Wildcats fall to JackJumpers in Hobart

The Wildcats finished with an impressive 17-11 record, enough to secure second spot and home-court advantage in the semi-finals.

Three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton didn’t play due to a knee injury, while captain Jesse Wagstaff’s night ended early because of ankle soreness.

The third-placed JackJumpers took control from midway through the second term and never really looked like giving up their lead.

The performance of Tai Webster was a positive, with the New Zealander finishing with 15 points while shooting at 77 per cent from the field.

Next Star Alex Sarr was impressive at both ends of the floor on the way to a team-high 17 points to go with four rebounds and two blocks, while big man Keanu Pinder (10 points) started strongly before getting rested for most of the second half.

With Cotton missing due to a knee issue, Jordan Usher came into the starting five after a dozen points against Illawarra on Thursday.

Pinder scored six of the Wildcats’ first eight points including a massive dunk less than two minutes in.

Sarr was having a block party at the other end, swatting away a pair of JackJumpers shots in as many minutes.

In an evenly-fought contest, Tai Webster tied the scores at 20-apiece at quarter-time with a buzzer-beating mid-range fadeaway.

Pinder provided another highlight early in the second quarter when he pounced on an errant pass at the defensive end before storm down the court for a one-handed slam.

Head coach John Rillie continued to use plenty of rotations with youngsters Ben Henshall, Michael Harris, David Okwera and veteran Corey Webster getting plenty of court time ahead of finals.

But it was all Tasmania who went on a scoring blitz before half-time, while keeping the visitors to just 10 second-term points, to take a commanding 47-32 lead at the break.

The Wildcats improved in the third quarter, capped off by a 5-0 run, but couldn’t make major inroads in the deficit.

Sarr, Henshall, Kyle Zunic and Michael Harris all hit long-range shots late in the conest to finish on a positive note, but the damage was already done.