Wollongong is about to start a stretch in which they will only see finals hopefuls Gold Coast (three times) and champions New Zealand (two times) in a three-week period.

The Hawks have pored over tape from their first clash with the Blaze in which Joey Wright’s side strangled Wollongong’s offence, giving up just 58 points in a flawless defensive display.

The miserly Blaze then surrendered a mere 49 points to Cairns last Sunday at home, the lowest score by any side in the NBL this season.

‘‘They look to get up the floor and pressure the guards,’’ Demos said ahead of Saturday’s clash at the Gold Coast Convention Centre.

‘‘They also play very physical so I guess the guards have got to control the tempo of the game and not get into the heat of the battle. We’ve got to keep our cool and limit our turnovers.

‘‘We watched tape of the last game and it wasn’t a very pretty one. They disturbed us up the floor and they were so switched on in defence which made it pretty tough for us.’’

The 23-year-old Demos spent three seasons at the Blaze before linking with Wollongong last campaign.

With the addition of Ayinde Ubaka, who is expected to start his first game for the Hawks, Demos will form part of a four-man platoon alongside Rhys Martin and captain Mat Campbell in the back court for the rest of the season.

Not that he is cursing the arrival of Ubaka, a former Blaze team-mate, even if it means his own court time may be diminished.

‘‘Chewy [Ubaka] is in the same boat as me too, he played there for a year with me so we’re both pretty pumped about the game and hopefully we can get a win,’’ Demos said.

‘‘He pushes the ball well and he can create for the other guys that can’t create themselves. Not only has he done that, he’s brought that energy level and everyone’s lifted.’’

The Hawks (5-13) are slowly inching themselves away from the wooden spoon, locked in a battle with the Adelaide 36ers (5-13).

Despite talk of setting a platform for the 2012-13 season, Demos said there was still one primary goal in place for the remaining 10 games.

‘‘That’s probably our main goal at the moment - to get off the bottom of the ladder,’’ he said. ‘‘We’re playing for a community-based team and we’re playing for pride and to give back to the community who have shown their support the whole year.’’