BOXSCOREThe Perth Wildcats have fought back from a half-time deficit against the Melbourne Tigers to walk away with a 72-67 win at Challenge Stadium on Friday night.
Despite not having their main man Tommy Greer – out with an Achilles injury – the Tigers challenged the top-of-the-table Wildcats, but a second-half turnaround kept the Wildcats in No.1 spot on the iiNet NBL Championship ladder.
Melbourne came out fighting with energy, clean hands and precision, racing to a big lead with Cameron Tragardh and Liam Rush making the shots. Their defence was also near flawless with Lucas Walker working on the rebounds.
It was a different story for the Wildcats as they struggled to put the ball in the basket and turned the ball over regularly.
By half-time the Wildcats gained momentum and started to run with the fast-paced Tigers.
Lisch got the ball rolling in the second half with seven points in the first two minutes of play.
Moments later, teammate Matt Knight put the ’Cats in the lead for the first time when he easily tipped the ball in the basket.
Daniel Dillon had been influential in the first half with three steals and five points, but there was no change to his statistics in the third quarter.
While the ’Cats improved the Tigers began losing their charge and mistakes brought their opposition to the line to give them a six-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Both teams played desperately in the final term, but smart offensive play from point guard Damian Martin and the determination of top scorer Redhage with 19 points kept the ‘Cats on top at the final buzzer.
Perth Wildcats 72 (Redhage 19, Lisch 16, Nevill 12)
Melbourne Tigers 67 (Rush 17, Tragardh 17, Dorsey 9)
