
The Broncos looked a shell-shocked team and the Hawks went to half-time with a huge lead. The 18-point advantage was even more impressive as the Hawks' defensive focus had kept the Broncos to 28 points.
With the game pretty much in the Hawks' keeping, the physicality of the game increased and the Broncos found themselves with some momentum early in the final quarter. Bowlin (20 points, eight rebounds and four assists) stepped up quickly and scored back-to-back baskets.
"We are playing well as a team but I still think we can play better," Hawks coach Ken Harrington said. "We still have concentration lapses in games."
The Hawks face Melbourne Tigers at Oakleigh Stadium this Saturday night.