Undermanned Wildcats go down to Phoenix

With superstar Bryce Cotton still sidelined with a rib issue and fellow import Dylan Windler a late out due to shin soreness, the Wildcats lost 100-76 in skipper Jesse Wagstaff's record-breaking 483rd appearance.

It leaves Perth with a 4-5 win-loss record ahead of Thursday night’s Indigenous Round clash against Tasmania at RAC Arena.

There were a few handy contributions offensively with first-year guard Elijah Pepper (17 points and six rebounds), import Kristian Doolittle (11), big man Keanu Pinder (11) and Ben Henshall (10) all reaching double digits.

Doolittle also fought hard at the defensive end, with six of his eight rebounds coming at that end of the floor.

Pinder made his presence felt early, driving to the basket with aggression on a couple of occasions.

Wagstaff officially became the club’s games-record holder when he checked into the match late in the opening term, hitting an important triple a minute later.

Hyrum Harris also had an impact off the bench, getting both of his three-point attempts.

But it was opposition big man Matt Hurt putting on a show at the other end on the way to 14 first-quarter points to help the Phoenix to a 35-23 lead.

Michael Harris provided a spark early in the second term, making the most of his time on court.

Fellow guards Pepper, who led the Wildcats’ scoring at half-time with 10, and Henshall also had their moments.

Perth made slight inroads, but the Phoenix still had a healthy 54-44 buffer at the break.

Young big David Okwera did some good things defensively in the third quarter and Pepper continued to accumulate points.

But the hosts were dominant as they more than doubled their half-time lead to make it 81-60 with a quarter to play.

The Wildcats couldn’t claw their way back in the last, with their winning streak ending after back-to-back victories.