Perth Wildcats http://www.nbl.com.au/ Latest news from the Perth Wildcats en Perth Wildcats http://www.nbl.com.au/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.nbl.com.au/ 18 16 Latest news from the Perth Wildcats TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:23:00 +1100 Wildcats go down to Breakers in NZ http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///wildcats-go-down-to-breakers-in-nz/ The Perth Wildcats' winning run has ended at six this afternoon at Auckland's North Shore Events... Click here for the post-match press conference with coach Rob Beveridge and point guard Damian Martin The game was billed as a battle of the NBL's best two teams and it certainly delivered in terms of intensity. The Breakers now move just one game ahead of the Wildcats on top of the ladder, but the season-series between the two is tied at 1-1 now with the deciding game to be played in Perth on March 4. The Wildcats now remain on the road to take on the Cairns Taipans next Saturday night before a home clash with the Sydney Kings on February 19. Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge after the game felt that to come away from a sold out North Shore Events Centre losing by six points despite the fact that the team's scoring dried up in the third quarter gave the 'Cats enough good signs to take away from Auckland. However, he knows now that the Wildcats can't afford to focus solely on New Zealand if they want to remain in the hunt for top spot. "We took them out of their offence but we just fell in a hole in that third quarter and couldn’t score. We had a lot of open looks but they just weren’t falling and at the same time they kept scoring. That was the main difference in the end," Beveridge said. "It probably will end up coming down to that last game we play, but we have to now focus on bouncing back against Cairns. We aren’t feeling sorry for ourselves because we lost against New Zealand, we identified some areas to work on and we have to take the emotion of losing out of it, and focus on Cairns. "We played well, had no passengers and now have to get on with it. We have to focus on Cairns and keep on winning or else it won't matter how we go against New Zealand. If we don’t keep winning and keep pace with them, we won't have a chance for that top spot. If we think too much about New Zealand, we won't get there, so all our focus is now on Cairns." Kevin Lisch had a strong game for the Wildcats against the Breakers with 20 points, including 3-of-5 from long range, and five rebounds. Shawn Redhage added 15 points and Luke Nevill 14 to go with his six boards and three assists. Matt Knight scored seven points and Brad Robbins six as did Damian Martin who also had nine rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals in an outstanding all-round display. Drew Williamson also added seven points and Jesse Wagstaff two. The Wildcats got off to a good start with an early basket to Martin and then a three to Lisch. They then led 10-6 after a three-point play from Nevill and another score from Lisch, but 11 straight New Zealand points then had the home side up. They led by as much as 11 during the opening period, but some team-lifting play from the 'Cats highlighted by a massive block from Martin on Gary Wilkinson to transition into a three from Lisch helped the Wildcats only trail by seven at quarter-time. It was then all the Wildcats in the second quarter. Redhage started things off with the first four points and then Nevill went on a tear with six straight that saw the 'Cats assume a 34-33 lead. A late score from Redhage had the Wildcats leading 44-42 at the main break. An early lay-up from Robbins and then another three to Lisch to start the second half ensured the Wildcats stayed in front, but then New Zealand managed to go on a 17-0 run to lead by 13 points. The 'Cats did close that to six with just under a minute of the game to do when Redhage was able to score, and it again got to six with a late Williamson three, but that was as close as the Wildcats got in the end. Perth Wildcats 77 (Kevin Lisch 20, Shawn Redhage 15, Luke Nevill 14)
defeated by
New Zealand Breakers 83 (Gary Wilkinson 18, Cedric Jackson 15, CJ Bruton 14)
Box scores]]> Wildcats Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:32:00 +1100 Perth Wildcats v New Zealand Breakers Preview http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///perth-wildcats-v-new-zealand-breakers-preview/ The Perth Wildcats take on the New Zealand Breakers in a top-of-the-table NBL clash at the North... Wildcats Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:09:00 +1100 Perth Wildcats #CatsQ Tweet Up http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///perth-wildcats-catsq-tweet-up-1/ Make sure you follow the Perth Wildcats on Twitter to take part in the next #CatsQ Tweet Up on... clicking here and make sure you include the hashtag #CatsQ. Last week's Tweet Up had over 45 replies to the question 'Which team do you love to beat the most and why?' This week's Perth Wildcats Tweet Up #CatsQ will take place on Wednesday afternoon at 4.30pm WST ahead of Thursday's top-of-the-table clash with the New Zealand Breakers at the North Shore Events Centre. All you have to do is follow @PerthWildcats on Twitter and answer the question, include #CatsQ in your answer and you can win movie passes to Reading Cinemas Belmont. Don't forget to get involved this Wednesday at 4.30pm WST for the next #CatsQ Tweet Up. Just follow @PerthWildcats on Twitter to stay up to date!]]