MELBOURNE United have claimed a 1-0 series lead over the Perth Wildcats after yet another Chris Goulding masterclass on Thursday evening, despite a thrilling match between the two stalwart clubs.

Perth lived in the mid-range early in the game, to not much avail as Melbourne raced to an early double-digit lead through some impressive outside shot making.

Shea Ili once again got the Bryce Cotton assignment and was diligent his defensive effort and tenacity. The Wildcats star struggled for space and time, and often the ball would not touch his hand on offensive possessions for the away side. This meant the scoring brunt was placed on Kristian Doolittle, who quickly made a point to get to his spot to knock down multiple mid-range jumpers.  

While Ili did everything he could to stop Cotton from receiving the ball on offence, the five-time MVP could not be denied as he need only touch the ball for a split second and he was attacking the rim or knocking down a three. The battle between the two tough guards was exhilarating, as it has been on multiple occasions this year. 

Whilst Melbourne had the advantage after the first quarter of hoops, there were plenty of positive signs for Perth, including that Goulding was, to much frustration, in foul trouble. 

The second term swung momentum back the way of the Wildcats as Doolittle and Cotton began to heat up offensively. Ili was forced to the bench for a short period of time due to a knock to his lower leg, and with the defensive player of the year on the sideline, Cotton was able to get into his groove against the much slower Matthew Dellavedov. Perth put the home side to the sword and took a one-point lead heading into the main break. 

The second half began much the same. It was a back-and-forth battle as both sides appeared set to go on a run, only for an untimely turnover or poor shot to swing the tide back the other way. After 4:17, John Rillie was called for a technical foul, with the Wildcats trailing by just three points.

At the line to shoot the technical free throw was Goulding, at that point 1/6 from beyond the arc. Whether seeing the free throw go in woke him up from his shooting slump or whether the game becoming chippy set the United star off into a groove, something changed at that point in the game. Goulding would shoot five times from three-point range and convert four of them.

Each one hit Perth like a brick, and after he was fouled on a downtown attempt late in the period, making 2/3, he had scored 14 points in the final 4:30 of the term, and turned a three-point lead into a 10-point lead going into the final frame. 

While the score differential in the last quarter was only two points, the impact of Goulding was felt tremendously as he carried his scorching shooting into the fourth period. In the 15 minutes following the technical free throw, Goulding knocked down nine threes and scored 32 points in one of the most dazzling displays of heat check shooting one might ever witness.

He was hitting them from all angles, with all kinds of defensive coverage, barely needing to touch the ball before putting them up and sinking them. Though Perth did lose him on a few poor possessions, there was not much more it could do to stop him. The Wildcats were managing to score often, as Cotton and Keanu Pinder attacked the basket repeatedly, and they got some impressive contributions from Ben Henshall and Doolittle down the stretch too, but Goulding’s shooting was far too much to withstand.

The Melbourne shooting guard went on to finish with 41 points on 10/17 from distance. It is the second time Goulding has put 40+ points on Perth this season, and John Rillie will have his hands full trying to design a defensive scheme to stop him in game two.

Melbourne, who ended up running out 12-points to the better, was also boosted by a double-double from Jack White who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Ian Clark was the main reason Melbourne stayed in the game in the second term as he kept his side afloat, dropping 22 points off the bench. Ili dished out eight assists as well as playing his typical stifling defence on the MVP, while Dellavedova also tossed out nine dimes, to go with six points and five rebounds. 

Cotton fought through the tough coverage to end the game with 22 points and six assists, while Keanu Pinder, who could have been more of a focal point on offence still managed to put up 24 points and 11 rebounds. Doolittle finished with 22 points and nine rebounds, while starters Dylan Windler and Henshall combined to add 12 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Jesse Wagstaff had some important moments in limited minutes as well. 

The rebounding battle was very close and both sides committed 18 fouls, but Perth turned the ball over five more times than Melbourne leading to 15 points to two off turnovers. Melbourne secured 37 points off the bench to Perth’s 13 and shot far better from long range.

The sides now head to Perth where the sides will do battle on Saturday evening in game two of the three-game series. Perth will look to bounce back and force a third game while Melbourne already has one foot in the door of the Championship Series.