Perth have already seen what Illawarra's attack can do to them. Now the Wildcats are preparing for a Saturday night rematch at RAC Arena with the Hawks' shooters arriving in even sharper touch. Kelan Martin and Milton Doyle combined for 11 three-pointers in Wednesday's 120–110 win over South East Melbourne, turning a Round 9 meeting into a test of whether Perth can stop the same opponent hurting them twice in a fortnight.
Illawarra's 71-point first half against the Phoenix wasn't simply one hot hand carrying the offence. Martin finished with 27 points and hit five of seven from deep; Doyle added 22 points and made six of seven triples. Davo Hickey's 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists gave the Hawks another way to keep the ball moving, while Makur Maker contributed 16 points, six boards and five assists. The NBL's match report details an attack that had South East Melbourne chasing from the second quarter onwards.
The danger for Perth is familiar. On 31 October, Illawarra won 105–98 at RAC Arena after Martin scored 23 points and knocked down five threes. The Wildcats briefly seized the lead with a fourth-quarter burst, only for Johny Narkle to score nine of his 11 points in the final period and help close the door. Hickey nearly had a triple-double that night too, with nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists. It wasn't just Martin's shooting that Perth couldn't solve: the Hawks kept creating useful possessions when the pressure rose. The earlier game report makes that finish especially relevant to Saturday's rematch.
Perth's defensive problem is bigger than one opponent. The Wildcats enter Thursday's meeting with Tasmania having lost four straight, including a 100–92 home defeat to Cairns on Sunday. Coach John Rillie has acknowledged that his team hasn't sustained good basketball for long enough, and the club has been trying to restore the collective effort that made its earlier wins possible. Thursday's Tasmania result will shape the mood before the Hawks return, but the underlying task is already clear: fewer clean catches on the perimeter, stronger work on the defensive glass and no easy second opportunities.
Brandon Knight could change Perth's options. Rillie said the guard had practised and was tracking towards a Thursday return, subject to how he recovered. Knight has averaged 15.8 points and 3.3 assists since joining the Wildcats, but missed the previous two matches with hamstring soreness. His availability for Saturday isn't confirmed; the club's latest update makes the Thursday selection and his response worth watching before anyone assumes a full workload. Perth will also need its other guards to stay connected defensively against Doyle and Hickey.
For Illawarra, Wednesday's performance offered a more encouraging answer after Adelaide had beaten them 106–78 last Saturday. The Hawks have now won in Cairns and against South East Melbourne during their extended road stretch, with a heavy Adelaide loss between those victories. Their shooting has supplied the headline numbers, but Hickey's rebounding and passing give them a route to productive offence when an opponent chases Martin and Doyle off the arc. That's the adjustment Perth must anticipate rather than simply hoping the visitors cool off.
The timing adds another wrinkle. Perth host Tasmania on Thursday before facing Illawarra on Saturday, while the Hawks have two full days between their Phoenix win and the rematch. The Wildcats' fixture list confirms Saturday's 9.30pm AEDT tip-off, and the Hawks' schedule confirms it's the end of their long run of away games. Perth's double-game week creates a chance to halt the slide quickly, but it also means the coaching staff must solve two different opponents in three nights.
Saturday won't be decided by whether Martin and Doyle can repeat an extraordinary 11-from-14 combined shooting night from long range. Perth's more pressing question is whether it can make Illawarra work harder for those attempts, then finish possessions with a rebound. The Hawks have already punished the Wildcats once at RAC Arena. After Wednesday's barrage, the warning has become rather difficult to miss.
Comments