> Wildcats Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:56:00 +1100 'Cats big man Knight looks to get back to normal routine http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///cats-big-man-knight-looks-to-get-back-to-normal-routine/ Perth Wildcats big man Matt Knight was just happy to be back on the court last Saturday night in... Click here to listen to Matt Knight speaking to the media on Monday While he only played just under 12 minutes, he did look good when on the floor and there was no need to push him with the game decided during the second half. He pulled up well, though, trained fully on Monday and is now looking forward to taking on Alex Pledger, Gary Wilkinson, Mika Vukona and the Breakers on Thursday. "I'm feeling good. I got a bit of tightness before half-time and we tried to loosen it up at half-time, and I came out at the start of the third quarter but it was still a bit tight. Because it wasn’t a close game I was able to rest and I feel good now," Knight said. "It was good to get back out there. I wanted to get through a whole game without any trouble, but still to get out there and play 11 minutes was good. Hopefully I can get back up to my average minutes now. "Hopefully I can get back up to around my average. I got through practice just now no trouble so hopefully I can overcome the tightness. Hopefully now I can say I've put all the injuries behind me." The Wildcats have won their last six games now to be sitting on a 14-5 record, the same as New Zealand's, setting up an exciting top-of-the-table clash on Thursday. The two teams only play one another three times this season and with the 'Cats already having won 86-62 in Perth back on December 23, they can sew up the season-series on Thursday and Knight knows how crucial that could become if it decides home court advantage in the playoffs. "We are very confident heading over to New Zealand now. We had a good win on Saturday and we have all the confidence in going over there to getting the win," he said. "It's definitely going to be a very tough game. We are the top-two teams and we obviously want to get the home court advantage come finals time. We only play them three times so if we get this one we get the split on them and get the home court advantage if we finish tied come the finals. "We found out last year in the semi finals when we had to go over there twice how tough it is. We got the first game but couldn’t do it again so we know we have to win this one if we want to go all the way to the championship." While Knight knows that his battle alongside Luke Nevill, Jesse Wagstaff and Shawn Redhage up against the likes of Pledger, Vukona, Wilkinson and Dillon Boucher will be crucial, stopping New Zealand's shooters on Thursday will also be a must. "We have to control their shooters. Obviously last time we played them they didn’t have CJ and their bigs didn’t have much of an influence, so we have to take away their three-point shooting and rebounding," he said. "Mika Vukona is the best rebounder in the league. They wouldn’t have liked losing the way they did over here so we expect a very fired up New Zealand team. They are in front of their home fans and it's always tough to win over there." The Wildcats have flown to Auckland on Tuesday with the whole day lost to travel. As a result, they will train and recover on Wednesday to prepare for the game on Thursday and Knight is looking forward to getting over there to take on the Breakers now. "It's always a fun road trip. I think we leave at 8am and get there at 10pm their time. We get Wednesday to train over there, though, so it gives us a couple of days over there and then play the game, fly back on Friday and fly over to Cairns next week," Knight said. "We have a tough couple of games coming up. It's always good to get on the road and play in front of different crowds. Obviously they like to talk down Perth and we are probably one of the most hated teams going around, so to get out and prove that we are a top-two team is always fun."]]> Wildcats Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:41:00 +1100 Robbins backs Wildcats to still go to another level http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///robbins-backs-wildcats-to-still-go-to-another-level/ Perth Wildcats co-captain Brad Robbins feels that the 'Cats can still go to another level despite... Click here to listen to Brad Robbins speaking to the media on Monday That has seen the 'Cats move to the top of the NBL ladder with a 14-5 record, but the Breakers hold the same record and have also been in good form this year to date. New Zealand did suffer tough losses to Perth and Cairns to close out 2011, but have since beaten Melbourne (twice), Adelaide and Sydney handsomely to set up Thursday's top-of-the-table clash with the Wildcats at the North Shore Events Centre. Robbins knows how important home court advantage could be come playoffs time and if the 'Cats win on Thursday they secure the season-series against New Zealand. While last Saturday night's 87-55 thumping at Challenge Stadium of Townsville was about as good as the 'Cats can play according to Robbins, he still thinks they can go to another level as well. "That was as good as we are ever going to play. We are playing our best basketball at the moment and we have a lot of confidence going into this game," Robbins said. "I definitely still think we can go to another level. I think at this stage it's as good as you are going to get what you saw against Townsville, but I think coming into the finals you have to pick it up a notch and I think we can do that. "At the moment we are thinking of