THE Perth Wildcats made it two wins from two matchups against the NBL1 West Select team over the weekend, continuing their hot start to the National Basketball League (NBL) pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 fixture.

Following Friday night’s 18-point win, the Wildcats and NBL1 West Select team did battle again as a warmup for next month’s NBL season opener. In that clash, the Wildcats were tested by the West Select team, but ultimately proved too good and took home the chocolates in a high-scoring affair.

However, the Wildcats fired in the first half to essentially put the result beyond reach by the time the main break had arrived. It was a powerful display from Perth, as it looks towards a return to finals success after bowing out early last time, and if Sunday’s win at Lakeside Recreation Centre is anything to go by, the Wildcats will be one of the best scoring teams in the competition.

Perth Wildcats (131) def. NBL1 West Select (108)

It was a blistering first half from the Wildcats, who showed their improved offensive punch with this season’s roster. Many times in the past, Perth’s shortcomings has come in the form of an over-reliance on four-time MVP Bryce Cotton on the scoring front, but the story was much different in Sunday’s 23-point victory.

The Wildcats posted a whopping 73 points in the first half, with the team’s central figures playing most of their minutes in the first two quarters. Perth was shooting 59 per cent from the field, and had several avenues to scoring, which clearly overpowered the NBL1 West team.

Although the damage was not as bad in the second half, the Wildcats still managed to get the margin up to as much as 36 points at one stage, flexing their muscles and demonstrating a level of scoring that looks much improved on last season.

In a huge offensive performance from a team perspective, Cotton stood above the rest as expected, posting 22 points on 9/14 shooting from the field to go along with four assists in a vintage performance from the reigning MVP. Remarkably, he did all of this in just 16 minutes of court time, indicating he has no intention of slowing down despite an unmatched resume in the modern game.

For the second match in a row, it was Perth’s bench performers that made their mark in the big win on Sunday. Forward David Okwera produced his best performance in a Wildcats uniform, posting 24 points and nine rebounds to put his hand up to play valuable minutes this season.

Elijah Pepper produced his second standout showing in a row, delivering 21 points and cementing his name as one to watch for Perth throughout the 2024/25 fixture. Thomas Gerovich made every post a winner in his 12 minutes of court time, shooting 7/7 from the field to finish the contest with 16 points in a perfect performance offensively.

For the NBL1 West Select team, captain CJ Turnage top-scored with 18 points (6/13 FG) alongside six rebounds, while Tevin Jackson impressed with 16 points on 5/8 shooting.