Their three-game skid came to an end on Saturday at the Snakepit, when they edged Maitland 75-73.

Knowing they had to win to keep their youth men's division one finals chances alive, the Scott Balsar-coached side jumped out to a fast start - to lead 21-15 at quarter-time.

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A huge second term, in which the hosts, which contain Shoalhaven product Kyle Leslie, outscored their rivals by nine, to go into the main break up 39-24.

The Hawks maintained that lead in the third period, as the two sides traded baskets - with Balsar's side going into the final 10-minute term up 59-44.

But the Mustangs came out on fire in the fourth and got it back to 72-70 with 34 seconds on the clock.

Thankfully for the hosts, Leslie (two free-throws) and Harry Morris (one free-throw) held their nerves from the line, to seal the hosts' two-point win.

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In the victory, which improves the young Hawks to 3-3 on the season, Morris top-scored with 17, while Leslie and Brandon Freire contributed 16 and 13 points respectively.

The sixth-placed Hawks next travel to the Brickpit to take on the Hornsby Ku Ring Gai Spiders, who sit in 10^th with a 2-5 record, from 3pm Saturday.

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