CONTINUING his strong form of late, Perth Wildcats import forward Kristian Doolittle was excellent once again in the National Basketball League (NBL) over the weekend, leading his side to a six-point win over the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Doolittle has put in some match-winning performances over the past few weeks, as his Wildcats hosted the JackJumpers out west at RAC Arena on Friday night. Tasmania entered the clash on a five-game losing streak, desperate for a win to stay in the hunt, but it was going to be a tall order facing the Wildcats on their home court.

The Wildcats made the most of their hosting rights, winning the first three quarters – albeit not by much – to lead by 10 points at the final change. In typical JackJumpers fashion, the visitors did not give up, but could not get closer than six points, which ended up being the final margin as the Wildcats held on for their eighth win of the season.

Once again, Doolittle was Perth’s best player in victory, taking over on the offensive end to be the most productive scorer on the court, and continuing to play a key role in the Wildcats’ championship aspirations.

Perth Wildcats (101) def. Tasmania JackJumpers (95)

Kristian Doolittle – 30 points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal

The forward was at his high-scoring best against the JackJumpers on Friday night, with Doolittle the difference in a crucial result for the Wildcats, especially considering they suffered a loss at the hands of Melbourne United a couple of days later.

It did not take long for him to get going at RAC Arena, nailing a three-pointer in the first 90 seconds of play, which set the tone for a productive opening quarter from the forward. Doolittle knocked down another two shots from long range, as well as finding his teammates with some excellent passing, helping Perth drop 32 points in the first 10 minutes and lead by four points at the opening change.

Doolittle opened the second frame with some more solid passing, opening up scoring opportunities for his teammates with some slick dimes to the likes of Jo Lual-Acuil and David Duke Jr. in the first few minutes. The import then began to catch fire inside the arc, nailing some midrange jumpers when given too much space as well as drawing contact and converting at the free throw line to help the Wildcats maintain their lead at half-time.

It was a quiet start to the second half for Doolittle, who was tightly guarded in the third quarter, but was still able to find Lat Mayen on the perimeter for a wide open triple midway through the term. Doolittle’s only score of the period came in the form of his fourth three-pointer, pulling up from deep to extend Perth’s margin on the eve of three-quarter time and fire up the crowd at RAC Arena.

With the JackJumpers making their final charge, Doolittle stepped up with a productive final frame, starting with a nice reverse layup under the basket to push Perth’s buffer out to 12. He had a highlight play when he stole the ball from Bryce Hamilton and nailed the transition three down the other end, his fifth make from behind the arc for the match.

His pass to Dylan Windler for an open three-pointer was vital to push the margin back out to double digits, while Doolittle iced the game with some composure at the free throw line as the Wildcats claimed the win.

Doolittle finished the contest with 30 points – which was the most of any player in the match – on 9/15 shooting from the field and 5/7 shooting from behind the arc, while also proving extremely creative with his six assists while also committing just the one turnover in a telling performance from the forward.