Wildcats fade-out in Brisbane heartbreaker

The Perth Wildcats will focus on playing the right for four quarters of basketball as it approaches the 2021 post-season.

It comes after the Wildcats gave up a double-digit lead to fall to the Brisbane Bullets 88-91 at Nissan Arena on Wednesday night.

After a strong first half, the coach was disappointed his team wasn’t able to finish the game off as it would have liked.

“We gave up too many points in the second half. Our defence was giving easy points away. It was disappointing, I thought we came out with the right intensity but then the game became too easy and we took soft options which is disappointing,” said Trevor Gleeson.

“There’s no excuses at all. We had an opportunity to put the game away, the game was there to be won, we didn’t step up to the plate. Congratulations to Brisbane they wanted it more and kept on fighting all the way to the end, and they got the cherries.”

Mitch Norton and Luke Travers were on four fouls for much of the second half.

A win would have secured top-two for the Wildcats, but Gleeson said that wasn’t discussed.

“We’re more concerned with playing the right way, I thought we did for a half. We have to start doing that for 40 minutes. That’s where my concern is. The ladder and the positios always works themselves out, so I don’t lose sleep about that.”

A shining light for the Wildcats was Clint Steindl, who buried six threes and ended with career-high equalling 25 points.

Perth were without Todd Blanchfield who was ruled out on game day with knee soreness.

Gleeson is hopeful of his return on Friday, when the Wildcats meet Cairns at RAC Arena.

Perth Wildcats 88 (Steindl 25, Mooney 18, Magnay 11)

Brisbane Bullets 91 (Patterson 23, Cadee 16, Hodgson 16)