By Rotowire

Hawks Talon GC picked up its first win in franchise history in a feisty 68-58 win over Celtics Crossover Gaming on Wednesday.

Emotions were running high coming into this matchup, one that had an air of a rivalry game despite this being the first meeting between the two squads. For the Hawks, a team ranked at the bottom of many power rankings after the TIPOFF tournament, powered by AT&T, this was a chance to not only knock off one of the better teams in the league but to help Arsonal get revenge against his old team. Facing his former brothers, Arsonal shined at center, picking up an 18 points, 18 rebound double-double. Third-round rookie Jay a Fool also had a big game, scoring 15 points and keeping league-leading scorer ProFusion to only 18 points on seven shots.

The Hawks took a while to get going, falling behind by four at the end of the first half, but the team managed to pull through thanks to a combined scoring effort. Rookie point guard Rando had 11 points while dishing out five assists and keeping his turnovers low. Former Blazer5 forward Dat Boy Shotz only had sevens, but his four rebounds and assists, along with five steals, helped the rest of this rookie squad shine. After outscoring Celtics by three in the third quarter, Hawks exploded for a 25-14 fourth quarter, sealing the first win in franchise history in uplifting fashion.

The backbreaker for CLTX came thanks to the Hawks’ defense, which smothered point guard oFAB all night. oFAB managed to pick up 23 points and 10 assists, including a few end-game buckets, but his nine turnovers proved to be insurmountable for Celtics Crossover Gaming. oFAB simply couldn’t get up the court cleanly thanks to Hawks Talon running a brutal full-court press on him, leading to a 55-34 edge in shot attempts for the Hawks. Tempers were running high throughout the game, but by the end the Hawks’ coordination on defense and a balanced attack from everyone on the court was enough to pick up a memorable win.