Clock ticks down on Blaze survival bid

Updated July 13, 2012 08:59:17

The Gold Coast Blaze may be out of the National Basketball League (NBL) by the end of the day.

Blaze owner Owen Tomlinson is in Sydney desperate to secure the future of the club.

It went into voluntary administration in May with debts of more than $12 million but has since been returned to the control of its owners.

Mr Tomlinson says he has to find $500,000 and a bank guarantee by 5:00pm (AEST) to satisfy the NBL that the club can continue.

He worries about the alternative.

"It would be almost catastrophic to me because it would [end] everything we've tried to achieve over the last five or six years," Mr Tomlinson said.

Mr Tomlinson says there are two potential Blaze investors and he will meet with one later this morning.

"If it comes down to five o'clock and no one's that interested to try and help the Blaze that's it - in a nutshell," he said.

If Mr Tomlinson is successful the club is likely to restructure and share resources with a community group.

Tags: basketball, nbl, southport-4215, qld

First posted July 13, 2012 08:57:55

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Hawks wind back clock to thump Tigers

Updated January 27, 2012 22:47:45

Ayinde Ubaka and the new-look Hawks carved out a commanding 90-68 NBL win over the Melbourne Tigers in Wollongong to end a run of seven losses at home.

The Hawks built a 20-point buffer in the first half and survived a shaky third quarter to record the comfortable victory with the help of their newest recruit and former Tiger Ubaka.

Ubaka gave his new fans plenty to cheer about on his way to 15 points, including eight-from-eight free throws, three steals and three assists.

Mat Campbell produced a vintage outing with 17 points that included four three-pointers, while Glen Saville added 13 points and nine boards.

For the Tigers, forward Liam Rush poured in 18 points and Myron Allen impressed with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists as Melbourne slumped to its sixth straight loss.

Wollongong got off to a dream start as Campbell streaked to the hoop for a three-point play off the initial jump ball.

The Hawks captain continued to roll, draining a pair of triples as the hosts ran away with a 31-16 first-quarter advantage.

An early 8-0 spurt in the second term extended the Hawks' lead to 20, then after Allen and Rush rallied for the Tigers, Tim Coenraad's jumper produced a 56-36 half-time lead.

Melbourne notched the first six points of the third to momentarily silence the crowd, but the Hawks faithful let out a sigh of relief when Larry Davidson stroked a three from the top of the key.

Both teams then struggled to find baskets until Joevan Catron broke the stalemate to keep the Hawks afloat at 69-52 with 10 minutes to play.

The Tigers threatened early in the fourth, but a string of threes by Oscar Forman, Saville, Campbell and Ubaka secured the Hawks' second home win of the season.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Breakers made it four wins in a row with a 93-64 thrashing of Sydney Kings in Auckland.

AAP

Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, wollongong-2500, melbourne-3000

First posted January 27, 2012 22:47:45

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