Post Game Wrap

Bryce Cotton must’ve gone off.

It’s what most would assume if told Perth had dropped 39 points in a quarter. The Wildcats did just that in the opening term against the Hawks on Friday, but Cotton was on the bench in civvies.

It points to how remarkable the first quarter of the showdown in the west truly was.

The Hawks came into the clash the league’s hottest offensive unit, and most would’ve favoured Justin Tatum’s side in a track meet, but the Cats went a stunning 9-12 from long range to start the clash.

It set in motion a runaway train the Hawks could only chase from there, with their final lead of the game coming at 6-4 less than two minutes in as they ultimately went down 113-105.

The Cats lead ballooned to as much as 13 at various stages only for the Hawks to get back within a score, but never in front.

“Perth shot the ball well, we didn’t play well. That’s it,” Tatum said post-game.

“They made nine threes, I tip my hat to them. They came out playing well, they were prepared, they won the game. [I would’ve liked us] to come out with a little bit more energy and assert ourselves early.

“I tip my hat to our guys for competing, not giving up and trying to give ourselves a chance to win the game. We’re eager to get back to practice and play our game next week, so I’m just glad everyone’s healthy.”

Opening term puts defence on the back burner

The Wildcats came into the clash shooting a lowly 28 per cent from deep on the season, but you would not have known it the way they threw caution to the wind from the perimeter early.

Young gun Ben Henshall led the onslaught that saw the Cats equal the highest score ever notched in a quarter in the 40-minute era.

The Hawks were hardly shabby in response with 31 points at 71 per cent from the field, including a four-point play from HJ Lee, while a rare three from Mason Peatling resulted in a five-point play with a foul called off the ball on his shot.

It was an opening term that would have had them leading just about any other game – like the six of eight first quarters they’d won this season – but instead they trailed by six and never got back in front.

Hickey and Harvey show falls short

Tyler Harvey’s scoring this season has been marked by efficiency and Friday’s clash saw a continuation of the trend, the skipper dropping his first five field goals and finishing the half with 15 points at 6-7.

That it included just one trip to the foul-line in the opening half was clearly a source of frustration, with the captain teed up after he was bumped three times by Todd Withers en route to the basket without a whistle three minutes before the break.

It was his third foul and forced him to sit, the frustration evident as the Hawks bench was also hit with a technical foul before halftime. Harvey finished with 25 points at 10-13, but what more he can possibly do to get some joy from the officials is a fair question.

With Harvey forced to momentarily cool his jets on the pine, newly selected Boomer Will Hickey took control at the start of the third, dropping 10 of his side’s first 15 third-quarter points.

He finished with 20 points, four assists and four steals, while fellow Boomers selection Lachy Olbrich also had 14 points in 20 minutes from the bench to be his side’s next-best scorer.

Wani’s defensive stripes on show

Had the Hawks pulled off a miraculous comeback victory, they would have largely had Wani Swaka Lo Buluk to thank for it.

The early Defensive Player of the Year favourite finished with just eight points and two assists, but it was his effort putting the handcuffs on Henshall in the second half that truly brought the Hawks back into the picture.

Henshall had 21 points at the half, but he would’ve enjoyed more personal space on a CBD train in Tokyo than that afforded him by Swaka Lo Buluk in the third quarter.

Henshall did escape for a buzzer-beater on the third-term bell, but Swaka Lo Buluk holding the hot-handed sharp-shooter to just six points in the second half was key in keeping the Hawks within reach.

He also had back-to-back threes to get the Hawks within five 1.29 before three-quarter-time. It was the type of dogged effort that illustrates why he’s held in such high regard within Hawks camp.

It was the Hawks first road defeat of the season, and they will enjoy a long build-up back in Wollongong before heading to Adelaide to take on the 36ers next Sunday, possibly with key man Trey Kell back on deck.

“I’m not going to have a complete answer for that, but Trey’s been progressing great, so we’ll re-evaluate him this week and see how he is for next week against Adelaide,” Tatum said.