Wildcats beat Phoenix by one point after stunning comeback

The Wildcats jumped the Phoenix in fourth on the NBL ladder after prevailing by a solitary point – 100-99 – in front of 13,156 home fans.

Bryce Cotton, Keanu Pinder and Kristian Doolittle all continued their strong to lead Perth to their 16th win of NBL25, snapping a two-game losing streak.

Four-time NBL MVP Cotton strengthened his case of a fifth Andrew Gaze Trophy with yet another starring role, finishing with a game-high 29 points to go with six assists.

Cotton had 10 points and two triples in the final quarter alone as the Wildcats bounced back from 12 points down with 8:50 remaining to snatch a thrilling win.

Big men Doolittle (17 points, 13 points and six assists) and Pinder (22 points and seven rebounds) were also enormous in the result.

Tai Webster was important in his first game back from a hamstring injury, finished with eight points and four assists and stepping up in the final quarter.

Young gun Ben Henshall (12 points, five rebounds and two steals) did his bit as well, highlighted by a lead-changing three in the last to get his team rolling.

Henshall also opened the Wildcats’ scoring with a three after a strong rebound at the defensive end from Doolittle.

Pinder was back in the starting five and scored back-to-back buckets including an and-one to continue his strong form from last Saturday night.

The Wildcats were excellent from long-range with Doolittle, Elijah Pepper and David Okwera also hitting triples.

Webster was injected into the game for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Webster took a little over a minute to have his first assist, feeding it out to Okwera from downtown.

Leading 27-26 at quarter-time, the Wildcats started the second term well with Doolittle the first player into double digits and Henshall chipping in at both ends of the floor.

Webster and Cotton were combining nicely, with the New Zealander dishing his superstar teammate a perfect pass which has graciously accepted for a layup.

Cotton had a purple patch heading into half-time with seven points in a few minutes including a clutch three.

The Wildcats got on a roll before South East Melbourne steadied before the break to level things up at 49-apiece.

The Phoenix were the dominant team of the third quarter, going on a couple of big scoring runs on the way to their biggest lead of the game.

Their 77-66 buffer was a credit to the work of big men Matt Hurt and Jordan Hunter.

Webster continued to have some nice moments in the final term of his comeback game, playing with his usual pace and energy in a bid to lift his team.

Then came the stunning comeback, inspired by the likes of Cotton, Doolittle, Pinder, Henshall and more.

The Wildcats complete Round 19 with a tough away clash against Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday.