By Denholm Melrose

FRESH from a stellar round six victory, the Perth Wildcats host the NBL leading Illawarra Hawks in an RAC Arena showdown on Friday night. 

Illawarra meets Perth after splitting its two round 6 games, a five-point loss to Melbourne United and a six-point win over SEM Phoenix, while the Wildcats escaped with a three-point home victory over the Xavier Cooks-led Sydney Kings.

The Wildcats are still adjusting to life without superstar Bryce Cotton, and the six-foot-four sized hole at point guard left by Tai Webster’s injury didn’t help either. Ben Henshall stepped up for the Cats with eight assists, and the timely return of import Dylan Windler was a welcome sight for the Red Army, flirting with a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Keanu Pinder returned to his best with 34 points, four rebounds and four steals in a game he labelled ‘one of his best ever’.

It was the unheralded William Hickey who stepped up for the Hawks last week in the absence of the injured Trey Kell III, stuffing the stat sheet with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, five steals and three blocks across the two matchups. 

Looking ahead to Friday’s clash, it will be intriguing to see the guards battle as Henshall and Hickey both fill in for their team’s injured stars. Both sides boast athletic big men who will be looking to score as Pinder and Darius Days duel, and Kristian Doolittle will look to curb the influence of the ever-reliable Sam Froling. 

Illawarra leads the league in points per game through six rounds, at 97.8 ppg, and as the Wildcats transition into a period without their own 22 point per game scorer (Minus the zero in two minutes against New Zealand), they will need to find some scoring power from elsewhere. A Webster return, though possibly on managed minutes, would be helpful, and another impressive scoring performance from Next Star Izan Almansa would be handy, as the highly touted draft prospect looks to build from the 14-point, six-rebound showing last Friday. Kell’s availability remains questionable and if he misses again, the Hawks will look to Hickey to step up once more in his absence.

Illawarra coach Justin Tatum will likely feature heavily in the spotlight after comments he made following the Hawks round six loss to Melbourne earned him a $3000 fine and a public apology. He faces Wildcats coach John Rillie who will be eager to remain on the winner’s list and stay within close reach of the top five. 

This is the first of three matchups between these two sides in 2024/25, after Illawarra swept the Wildcats last season, winning all three regular season games by 16, 18 and 18 points respectively. The Wildcats will seek to avenge these results and keep the ship steady while awaiting the return of Cotton, while the Hawks have won six of their first eight games this season and will try to remain on top of the NBL standings.