'We feel good as a group right now': McCarron

Adelaide 36ers captain Mitch McCarron says his side riding the wave of two straight wins, but knows Saturday night’s test in The Jungle against Perth Wildcats is another challenge.

The 36ers have won three of their past four matches and McCarron said Adelaide must continue to improve to make it three wins in-a-row.

“We have got a couple of wins now and we are confident, but, we have got to come out there and play with the same energy we have had in the last couple of weekends,” McCarron said.

“We feel good as a group right now, we have been set for a little bit, we have had DJ (Vasiljevic) integrated for a little bit, so we are playing with some confidence, so it feels good.”

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McCarron said the mood within the group has changed in the past fortnight, but knows the past two wins is only a springboard to a better focus on the next challenge.

“Everyone is happy, I’m sure CJ has been stoked, but we haven’t been perfect either, we have still  some patches of inconsistency,” McCarron said.

“We are not relaxed by any means, we know we can keep getting better.”

The 189cm guard said the Wildcats will be a huge test, despite Perth currently being on a four-game losing streak.

“Perth are going to be trying some stuff, they are obviously trying to get going and get their season going,” McCarron said.

“We can only scout what has been happening in the games so far, so we are covering what we can and we will go from there.

“I think they are going to come out with some fire, but fortunately for us, we are not in a situation where we can relax by any means.”

Adelaide battle the Wildcats at RAC Arena in Perth on Saturday night and you can catch all the action live and exclusive on ESPN via Kayo Sports.

PERTH WILDCATS vs ADELAIDE 36ERS

RAC Arena - Saturday, November 4, 7.30pm ACDT
LIKELY STARTERS
Perth: Tai Webster, Bryce Cotton, Jordan Usher, Kristian Doolittle, Keanu Pinder.
Adelaide: Mitch McCarron, DJ Vasiljevic, Trey Kell, Jacob Wiley, Isaac Humphries.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

OVERALL
Played 154, Adelaide 69, Perth 85

LAST FIVE MATCHES
October 21, 2023 – Adelaide 36ers 89 def Perth Wildcats 78 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
October 6, 2023 – Perth Wildcats 82 def Adelaide 36ers 75 at RAC Arena
January 14, 2023 – Perth Wildcats 112 def Adelaide 36ers 97 at RAC Arena
December 9, 2022 – Perth Wildcats 98 def Adelaide 36ers 90 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre
November 24, 2022 – Adelaide 36ers 96 def Perth Wildcats 82 at RAC Arena

STATS THAT MATTER

• Adelaide ranks 1st in the league for free throw attempts per game this season (25.1).
• Adelaide has won the third quarter in six of its past seven games against Perth.
• Jacob Wiley is the only player in the league to be leading their team in rebounds (8.1) and assists (3.8) per game this season.
• Jacob Wiley has recorded 8+ rebounds in four consecutive appearances - longest active streak of any player in the league.
• Dejan Vasiljevic recorded a career-high six assists in his last outing against Perth.