Wildcats Stuck in Complacency Rut

The Perth Wildcats are struggling with complacency, dropping to the level of teams below them, and rising above the teams on top of them, according to coach John Rillie.

Tuesday night’s disappointing 97-93 overtime loss to the Brisbane Bullets, who had lost five straight amidst a wave of off-court drama, was the final straw for Rillie, saying they’ve got to change their mindset.

“We’ve got to get out of the rut of playing to the level of the team on the ladder,” Rillie said.

“If you look at our record overall, we rise to the occasion against the teams that are above us, and we make ball games out of these teams that are below us on the ladder.

“That’s something we certainly need to address and come out with a more dogged mentality to that.”

Youngster Luke Travers agreed with Rillie’s statement, saying the issue is something the playing group needs to address.

The ‘Cats’ four-game winning streak came to an end with the loss and they’re now sixth on the ladder with a 9-8 record.

Free throw shooting wasn’t Perth’s strong point on Tuesday night, shooting 22 of 40 in a nail-biting loss.

“Our offence wasn’t flowing like it has been. When you shoot free throws the way we did, it just compounds it,” Rillie said.

“Disappointing to get the opportunity to knock down a lot of free throws and 22 of 40, that’s the game right there.

“It kind of compounds as it happens but they’re professional athletes so that’s their craft. Making free throws in an environment like that, that’s what all players want to embrace and be a part of. We didn’t step up to the task in that area.”

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Bryce Cotton top scored for the Wildcats with 30 points, the only Wildcat to score over 20 points. Travers stepped up with 10 rebounds for his team and 15 points in his 20 minutes.

Perth play the last placed Illawarra Hawks on New Year’s Eve at 5:30pm AEDT.