Wildcats deadly third quarters

Perth Wildcats third quarters are becoming a defining characteristic of their current winning streak.

On Sunday, the Wildcats crushed the Sydney Kings 89-65 and, incredibly, it came after trailing almost half way through the third term.

From that point on, they went on a 17-2 run to close out the quarter, which became a 36-6 run to effectively end the contest.

“It was just our defence, we didn’t have much time to scout, and the guys just went on the fly with what they needed to be doing on the court. That’s a part of maturing as a team, we have to have that group intelligence, to know what’s going on out on the court,” he said.

“It’s about communication, trust levels to put out those fires because they can score. Last time we played them they scored 109 points or something, so we know they can score. So there was a big emphasis on our defence.”

The turn-around was bolstered by a blistering third term of scoring from Bryce Cotton, which included three-straight triples.

Cotton ended with a game-high 29 points.

Meanwhile, young gun Luke Travers had his best game for the Wildcats, racking up a career-high 16-points without missing a shot.

Coach Gleeson also commended Jarred Bairstow for his work defensively and on the glass (seven rebounds), while Jesse Wagstaff has a season-high nine boards.

John Mooney also amassed another 17 rebounds, all contributing to a differential of 19 boards between the two teams.

Mitch Norton continued his tremendous defensive season, holding Sydney’s Casper Ware to just six points, and no three-pointers, on two made field goals

The game also marked Todd Blanchfield’s 300^th NBL game, with the first-year Wildcat adding 11 points.

19 three-pointers were scored in the game, which means $1,900 will be donated to the victim’s of the recent NSW floods.

Perth return home on Sydney ahead of their Round 12 triple-header.

Perth Wildcats 89 (Cotton 29, Travers 16, Mooney 13)

Sydney Kings 65 (Martin 18, Vasiljevic 13, Hunter 10)