the next nine games as home court advantage. As far as coming into the end of the year, this is a huge game because we definitely want the home court advantage. From last year that definitely bit us on the backside and we got knocked out in the semis as a result." Perth and New Zealand have won the last two NBL championships and have had some fierce battles over that period as well trading memorable victories against one another, including last year's exciting semi-final series. The fact that both teams have kept their core group together and have continued to perform at a high level is why Robbins thinks the battles have been that good over recent years and that's why the 'Cats will again have to be at their best to win on Thursday. "The last three years they have proved that they are certainly a force to be reckoned with. I think we match up really well against each other and I think both teams will go in pretty confident to be honest. We are at home and we are certainly not going to take them lightly. It's going to be a big challenge for us, we have nine games to go and it's time to start stepping up," he said. "For me I think both teams have had a core group of guys together for a long time. They run their system well and don’t really change week in and week out. They are the same team each week and I think we are very similar. We haven’t really changed anything up in three years. We have nine guys returning from last year and I think that's the key to both teams." As for the inevitable physical game that is to come, Robbins feels both teams should just stop talking about it because with the way they play it's always going to be that way. "It's going to happen with the way both teams play. Both teams are very physical and it's always going to happen," he said. "I don’t think there's any particular animosity and we certainly aren’t revving it up as it's going to be this great, big WWF hit out. It's just the way we both play and it's inevitable really." Robbins is having a tremendous season, possibly the best of his 190-game NBL career to date, and that included five steals as his pressure took Townsville right out of their comfort zone last week. As for this week, he's preparing for CJ Bruton and a bit of Cedric Jackson as his opponents. "I think with Corletto now playing the two that CJ will have to play a bit more of the one because they don’t have a senior back-up point guard," Robbins said. "I would say that CJ will play that one and two role, and me and Damian have been playing together now at times which is odd for us I guess. I would say that I will match-up on CJ at some stage and he's definitely a big piece of their puzzle."]]> Wildcats Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:23:00 +1100 Co-captain Redhage delighted with Wildcats' form http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///co-captain-redhage-delighted-with-wildcats-form/ Perth Wildcats co-captain Shawn Redhage continues to gain more confidence in his body the longer... Click here to listen to the post-match press conference with Rob Beveridge and Shawn Redhage That has been a tremendous result after where he came from just to get himself fit and ready for the campaign, but now he is especially delighted with the way the 'Cats have been performing to now have won six straight games for the first time under coach Rob Beveridge. "The NBL has got great players and Townsville had won four straight so you never think that you are going to be winning by that much, but we will take it. Our defence was outstanding and we still have some areas to improve, but that's a great win against a quality club," Redhage said. "We've been pretty consistent as of late as a team and we are just playing pretty balanced. I think that's what makes us really tough. We had a lot of people in double-figures and it's a fun team to play in when the opposition doesn’t know who to focus on night in and night out. "We are playing some good basketball, but we have a good test this week against New Zealand and we will find out where we are at I think." As for his point guards Damian Martin and Brad Robbins, they were outstanding against Townsville with seven steals between them as they put enormous pressure on the Crocs. Redhage and the rest of the team just take so much out of the efforts of those two. "Robbo and Damo just set the tone for the rest of the team and I think we just feed off those guys, especially when they get up and the crowd gets involved," he said. "They just set the tone and it's so important to this team. You look at the statistics and you might think they didn’t have as great a game, but the stuff they do on the court and the way they lead this team is outstanding." Redhage did make a remarkable return to be right to start the 2011/12 season following his horrific hip and pelvis injuries suffered last January. It continues to feel better the long time goes on as well and he feels both with his game and physically that right now he is feeling the best he has since. "It has actually gotten better as the season has gone on. I have a bit more confidence in it and I think it's going to continue to progress," he said. "I'm looking forward to keeping on working and trying to do some extra stuff to strengthen it, like Pilates. It's about managing it, but over the last three or four weeks I have really noticed it starting to loosen up and I feel like I'm playing better as well." Redhage has also enjoyed seeing the constant improvement of Jesse Wagstaff as the pair share the power forward duties. Wagstaff has now averaged 17.3 