Perth beat Cairns, still unbeaten

James Ennis of the Perth Wildcats drives to the basket against the Cairns Taipans at Perth Arena. Source: Paul Kane / Getty Images

THERE was no shortage of highlights as the Perth Wildcats maintained their unbeaten start to the NBL season with a 75-68 win over Cairns.

James Ennis scored eight of his 22 points in the third quarter and came up with two clutch baskets in the last to help Perth record its best start in franchise history with a seventh consecutive win.

Cairns fought back from a 14-point deficit late in the third term to draw level early in the last quarter, with former Cat Alex Loughton (14 points) doing the bulk of the damage.

But timely triples from veteran duo Damian Martin and Shawn Redhage steadied the home side before a monster three from Ennis with 2:30 to play gave the home side a seven-point buffer.

A contested Cam Gliddon layup kept the Taipans alive, but Ennis answered with an even tougher floater in the keyway to ensure the Wildcats would remain unbeaten.

The WA side had the luxury of easing centre Matt Knight back into the fray following a pre-season ankle injury, with the big man logging 18 minutes while showing understandable signs of rust in his return.

Perth also had to cover for a rare off-night from Redhage, who logged just 10 minutes after getting in early foul trouble and eventually fouling out.

But stellar performances from Martin (12 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals), Jermaine Beal (13 points) and Tom Jervis (eight points, eight boards and three blocks) led the Cats home.

Demetri McCamey (13 points) was among Cairns' best, but the visitors paid the price for a high turnover count of 17 after succumbing to Perth's full-court pressure.

Earlier, Ennis wasted little time in getting into his dunk routine for the night, throwing down two slams in the first quarter, including an eye-catching alley-oop on a pass from Beal.

Martin's three opening term steals were the catalyst for Perth's eight-point lead at the first break.

But solid shooting kept the disciplined Taipans within range, and the visitors ended the first half with an 8-2 run to trail by just two baskets at intermission.

Ennis caught fire with a big third term as the Cats pushed their lead out to double digits before the Taipans began their massive comeback.

The Wildcats will complete the second leg of their Round 6 double-header on the road against Wollongong on Sunday, while Cairns travels to Melbourne to take on the Tigers on Saturday.

Follow Chris Robinson on Twitter: @CJKRobinson

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