Hawks aim for revenge against Wildcats

Six days is a long time in basketball and the Illawarra Hawks will be hoping for a change of fortunes when they take on the Perth Wildcats on Thursday.

Last Saturday, Bryce Cotton, Vic Law and former Hawk Todd Blanchfield inspired the Wildcats to a win against the Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre - handing Brian Goorjian's side their second straight NBL22 defeat.

That two-game streak is a distant memory for the Hawks though, who recorded an emphatic victory against the 36ers on Monday, to roar back into form.

That confidence boost, which solidified the Hawks' position into the top four with a 5-3, will put Illawarra in good stead for their second clash with 6-2 Perth within a week.

Although the Wildcats hold a commanding 94-40 all-time win advantage, that will be little when the two foes step on the WIN Entertainment Centre hardwood from 7.30pm AEDT Thursday.

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While the Hawks' offence was on fire on Monday, the key to defeating the Wildcats looms on the defensive end - most notably shutting down import duo Bryce Cotton and Vic Law.

The duo are currently first and third in the league in scoring, averaging 22.88 and 22 points per game respectively.

Goorjian's side felt the full force of that duo last week when they combined 46 of the Wildcats' 94 points.

A lot of that responsibility will fall on forwards Antonius Cleveland and Sam Froling, as well as guards Justinian Jessup and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

If the team builds on Monday's showing against Adelaide, Goorjian is confident his team, who generally hang their hat on defence, has what it takes to slow down the Wildcats' offensive weapons.

"I thought when the game [Monday] mattered until it was over, our defence was a level above what it's been all year," Goorjian said.

"If we're going to go where we need to go, I think they're starting to understand what's needed within the group.

"It's not just coming from me, they're talking about it too - there were huge in-roads made."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Whole new Harry in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL22</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HarryFroling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarryFroling</a> on his outlook this season and where he sits in the Froling house points ladder.<br><br>CC: <a href="https://twitter.com/KeelyFroling?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KeelyFroling</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/samfroling_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@samfroling_</a> <a href="https://t.co/YPX4ePWfLS">pic.twitter.com/YPX4ePWfLS</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1485557920100073472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In particular, Froling could be set for a busy night with Duop Reath (hip) under an injury cloud.

Froling, and his older brother Harry, combined for 45 points on Monday and will likely be called upon if the Australian Boomer.

The latter, in particular, has reinvigorated his career since joining the Hawks - having scored in double figures in three of the past four games.

"It's probably the most fun I've had playing basketball," Harry Froling said.

"I'm still figuring it out along the way, I just take it day-by-day and enjoy my basketball - I think that speaks for itself,

"Whether I'm doing good or bad, Goorj is on me about my stuff on and off the court, and I think that's really helping me evolve as a player and a person.

"It obviously translates to the court, and I'm going to stick with it through the highs and lows."

Tickets to the top four showdown are available via Ticketmaster.