Wildcats fall one-point short in playoffs decider against United

The Wildcats showed serious fight and determination to bounce back from five points down with 45 seconds remaining to level the scores at 112-apiece with evergreen skipper Jesse Wagstaff nailing a clutch three with 2.8 seconds on the clock.

But opposition captain Chris Goulding was the hero, hitting the match-winning free throw.

Kristian Doolittle was enormous in defeat, becoming just the eighth player in Wildcats history to score 37-plus points in a finals game.

Doolittle finished with yet another double-double, with 37 points to go with 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton has his best game for the series with 33 points including 16 in the opening term to set the tone for his team.

Cotton also had six assists, five rebounds and three steals, playing the entire game in an iron-man performance.

Big men Doolittle and Pinder (15 points and five rebounds) enjoyed a red-hot start to the contest, scoring the Wildcats’ first dozen points including a triple each.

Pinder followed up his three with a steal and dunk on the fast break to give the visitors the early momentum.

Cotton also knocked on down from long-range to make it 15-6 before United hit back.

Cotton raced to a game-high 16 points by quarter-time including three of Perth’s six three-pointers to help his team to a 37-26 advantage.

After trailing by as much as 14 in the opening term, Melbourne hit back in the second to cut the deficit to four within four minutes.

Doolittle then halted the home side’s run with three consecutive buckets for the Wildcats, joining Cotton in double digits.

But opening-game star Goulding had a purple patch for United to level the scores at 50-apiece.

Ben Henshall came back on before half-time and had an offensive impact with back-to-back layups.

Doolittle finished the half with a pair of successful free throws to move to 17 points to go with six rebounds and two steals.

It also gave the Wildcats a 62-58 advantage at the main break.

Doolittle continued to be a presence at both ends of the floor in the third, while Goulding and import Ian Clark were doing the damage for United in a see-sawing and at times fiery term.

Henshall had some nice moments towards the end of the term but it was Melbourne leading 87-84 with a quarter to play.

Doolittle was keeping the Wildcats within striking distance in the last, beating his previous career-high points tally of 33 with six minutes left in the match.

Wagstaff produced a trademark defensive play, drawing a charge on Jack White.

A couple of free throws from Cotton followed by a Windler layup had the Wildcats back on level terms, with scores at 102-all with a little over four minutes left before Doolittle knocked back his fourth three.

The Wildcats found themselves down in the final minute before Cotton’s floater followed by Wagstaff’s three tied things up again.

But Goulding and United held their nerve to prevail by 113-112 in the end of an epic clash and playoff series between the arch-rivals.