The Illawarra guard was electric on Sunday evening, finishing with a personal tally of 35 points, as the Hawks claimed a tight 82-80 win over Cairns at the WEC.

It was an improved shooting performance from the home side, who went 31/68 from the field. Captain AJ Ogilvy was also superb, finishing with nine rebounds and five assists, while Deng Deng had nine points and six boards.

For the Taipans, Cam Oliver was outstanding, scoring 27 points at 50 per cent from the field for the Taipans.

The result means Illawarra finish with two wins from their crucial run of three home games in five days. After being on the wrong end of a thriller against the Bullets, the Hawks came back from 13 points down in the fourth quarter on Friday night to claim a 82-80 win over South East Melbourne. They then held on to defeat the Taipans by the same margin.

Read more: Hawks survive thriller against Phoenix to snap three-game losing streak

It was a sharp start for the home side, going on a 7-0 run thanks to Tyler Harvey and Justin Simon, before Taipans star Cam Oliver nailed one from deep. Harvey responded with a lay up soon after, before Sam Froling mustered one from the line. At the other end, Oliver nailed two free throws to cut the deficit to 10-5.

The game continued to ebb and flow, with the Hawks taking an 18-11 lead with four minutes left in the term, highlighted by a nice Deng Deng three-pointer.

But momentum continued to swing towards Cairns, who trimmed the deficit to 22-20, before Deng Deng again drained one from deep to give the Hawks a five-point buffer at the first break.

Oliver led all-comers with 11 points in the opening quarter, while Harvey had 10 points with 4/5 from the field and AJ Ogilvy had five boards and two assists.

Illawarra shot out of the gates in the second to go on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a nice Ogilvy dunk, before Oliver sunk a basket to cut the margin to 34-22.

Midway through the quarter, Cairns big man Mirko Djeric drained one from deep, but the hosts responded quickly through a Harvey floating jump shot. Jarrod Kenny and Harvey then traded three-pointers in quick succession, before Deng Adel sunk two from the line to give Illawarra a 41-28 advantage.

The Taipans needed a lift and it was Scott Machado who provided it, mustering a basket plus free throw. But Adel's jump shot, followed by Deng Deng's free throw, gave the Hawks a 13-point buffer with 90 seconds remaining.

Tad Dufelmeier ended the Hawks' run with a basket, followed by two from the line soon after, but Deng Deng's emphatic dunk gave Illawarra 46-35 advantage at the main break.

The Hawks' shooting was respectable in the first half, mustering 18/36 from the field. Harvey scored 17 points, Deng Deng had nine points and five board, while Ogilvy (six points, three rebounds) impressed. For the visitors, Oliver scored 13 points, but the Taipans' offence was cold - going at 35 per cent from the field.

Oliver was hot early in the third, scoring two quick baskets, while the Hawks responded through Simon and Froling.

However, the Taipans then found a groove - with Oliver continuing to be the architect - to cut the deficit to 50-45 before Harvey's free throw ended their run.

Harvey then drained one from long range to extend Illawarra's buffer to nine points, but back-to-back baskets helped the Taipans pulled the score back to 54-49. Nathan Jawai then went two from two from the line to get his side within three points.

However, a Deng Deng intercept proved crucial, setting up Lachlan Dent to sink a basket and give the Hawks a 56-51 advantage at the final break.

Oliver had mustered 23 points for the Taipans, while Harvey led the way for Illawarra with 21.

Read more: Wright's Newcastle Cup dreams dashed by countrymen Callinan

Taipan .Mojave King and Justinian Jessup traded baskets to start the last quarter, before Jawai's lay up and one from the line saw the visitors draw within two points. Jawai continued to be a big threat, hitting two free throws soon after to pull level at 58-58.

However, Harvey was then able to step up and steady the Hawks, draining a basket before nailing one from long range. The 27-year-old then mustered floating jump shot, and his ensuing free throw gave Illawarra a 66-59 advantage. The Harvey show continued for the Hawks, sinking a nice three-pointer, before Simon's emphatic dunk gave their side a 71-59 lead.

But the Taipans refused to back down, going on a 9-0 run, to get the score back to 71-68. Ogilvy's basket halted Cairns' momentum, before Dufelmeier hit one from long range.

Harvey responded with one from long range, before King mustered his own three-pointer to keep the Taipans in the game with 90 seconds remaining.

The Hawks lifted, with Simon's jump shot giving them a four-point buffer, before denying Cairns' offence. Simon was then fouled by Kenny, allowing the Hawks import to go to the line. Unfortunately he missed both free throws, with the Taipans charging up the other end, setting up Jordan Ngatai to sink a three-pointer.

Read more: South Coast teen highest human in a halfpipe

With 10 seconds left, Kenny was fouled out of the game, leading to Jessup going to the line. Jessup nailed both free throws to push Illawarra's lead back to 80-77.

After a timeout was called, Ngatai had another crack from the deep, but his shot hit the rim and bounced away. Jessup grabbed the rebound, and was immediately fouled by the Taipans.

This allowed Jessup to go to the line, where he sunk both free throws to give the Hawks a five-point lead.

Dufelmeier mustered a buzzer-beating three, but it wasn't enough, as Illawarra held on for an 82-80 win.

We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.