Dribble Podcast: Perth Wildcats know staying out of foul trouble will be crucial against Tasmania JackJumpers

High foul counts in both of Perth Wildcats’ semifinals against Tasmania will make adjusting to the refereeing absolutely crucial during Wednesday night’s deciding contest at RAC Arena, according to Perth’s basketball operations manager Danny Mills.

The Wildcats and JackJumpers both won their home games and both found it challenging to keep their key players out of foul trouble when confronted by emotional interstate fans.

A whopping 19 fouls were called in the first quarter of the opening game and Perth had 13 more free throws than Tasmania throughout the night. But the JackJumpers adjusted in game two, got the free throw line more and the Wildcats had a host of big names in foul trouble.

Game one hero Keanu Pinder fouled out after less than 14 minutes.

With significantly more fouls than the overtime games between Melbourne and Illawarra, Mills said it was clear how games were being officiated.

“You’ve got to adjust to how the game is being called,” he told The West Australian’s The Dribble Podcast.

“Both games were polar opposites. We had quite a few of our front court guys getting into foul trouble and we had to start to manage those guys’ minutes to make sure they didn’t pick up any more, especially in the first half.

“It’s hard to get the team to mix and match with combinations of players given some you don’t want to risk until the second half when you’re in foul trouble. That will be crucial.

“In the first quarter we want to be controlling the tempo and making sure we are the ones that are hopefully putting pressure on the rim and hopefully drawing fouls themselves.”

Both teams spent Tuesday flying across the country and landed in Perth late in the afternoon.

While there has been a big focus on superstars showing off their talent, Mills said the performances of lower profile players who were grabbing their chances when foul troubles arose had been the one of the keys to victory.

“For both teams I think it’s been a series where role players have stepped up,” he said.

“In game one, we had a lot of contributors across the board and it gave us an advantage. Then Tasmania had some guys step up and play really well. For us it’s about the contributions across the board and having a number of guys play their roles but also step up and make shots. i think that’s going to be the difference.”