points over this current six-game winning run and Redhage is delighted that the team has such depth coming off the bench which also takes the pressure off him being the 'Scoring Machine' of the past. "He (Wagstaff) has got to be playing as good as anyone in the league right now I reckon. Look at his minutes and he is just so efficient making the right plays and he has really grown up over these last couple of years. I think that improvement is showing and he's playing outstanding basketball," he said. "He is a big reason why we have won six straight now. It's a different role for this team and I don’t need to play the role that I have in the past. We've got Jesse Wagstaff and Matty Knight coming off the bench, and no team in the league has that luxury at the moment, so I'm just trying to do what I can and fill the role that I need to in order to try to make this team successful."]]> Wildcats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +1100 Beveridge lauds Wildcats' defence after win over Crocs http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///beveridge-lauds-wildcats-defence-after-win-over-crocs/ Rob Beveridge oversaw his sixth straight win for the first time as Perth Wildcats coach on Saturday... Click here to listen to the post-match press conference with Rob Beveridge and Shawn Redhage Once again the 'Cats defence was simply outstanding against Townsville. Luke Nevill and Matt Knight limited Luke Schenscher to three points and 1-of-5 shooting. Damian Martin and Brad Robbins had seven steals between them and combined to limit the influence of Eddie Gill. The former NBA point guard and two-time NBL Player of the Week this season had just six points and two assists while committing five turnovers. Peter Crawford grew increasingly frustrated to finish with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting as well. Overall, the Wildcats limited the Crocs to their second lowest ever score of 55 while shooting just 32 per cent from the field and 23 per cent from long range. Townsville also committed 20 turnovers and Beveridge was delighted with the efforts of his team to record the emphatic win. "Most impressive was our defensive performance. I think we set a league record tonight so that was pretty outstanding. We were just very, very good at locking them down. I can't remember them running any offence and I think that's the key for us," Beveridge said. "We set and pick them up so early, and the way that Robbo and Damo pressure the ball is what I look at in regards to how good we were defensively. Their offence is based around him (Schenscher). "He is a pretty good passer out of the post and they started off with throwing the ball into him and working off him. A key for us was to take that away from them and as soon as we did they would go to an on-ball type thing, and we did a tremendous job defending the on-ball screen." Beveridge isn’t concerned in the slightest about whether the 32-point win over the third-placed team sends a message to the rest of the league or not, but he does hope it shows his players just what can happen when everything clicks for them. "I'm not worried about sending messages to anyone in the league, it's about sending a message to these guys to understand that if we are going to win a championship we have to find out what our identity is, and what brand of basketball is successful for us," he said. "We had a great week of practice, it was short and sharp, and they were really switched on and focused knowing that Townsville had won four in-a-row. They came in knowing that they had to beat us to get into the top-two and the way that we played was tremendous." It might have been an 87-55 victory over a team that came to Perth having won four straight games, but Beveridge still felt the performance could have been better as well. "We broke down with some scouts defensively and although we held them to 55 points, we probably could have kept them below 50. I'm on our player's case of perfection defensively," he said. "Offensively again we aren’t shooting the ball that well but it was a lot better this week and we have massive areas for improvement in us offensively. That's going to be a focus for us to get better offensively." Nevill once again had a good game as the starting centre with 11 points and four rebounds, but even more impressively six assists. Knight returned strongly also with seven points in just under 12 minutes and Beveridge was glad to limit his minutes and those of Robbins even though both offered plenty even if playing less than usual. "He has been starting the last few weeks and this was Matty's first game back, and I don’t want to put any pressure on him at all. I just wanted to ease him back in and it's an important last part of the season for us now and it's all about trying to maintain their bodies," Beveridge said. "That's why he didn’t play too much and it was the same with Robbo. I just wanted to rest those guys. They both came in still with that energy that we keep talking about. "We lacked that a little bit last week, but came in with that ruthless, relentless attitude this game and that's what we do with Wildcats basketball. Last week we did it in the last seven minutes, but this week I think we did it for the complete game and showed our fans that this is how you play defence." With the win sewn up in the last quarter, Beveridge also took the chance to give Ben Purser almost seven minutes of court time and Rob Cassir four to give them a taste of the action in the NBL. "We have been working really hard with these young guys coming through and they are the future of the club," Beveridge said. "These guys are serving an apprenticeship and they aren’t ready to play just now significant minutes, but it was a great opportunity to throw in Cassir and Purser because they are the future for three, four and five years down the track."]]