Wildcats fall one-point shy of comeback win over Kings

Trailing by as much as 17 in the opening half, the Wildcats stormed back in the final term to take the lead with two minutes to go thanks to the hot hand of young gun Elijah Pepper.

In just his second professional game, Pepper shot five triples among his 18 points.

He hit 10 points in the last quarter alone including the game-tying and lead-changing triples.

Rebounding machines Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler were also huge in the comeback, combining for 35 points and 24 rebounds.

Windler had 16 rebounds alone on the way to his first double-double as a Wildcat.

Four-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton was also among the leading scorers with 20 points.

It was all Sydney to start the contest with MVPs Jaylen Adams and Xavier Cooks in everything as the visitors led 27-11 at quarter-time.

After a slow start by his lofty standards, Cotton caught fire in the second term to swiftly overtake Adams and Cooks as the leading scorer in the match.

Windler’s rebounding was a major factor in unlocking Cotton’s best, reeling in seven boards by three minutes into the second quarter.

Pepper, making the most of increased court time with fellow guard Ben Henshall out with illness, then cut the margin to single digits with a long-range triple.

Pepper then hit another before Doolittle followed suit, and all of a sudden it was a two-point deficit.

Doolittle’s buzzer-beater put back completed a massive term for the Wildcats, with the score at 40-43 by half-time.

The Kings were back in control after the break, extending their buffer to double-digits before another late Doolittle shot had things at 67-58 by three-quarter time.

Three-pointers from Michael Harris and Cotton helped give Perth some momentum early in the final quarter.

Pepper’s third triple then made it 73-77 and had the Red Army believing of a come-from-behind victory with five minutes to play.

Windler’s 15th rebound turned into a mid-range two from Cotton and a two-point game.

His 16th resulted in Pepper levelling the scores at 81-apiece before the sharpshooter repeated the dose as the Wildcats took the lead for the first time in the match.

But the Kings held their nerve to prevail 88-87 and go 2-0 for the season.

The Wildcats have another blockbuster home clash next Friday night against Melbourne United.

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