The Perth Wildcats outmuscled the Hunter Pirates 85-72 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre to continue their perfect start to the National Basketball League season.

Boomers forward Tony Ronaldson produced a vintage performance as the Wildcats took control almost from the opening tip-off.

The classy veteran was virtually unstoppable, whether he was posting up or shooting the three-pointer.

His team high 23 points included four from six from outside the arc to go with 10 rebounds and five assists.

Perth and Wollongong, who play New Zealand in Auckland on Friday, remain the only unbeaten sides in the League.

The Wildcats, fresh from a 110-93 win over Cairns, entered the match without star import Rashad Tucker (bruised knee) but it did little to stem the visitors flow.

They matched the much bigger Pirates on the boards and hustled hard in defence.

It was not quite the Pirates of old, which went 2-31 in their inaugural season, but they lacked the precision and spark which was a feature in their 95-88 last round win over Brisbane.

The homeside simply could not get hot and shot at a woeful 31 per cent.

Import Kavossy Franklin, who played with a broken right index finger, was the exception and led all scorers with 25 points.

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