The Wildcats got off to an AMAZING start to their 31st finals campaign, making me one happy #RedArmy soldier!
We all know that the Perth Wildcats live in the finals, the NBL finals is their home. And has been for the last 30 seasons… To expect anything other than 100% from the Cats in a semi-final game would be unwise. The Cairns Taipans have got a lot of questions to answer ahead of Game Two after the 22-point loss to the reigning champs.
Check out the game highlights:
After a rollercoaster start to this season, the Wildcats are making up for lost time, stealing the big semi-final win on the road. Bryce Cotton has been an absolute hero for the Cats since his arrival to the team and he had another killer game on Friday night, finishing on 34 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Casey Prather (22 points), Matty Knight (14 points) and Jesse Wagstaff (11 points) all also finished on double digits. The Cats took the lead early on in the game and never really lost the momentum.
Cotton has been, and hopefully will continue to be, a key element of the Cats game however, I also wanted to mention our two other imports – Casey Prather and Jameel McKay. The thing I love about Prather is that he keeps it real on court. He plays smart basketball and knows how to put him self in the right place at the right time. And the reality is, opposition players don’t really know what to do about it! Prather is so athletic, so strong, and yet still so light on his feet. He is a real weapon.
And then there is Jameel McKay. Despite getting pulled up for travelling 10 times a game (slight exaggeration), he plays such an important role for the Cats and he is incredibly agile under the basket. He has been gifted with a wingspan of 7 foot 4, and he puts it to very good use! Watching Jameel play, you can see how much it means to him to be out there on court, he always gives everything he’s got out there.
A big part of the Cats game lately has been how well their bench performs. I feel like there are 8 or 9 guys on the roster right now who could easily be included into the starting five. Coach Trevor Gleeson has a lot of depth to work with, and with a fully fit roster, he is spoilt for choice.
The Wildcats and the Taipans will battle it out once again for Game Two on Monday night at Perth Arena, tip-off at 6:30pm WST.
Show your support for the Perth Wildcats at @PerthWildcats #RedArmy
