Pinder, Harris lead Perth to big win over 36ers
19 Sep
1
min read


The home-grown recruit, who took another significant step forward after an injury-interrupted off-season, starred at both ends of the court in the Wildcats' 112-80 NBL Blitz win over Adelaide 36ers on Tuesday evening.
Pinder finished with 17 points, including 11 in the first quarter, to go with four rebounds as Perth made it two wins from as many starts in the pre-season tournament ahead of their finale against New Zealand on Thursday.
Head coach John Rillie was desperate to avoid any lapses like Sunday's hard-fought win over Cairns and he would've been pleased with what he saw as the Wildcats led comfortably at every chance and didn't take their foot off the gas.
Development player Michael Harris made the most of his increased minutes, amassing 18 points, 12 of which were scored in a hot second term, while WA-bred young gun Ben Henshall (17) had some magic moments.
Perth set the tone for a massive opening quarter with a stunning 11-0 run to start the match.
Pinder reached double digits well before the 36ers side combined as the Wildcats took a commanding 37-11 lead into quarter-time.
Adelaide were much more competitive in the second term before sharpshooter Harris caught fire, nailing three triples including two in a row to make it 63-39 at the main break.
That 24-point advantage remained at three-quarter time before Rillie began to rest his starters and give court time to the youngsters including development player Dontae Russo-Nance and fellow newcomer David Okwera.
The Wildcats' season opener is against Tasmania at RAC Arena on September 29 with tickets available via Ticketek.
Check out the picture gallery from Tuesday's win over Adelaide here

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