At the Snakepit, the Hawks jumped out of the blocks to lead by 13 points midway through the period, before the Crusaders closed the term on a 7-0 run - to trail the hosts by just six at the first breaks.

The second quarter followed a similar vein, Illawarra blew their lead out to 14 points following free throws by Brandon Freire - only for the visitors to reduce the margin to 10 (55-45) at half-time.

Read more: Superoos stamp their authority with impressive opening round win against Knights

The Central Coast continued their charge in the third, as a Jamal Shoaib three-pointer brought the deficit back to single digits.

But a late flurry by the red and whites, in which they outscored their opponents 7-1, saw them carry a 71-56 advantage going into the final term.

That proved to be a pivotal period in the match, as Balsar's troops continued to hold a double-digit lead until Isaac Wooller's shot in the final minute brought the score back to 84-75 - which is how it ended.

Read more: Jets dash Bulldogs' hopes of fairytale return to take out Bill Brown Cup

In the win, Harry Morris top-scored for the hosts with 19, as Aaron Puljic (17), Zachary Ottosson (14) and Brandon Freire (12) also reached double figures.

The Hawks now hit the road for an away double-header, firstly facing St George Saints at the Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre at 7pm on Saturday before backing up against the Sydney Comets on Sunday, from 11am at Comets Stadium.

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.