Young guns star as Wildcats beat Hawks at Blitz

Coming off an NBL Blitz-opening victory over New Zealand on Sunday, the Wildcats made it two from two on the Gold Coast to stretch their unbeaten run to seven.

With exciting import Dylan Windler (ankle) and regular starter Tai Webster (illness) out, several Wildcats youngsters stood up.

WA-bred guard Ben Henshall got a starting-five opportunity for the third time this pre-season and made the most of it, registering a double-double.

Henshall was hot early, scoring the Wildcats’ first four points of the contest on the way to nine for the first quarter and 18 for the match to go with 10 rebounds.

He was one of five players to reach double figures alongside four-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton, who had 13 points in three quarters before sitting out the last, Elijah Pepper (17), Kristian Doolittle (14) and Michael Harris (12).

Twin towers Keanu Pinder and Izan Almansa were having a big impact in the paint, combining for five rebounds, as Perth took a commanding 30-16 lead into quarter-time.

The Hawks came storming back into the game in the second quarter, levelling the scores at 38-apiece with four minutes to go in the half.

The re-injection of Cotton, who finished the half with a game-high 11 points, helped the Wildcats re-gain the lead 47-41 at the main break.

Henshall joined Cotton in double digits early in the second half with the first of two triples for the quarter.

Then it became showtime with Doolittle and Cotton both producing eye-catching dunks.

Pepper was providing some firepower off the bench with five third-quarter points as Perth’s six-point half-time lead remained with a term to play.

Michael Harris’ four-point play got the Wildcats off to a perfect start in the last.

Development Player Dontae Russo-Nance then drew a charge against new Hawks import Darius Days in another team-lifting moment.

Henshall and Pepper continued to make important buckets to extinguish any hope of a final-quarter Illawarra comeback.

The Wildcats’ final game of the Blitz is against Cairns at Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre on Thursday, starting at 5.30pm WST.

The game will be streamed live on Kayo Sports.