ON Friday night, basketball fans were treated to a double-header in the third round of the National Basketball League (NBL), with a pair of cracking clashes keeping crowds entertained for the round. With the first of these matches being a double-overtime thriller, the second clash saw the Perth Wildcats play host to the Brisbane Bullets, looking to make amends for the loss the last time these two teams played. The game had plenty of hype surrounding it, given the fact that the last matchup between the sides went to two extra time periods. However, it was the Wildcats who were able to get some payback for last Sunday’s loss, emerging victorious by 13 points.

First quarter:

History looked likely to repeat itself, with the Bullets coming out in red-hot form to start the contest. Brisbane’s starters were fantastic in the first term, with the side getting contributions from all five players on the court, as the side looked to upset last year’s grand finalists. With Robert Franks once again proving the value he adds to the team, with 10 points in the opening term. Perth seemingly had no answer for him, with the new recruit doing everything from mid-range fadeaways to step-back three-point bombs. Although Perth were finally able to get their mojo on the offensive end, they still trailed by five points at quarter time.

Second quarter:

Perth were able to even up the ledger in the second term, returning to the form that we all expected of them heading into this match. The trio of Todd Blanchfield, Bryce Cotton and Jesse Wagstaff proved deadly in the period, scoring nearly all of their team’s points as they finally got their offensive rhythm going. They outscored their opponents 22-17 for the quarter in what was a much more promising outing for the powerhouse side. Suddenly, Brisbane had lost their lead and found themselves on the back foot with proceedings tied up heading into the main break, with Perth looking to continue their charge in the second half.

Third quarter:

The third term saw Perth do exactly this, as they continued to punish their opponent on the offensive end of the court. The Wildcats were led by their superstar in reigning league MVP Cotton, who scored six of the team’s points for the quarter and set up a number of other scoring opportunities for his teammates. The Wildcats poured in 25 points for the term, which was good enough to see them take a six-point lead into the final term, which may have been even worse if not for a late charge from the Bullets.

Fourth quarter:

The fourth quarter saw Perth put the foot down as they began to build a match-winning lead as the match closed. Perth were ruthless on the defensive end as they prevented the Bullets from making any sort of charge by ensuring they were unable to find any offensive rhythm. The Wildcats put up another 22 points for the term to produce an unassailable lead as they stormed home to claim their third win of the season, while the Bullets suffered their second loss of their NBL22 campaign.

Closing thoughts…

The Wildcats were well-led by the duo of Cotton and Wagstaff, who were terrific in all four quarters. Cotton finished with 29 points, making 11 of his 19 field goal attempts in one of his classic offensive performances. Wagstaff was equally impressive, with 19 points, six rebounds and three assists off the bench. For the Bullets, there was no doubting the endeavour of Franks, who poured in 28 points and nine rebounds of his own as he looks towards NBL stardom.