> Wildcats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +1100 'Cats back on top with thrashing of Crocs http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///cats-back-on-top-with-thrashing-of-crocs/ The Perth Wildcats thrashed the Townsville Crocodiles 87-55 at Challenge Stadium tonight for a... Click here to listen to the post-match press conference with coach Rob Beveridge and co-captain Shawn Redhage Or here to hear from Townsville coach Paul Woolpert and point guard Eddie Gill The 'Cats put on a defensive clinic against the Crocs tonight restricting them to just 55 points, 32 per cent shooting from the field and forcing them into 20 turnovers as well. With good reason coach Beveridge was delighted with the four-quarter performance from his team, particularly defensively. "I'm not worried about sending messages to anyone in the league, it's about sending a message to these guys to understand that if we are going to win a championship we have to find out what our identity is, and what brand of basketball is successful for us," Beveridge said. "We had a great week of practice, it was short and sharp, and they were really switched on and focused knowing that Townsville had won four in-a-row. They came in knowing that they had to beat us to get into the top-two and the way that we played was tremendous. "We came in with that ruthless, relentless attitude this game and that's what we do with Wildcats basketball. Last week we did it in the last seven minutes, but this week I think we did it for the complete game and showed our fans that this is how you play defence." It was a strong even performance from the Wildcats with Shawn Redhage top-scoring with 16 points, Kevin Lisch adding 15, Jesse Wagstaff 13 and Luke Nevill 11. Drew Williamson scored nine points and impressively collected eight defensive rebounds. Cam Tovey did well to finish with nine points and five boards as well. Matt Knight returned and had seven points in just under 12 minutes of court time. Brad Robbins had three points, but impressively five steals and three assists. Damian Martin added two points to go with his six boards, two assists, two steals and yet another massive block. Ben Purser also came on to score two points, pick up a rebound and dish out two assists. The Wildcats started strongly with Redhage and Tovey getting the first two scores of the game and then Lisch joined in as the 'Cats led 6-2 after just over two minutes with Townsville struggling with the home team's pressure. After a Jacob Holmes three, Tovey, Nevill, Robbins and Wagstaff all scored to help the Wildcats to a 15-9 advantage. However, six quick points to ex-Wildcat Peter Crawford brought scores level, but it was the 'Cats who finished the quarter the stronger to lead 23-17. Knight continued his encouraging return after missing the last two games with a strong move to score the opening basket of the second quarter. However, Townsville continued to hang around and trailed by just five after an Elvin Mims jumper at the five-minute mark. From there, though, the Wildcats got right on top scoring 11 straight points to close out the quarter and lead 43-27 at half-time. For the third straight quarter the 'Cats got the opening score, this time through Wagstaff, and by the time Lisch nailed a triple and Nevill got a dunk the lead was out to 20. A three to Williamson soon after had that out to 22 and then onto 24 when Redhage also managed a basket. By three quarter-time the Wildcats led 68-45 and then the rout continued in the last period. The 'Cats scored the first 14 points of the final quarter to end up leading by 37 points after a three-point play from Lisch, and then the Wildcats cruised to the 87-55 victory. Perth Wildcats 87 (Shawn Redhage 16, Kevin Lisch 15, Jesse Wagstaff 13)
defeated
Townsville Crocodiles 55 (Jacob Holmes 14, Peter Crawford 11, Elvin Mims 10)
Box scores]]> Wildcats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:35:00 +1100 R17 Report: Wildcats smother Crocs in The Jungle http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///r17-report-wildcats-smother-crocs-in-the-jungle-2/ Shawn Redhage led another balanced and dominant home performance from Perth. BOXSCORE

The Perth Wildcats set up a tantalising top-of-the-table clash with New Zealand by beating the third-placed Townsville Crocodiles 87-55 at Challenge Stadium on Saturday night.

The Wildcats went a long way to securing the victory with an 11-0 run over the last five minutes of the second quarter, before two Drew Williamson triples and some Peter Crawford ill-discipline had the Cats up by 24 in the third term.

The home team then scored the first 14 points of the last period to lead by 37 with just under five minutes to go and cruised to the 32-point win.

The Cats set up the win thanks to some trademark full-court defensive pressure, forcing the Crocs into 12 turnovers in the first half and another eight in the second.

Townsville have not won in Perth since the famous semi-final victory in February 2009, and the loss keeps them locked in a battle to remain in the top four.

It was even contribution from the Cats with Shawn Redhage scoring 16, Kevin Lisch 15, Jesse Wagstaff 13, Luke Nevill 11, and Damian Martin limiting the influence of Crocs point guard Eddie Gill.

