Wildcats subdue stubborn Hawks in Perth HoopsFest duel
The tone was set in the opening period as the Wildcats hit the first nine free throws with Tyler Harvey, Jackson Ball and Will Hickey quickly collecting two fouls for the Hawks.
Illawarra were playing catch up the rest of the way and apart from a 15-4 run in the second quarter courtesy of five three-pointers from former Perth pair Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Todd Blanchfield, the Wildcats retained a degree of control.
They took a 14-point lead in the third period but the Hawks held on and went behind three possessions to Hickey (two), Blanchfield and Johny Narkle made it interesting.
It’s a big win for the Wildcats, who improved to 15-10 with six of their last eight games at the RAC Arena, just a stone’s throw behind fourth-place Melbourne United.
Kristian Doolittle had a strong performance for Perth with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jo Lual-Acuil Jr had 20 points and 7 rebounds, Ben Henshall had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and Dylan Windler had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks’ title defense fell short at 8-16, their third straight loss in the eighth seed, where they sorely missed the added scoring touch of bad kicker QJ Peterson.
While Sam Froling (6 points, 5 rebounds) and JaVale McGee (8 points, 14 rebounds) made a limited impact, Blanchfield became the top scorers with 16 points, Hickey 14 (seven assists, 5 rebounds), Swaka Lo Buluk 13 and Tyler Harvey 11 (6 assists).
