The Perth Wildcats’ 43-point demolition of the Sydney Kings on Sunday means the Skytrans Cairns Taipans must be ready for a battle this Saturday, says head coach Aaron Fearne. 

The 9-1 Wildcats dropped their first game last Friday to the Adelaide 36ers, but responded in spectacular fashion on Sunday with a 98-55 win in Sydney.

Now, it’s on Fearne’s men to stop another Wildcats winning streak.

“Perth’s gigantic win against Sydney shows a team that’s played at a high level for a long, long time,” Fearne said.

“They didn’t play well against Adelaide in the first half but fought hard and almost stole it,” he said of their narrow 91-86 loss to break an 8-game winning streak.

“They would have been ticked off that their streak was broken and they went and took it out on somebody; they were unbelievable.”

“They’re going to want to come back in here to start a new streak, that’s the way they’ll look at it. They’ll be one ticked off, fired up group and we’d better be ready to go.”

Fearne expects Perth forward and Miami Heat draftee James Ennis—currently the league’s second-leading scorer at 21.1 points per game—to be a drawcard.

“You want to be entertained and you want to come and see a quality player. James Ennis has been electric in this league so fans are going to see a special talent on Saturday night,” he said.

“If you get drafted by the Miami Heat—the best team in the world—there is obviously tremendous talent there.”

But it will be a consistent, all-round effort required for the Snakes to get past Perth’s many weapons.

Fearne points to the recent form of import Jermaine Beal (15.6 points per game) and Shawn Redhage (16.9 points per game), while Damian Martin currently leads the league in three-point shooting (55.6%).

“You’re going to see a great team on Saturday, and we’d all better be ready to go,” he said.

The Skytrans Cairns Taipans host the Perth Wildcats on Saturday night at the Cairns Convention Centre, tip-off at 7.30pm.  It can be watched on NBL.tv 7.30pm Queensland time.

Other games:

Friday, November 29, 2013: Adelaide 36ers v Wollongong Hawks

The 36ers have assumed the mantle as the hottest team in the league, riding a 5-game winning streak following last week’s stunning win over the previously unbeaten Wildcats. The buzz in Adelaide is building with the team turning around three disappointing seasons to now sit second on the ladder.

The club will be hoping for a repeat of last week’s full house crowd at Adelaide Arena. They meet a Hawks team buoyed by last week’s away win over Cairns to keep them within sight of the top four. Televised on ONE HD 9.30pm nationally.

Sunday, December 1, 2013: Melbourne Tigers v Sydney Kings

Both Melbourne and Sydney are coming off significant losses in Round 7. Significant for the Tigers because it was considered an upset of sorts on their home court against the Townsville Crocodiles. Significant for the Kings because of the size of the margin against a rampant league leading Perth Wildcats.

Expect a better performance from both on Sunday. It will be the second game of the weekend for new Tigers import Mustapha Farrakhan, with a trip across the Tasman to take on the Breakers before the Kings even roll into Melbourne. Sydney will be hoping for a big impact from NBA recruit Sam Young in his second game for the club. Televised on TEN 2pm AEDST; NBL.tv 2pm AEDST.