Wildcats Off-Season Wrap: 21 July
Perth Wildcats players continued to impress across Australia and New Zealand this week, with a finals berth secured in the NBL1 West, another big scoring night from Elijah Pepper and a dominant all-round display from Marley Sam.
David Okwera and the East Perth Eagles travelled north to take on the ladder-leading Geraldton Buccaneers.
Despite the defeat, Okwera was one of the Eagles best performers, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, falling just two boards short of a double-double.
Cameron Huefner helped the Perry Lakes Hawks secure their place in the 2026 NBL1 West Playoffs, recording back-to-back wins to return to the playoffs in their first season under Wildcats Assistant Coach Ben Peterson.
Huefner filled the stat sheet in the Hawks' victory over the Cockburn Cougars with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals, before backing it up with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in a road win over the Mandurah Magic.
Over in the NBL1 East, Alex Higgins-Titsha wrapped up the regular season with two strong performances for the Bankstown Bruins.
Although the Bruins narrowly missed the playoffs, Higgins-Titsha finished his campaign on a high, posting 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals against the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Spiders before contributing 10 points, seven rebounds, a steal and a block in a win over the Maitland Mustangs.
Marley Sam delivered another impressive all-round performance for the Eastern Suns in a thrilling contest that was decided by a game-winner from teammate Terrandus Smith.
Sam recorded 26 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals as the Suns defeated the South West Slammers, continuing the outstanding form that has him firmly in the NBL1 West MVP conversation.
In New Zealand, Elijah Pepper helped the Wellington Saints return to the winners list while extending his remarkable scoring run.
Pepper finished with 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over the Tauranga Whai, marking his 12th game of 25 or more points in just 16 appearances this NZNBL season.
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