IT may not have been pretty, but the Perth Wildcats managed to remain unbeaten in their tour of Japan by defeating the Yokohama B-Corsairs on Wednesday afternoon.

The Wildcats were tested by the home side, and had to retake the lead late in the piece after the two sides traded blows over the course of the match. Although Perth did take home the win, there are still concerns considering it won just one quarter for the match, and will need to lift ahead of the NBL Blitz this weekend.

Bryce Cotton played his first game ahead of the 2024/25 season, and looked in tremendous touch, showing no signs of slowing down fresh off winning a fourth Most Valuable Player award. He changed the match whenever he was on the court, whether it was crafty drives or long-range triples, and should be one of, if not the best player in the upcoming season.

Perth’s highly touted Next Star Izan Almansa showed more positive signs ahead of an exciting campaign with the Wildcats. He has excellent traits as an athlete, and is certainly one to watch, undoubtedly catching the attention of NBA scouts.

The Wildcats were forced to take on former Illawarra Hawk Gary Clark, who looked as dangerous as ever playing for Yokohama, and threatened to break the game open as he did on several occasions in the NBL last season.

Yokohama B-Cosairs (77) def. by Perth Wildcats (83)

The Wildcats looked the better side in the early stages of the game, getting out to a slim, but important lead in the opening minutes. It was the stars that got the team going in the first patch of the game, with Cotton and Keanu Pinder leading the way. The Wildcats held a slim lead at the first change, with both teams playing their benches to close out the term.

Perth’s starters came back on throughout the second quarter, and this move saw the Wildcats gain scoreboard ascendancy. Cotton showed exactly why he is a four-time MVP in the NBL, and did not even have to get out of second gear to do so. He and Pinder formed a two-man game that was too much for the opposition, as the visitors snagged a six-point lead at the main break.

The third quarter saw a serious fightback from Yokohama, as it looked to push the ball inside rather than force contested three-pointers. This saw the home side take the lead with the Wildcats’ reserves on the floor. John Rillie clearly did not like how things were panning out, so he injected Cotton back into the match. The superstar guard knocked down a deep three and a classy midrange to give Perth back the lead, but Yokohama kept it within three points at the final change.

It was a close affair in the final term, with Yokohama not going away easily and hitting the front in the dying stages. However, the Wildcats were too good down the stretch, continuing to push the ball inside and scoring in transition. In the end, it was a hard-fought six-point victory to the Wildcats, who did enough to hold on against a valiant opposition.