THE NEWLY started National Basketball League (NBL) Ignite Cup resumes tonight, when the Perth Wildcats head up north to face off against the Cairns Taipans at Cairns Convention Centre for some Wednesday night hoops.

Both teams have lost consecutive matches, with the Taipans sitting in the midst of a four-game losing streak, while the Wildcats have cooled down since their blistering start to the fixture, having been defeated in their last two outings after starting the season as one of the form teams of the competition.

However, tonight’s Ignite Cup clash presents an opportunity for one of these teams to bounce back, and although the Taipans will have home court advantage, the Wildcats have shown excellent performances in the first month of the season.

Cairns Taipans vs. Perth Wildcats

Cairns Convention Centre
Wednesday, October 22 @ 7:30pm

The Taipans have found the going a bit tough to start the season, and despite some gutsy performances, enter the round sitting in eighth spot with a record of two wins and five losses, having lost their last four as mentioned above. Cairns was competitive against the Adelaide 36ers last week, but still fell short of causing the upset.

The Taipans will be eager to exact some revenge for the last time these two sides locked horns, when the Wildcats were able to sneak away from Cairns Convention Centre with a three-point win, and the home side will be rueing letting one slip there, so tonight will be a chance for redemption.

The loss of Jack McVeigh to a wrist injury combining with the already missing Sam Waardenburg undoubtedly sees the Taipans far from full strength, and if they want to get the job done against the Wildcats, will need plenty of production from imports Admiral Schofield and Andrew Andrews, as well as sharpshooter Reyne Smith.

The Wildcats were one of the strongest teams in the NBL to start the season, winning three of their first four games to sit comfortably in the top three in the standings. Unfortunately, back to back losses have seen Perth slide down the ladder, breaking even from its six games this season and needing a win to keep up with the contenders.

Although they are on one of the biggest road trips in the NBL, the Wildcats will be encouraged by the fact that they have performed stronger in away games so far this season, winning two out of three, including a recent win on the Taipans’ floor just two weeks ago.

There will be no Dylan Windler tonight, which is disappointing from a Perth perspective given the blistering form he has been in of late, so it will be back on other Wildcats to pick up the slack. Jaron Rillie has been in career-best form of late and could continue on his upward trajectory, while Jo Lual-Acuil will be engaged in an enthralling duel with Marcus Lee in the paint.