Nevill clearly took the points in his match-up with Crocs giant Luke Schenscher.

Jacob Holmes top-scored for the Crocs with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Crawford had a tough night but scored 11 and Elvin Mims added 10 in a night to forget for Townsville.

The Wildcats won their sixth straight game for the first time in Rob Beveridge's time as coach, and now play New Zealand on Thursday in a game with huge bearing on who will take first place and home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Perth Wildcats 87 (Redhage 16, Lisch 15, Wagstaff 13)
Townsville Crocodiles 55 (Holmes 14, Crawford 11, Mims 10)

Crowd: About 4000 at Challenge Stadium, Perth]]> Match Reports Wildcats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:24:00 +1100 Wildcats look to maintain edge on Crocs http://www.nbl.com.au/wildcats-home/news/article///wildcats-look-to-maintain-edge-on-crocs/ The Perth Wildcats look to win six games in-a-row, keep pace with the New Zealand Breakers and... Click here to listen to Rob Beveridge speaking to the media on Friday ahead of the game Townsville has not won a game in Challenge Stadium since the famous playoff win back in February 2009. The Wildcats have won the last four games in The Jungle since then and now also have beaten the Crocs in Townsville on the last three trips. Those three wins in The Swamp are the last three defeats Townsville has suffered at home. That will all count for little when things tip-off on Saturday night, though, and Beveridge knows his team has to be switched on. "This is massive for us and from a mindset perspective we have really been after our players about being focused," Beveridge said. "Maybe we let our guard down a bit last week, but still did enough to get over Sydney and that won't happen against Townsville. They are in third spot, we're in second and they are one game behind so we must win this game." The Wildcats welcome back big man Matt Knight as well after he missed the wins over Gold Coast and Sydney with a calf strain, and Beveridge is delighted for him to return to battle the likes of Luke Schenscher, Jacob Holmes and Elvin Mims. "Matt will play. He's got through three full sessions this week, he's felt no pain whatsoever and he is good to go. He will definitely be suiting up," he said. "He is the best defensive big in the league so it's important that we have him back in there against Schenscher, against Mims and against Holmes. It's massive for us that we get him back on the floor." The Wildcats might have a terrific recent record against Townsville both in The Jungle and The Swamp, but the Crocs are in strong form and certainly have their sights set on a top-two position. That makes Saturday's clash a big one and Beveridge certainly knows that Townsville has plenty of options to be careful of, both inside and outside. "They have a very strong focus on getting the ball into Schenscher and playing off him. He is doing a good job, but Eddie Gill has won Player of the Week twice, is an NBA player and there's no doubt that he is going to be tough as well," he said. "Then you've got Holmes who has been born again up in Townsville and he's one of the league's leading rebounders. They are very good inside, but at the same time have some terrific guards. "Part of our game plan is to play up-tempo for the whole game and then when you come to the final quarter you hope you break the opposition's back. "I think that was the situation last week. We were down 11 points but all of a sudden step it up a notch and come back to win the game. We know that style of game works for us." One Wildcat who has been in scintillating form of late is Jesse Wagstaff. He is now shooting the three at the best clip of anyone on the team and over the last five games has averaged 18.2 points in the wins against New Zealand, Townsville, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sydney. Beveridge wants to play him more, but it's up to him to not rack up early fouls. "I want to give him more court time and there's huge correlations to when he fouls early, he doesn’t play that much and he is the one who determines that. It's almost at a stage where you beg him not to foul so he can play more," he said. "He is just in sensational form and he has been a real X-factor for us this year. We are going to say to Jesse to eliminate silly fouls so he can play a lot more. If he does that then he definitely will." As for the scorching Perth heat this week, Beveridge has had to modify things a little bit and he wouldn’t complain at all if it sapped the energy of the Crocs a little bit either who also just played on Wednesday night in their win over Adelaide. "The heat's been incredible and out here without air conditioning it's up around 50 degrees so we've had to get in really early to start training at 7am in the morning and be done by 9. We've reversed a whole lot of things like doing weights later in the day and things like that. We've definitely had to make some changes because of it," Beveridge said. "We definitely hope they are a bit fatigued. They had Thursday to recover and flew over today and they are coming into 40-odd degree heat. Hopefully they go straight to the beach and get sunburned, and we can really put the pressure on them and hopefully their fatigue really hurts them in the end." ]]> Wildcats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:55:00 +1100