Tip-off: Friday, February 3, 7.30pm (local), Cairns Convention Centre

Radio: NBL Radio

Last time they met: Townsville 95 (Gill 21, Crawford 15, Holmes 14) d Cairns 67 (Warren 16, Wilson 11, Hill 10), Round 2, 2011/12, Townsville Entertainment Centre

Baked Snakes
Cairns were completely out-hustled by Gold Coast last week, something rarely seen in Aaron Fearne’s time as Taipans coach.

The Blaze beat up on the Taipans’ ball-handlers and turned a usually composed team into a rudderless ship.

Just as importantly, guard Adam Gibson led a relentless attack on Cairns’ respected transition defence, opening up numerous scoring opportunities and never letting the Taipans set the tempo.

While Cairns might normally have an advantage the following week, using their poor performance as motivation, their north Queensland rivals are bouncing back from the very same thing.

Rocked Crocs
“It was a very physical game and we just didn’t play very well,” was swingman Peter Crawford’s summation of their capitulation in Perth.

“Everyone’s grumpy, no one’s happy about it.”

The Wildcats dished up the same meal as Gold Coast, turning the game into a fast and physical affair where depth and individual talent had a greater bearing.

Crawford was honest when assessing how the game got out of hand so quickly after an even first quarter.

“Shawn (Redhage) hit a tough three on the buzzer, and momentum is a funny thing,” he said.

“They beat us convincingly twice in the season and twice in the pre-season and they are probably feeling pretty good against us, and we might have had that in the back of our minds too.

"You put those together and a couple of calls going for them and all of a sudden it’s a blowout.”

Harden up
The Crocs severely lacked mental and physical toughness on the night, and Crawford said the game was a much-needed wake-up call.

“I think it’s really motivated the group to … be more physical with each other at training and really up our intensity.

“The Wildcats and the Breakers are top of the table now,” he added.

“We’ve got to make sure we take care of our week-to-week stuff to get up to their level.”

There is no time for reflection, however, with Cairns another imposing defensive team – albeit with a slower modus operandi – who can move alongside the Crocs with a win on Friday.

“Cairns really grind it out defensively, so it’s tough to get good looks against them as well,” Crawford said.

“That’s the good thing about the NBL, it’s a different style every week, but the group’s been good at adjusting to the different styles we have to play.”

The wrap
Townsville have lost their past five games in Cairns, and memories of last year’s semi-final series are still fresh for Crawford and the other remaining squad members.

Centre Luke Schenscher is a key component of the Crocs’ offence, sucking defenders into the key and creating open looks for shooters like Crawford, Michael Cedar, Jacob Holmes and Todd Blanchfield.

Perth sent some physical double teams but mostly backed Luke Nevill to defend him without help. Expect Cairns to have similar faith in Ian Crosswhite, hoping he can negate Big Luke’s influence and force the Crocs into one-on-one play.

Taipans point guard Jamar Wilson will then have the crucial job of keeping counterpart Eddie Gill out of the lane where he regularly creates open shots.

Gill will also need to replicate Gibson’s aggressive work in transition. Few teams win halfcourt battles in Cairns, who use the deafening crowd and disciplined defence to keep teams out of their normal flow.

A veteran of many “Reptile Rumbles”, Crawford expects this to be a war, noting that this close to the playoffs “the importance of every game is massive” whether a local derby or not.

Prediction: Taipans by 5