Casey Prather’s return to the jungle didn’t quite work out as he would have planned…
The Perth Wildcats defeated Melbourne United on Friday night for their third win of the season. Ex-Wildcat import Casey Prather made his anticipated return to the jungle however, his new team couldn’t hold the Wildcats down in front of the #RedArmy. For the record, I want to thank Prather for his contribution to the Perth Wildcats while he was here, he was a HUGE part of the team and I wish him all the best.
It was a top-of-the-table clash for the Wildcats and United, with the reigning champs prevailing to become the only team in #NBL18 to remain undefeated. Melbourne went into this game as favourites with their star-studded line-up including Prather, David Andersen and Chris Goulding however, the Wildcats weren’t prepared to give up in front of their home crowd of over 13,000 fans.
Fun fact: Friday night’s game was the first time in NBL HISTORY that 13,000+ fans have attended a round three game. Great job Red Army!
Lucas Walker has been impressive for the Cats in his first three games of the season, he is tough, feisty and doesn’t give up in a contest and if he wasn’t already before, he is quickly becoming a fan favourite. Speaking of fan favourites – Import Jean-Pierre Tokoto is really starting to find his feet and looks more comfortable on court with each game. Check out JP’s first dunk of the season below – it was a ripper!! We hope to see many more!
AIR ☁️ PIERRE ☁️ UP ☁️ THERE ☁️ @AirPierreTokoto levitates for the one ✋stuff #NBL18 #MELatPER pic.twitter.com/q9stcB0BpO
— The NBL (@NBL) October 20, 2017
Fellow import Derek Cooke Jr has had a slightly slower start to the season (due to the fact that he hadn’t played a pre-season game with the Perth Wildcats, as his clearance took longer than expected) however, he definitely put his name on the map last night! DC was brought into the game in the second half and finished with 10 points and four rebounds. He had a great game and hopefully as his game time increases, so will his confidence. He gave us a little taste of what he is capable of last night:
GET ? @DCookeJr ? Huge second half for the @PerthWildcats forward in this blockbuster clash #MELatPER pic.twitter.com/kM91RqQ7iK
— The NBL (@NBL) October 20, 2017
The ever-reliable Bryce Cotton finished the game with a team-high 18 points plus three steals, while the mighty Angus Brandt finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Skipper Damian Martin gave his teammates five assists and JP Tokoto finished with two blocks. Check out all of the game highlights below.
The Perth Wildcats now take their first trip interstate to take on the Cairns Taipans on Sunday 22 October, tip-off at 6:00pm WST.
Show your support for the Perth Wildcats at @PerthWildcats #RedArmy
