Perth Wildcats condemned to third home loss in a row by South East Melbourne Phoenix in frantic finish

Perth Wildcats’ run of losses on their home court has extended to three games after a John Brown III game-winner gave South East Melbourne Phoenix a one-point victory in a slugfest. In what was their final game at home before a run of five on the road which spans much of the next four weeks as RAC Arena hosts the United Cup, the Wildcats surrendered a 14-point half-time lead to go down 77-76. A helter-skelter final few minutes of the contest culminated in Dylan Windler’s fifth foul being called as the Phoenix attempted to inbound the ball for a game-winning shot, sending Brown to the free throw line. After Wildcats coach John Rillie’s challenge proved unsuccessful, Brown — who Perth tried to recruit mid-season in 2022 but did not receive FIBA clearance — made one free throw to further cut back his side’s deficit before being handed the ball in the mid-range after Nathan Sobey was double-teamed and making no mistake. Being left without a timeout 94 feet away from their basket, the Wildcats were not able to advance the ball all the way down the court to come up with a shot. Rillie said his team had not matched South East Melbourne’s improved intensity in the second half. “We just didn’t respond to that consistently enough. Whether on offensive rebounds, 50-50 balls, that’s what allowed them to stick around when we had that double-digit lead,” Rillie said. “Those plays just add up and build up. We had too many of those moments. We have to respect every possession on both sides of the ball a little bit more, with the way that we’re playing right now. “The third quarter allowed them to seize momentum in the game, where we probably had opportunities to stretch that lead out.” Despite the result, David Duke jnr stuffed the stat sheet, contributing 21 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Jo-Lual Acuil managed 15 points and six rebounds in his 150th NBL game. Neither side was able to establish any offensive rhythm in the first term, with both entering the bonus within the game’s first six minutes and a total of 13 fouls called before the opening interval. Lual-Acuil had been kept without a point in the first quarter of his milestone game but got himself into the game at by scoring on the first two possessions of the second. Scoring freely continued to be a challenge for Perth, but a connected defensive effort saw them keep the visitors scoreless in the final five-and-a-half-minutes before the main break and to just 26 points across the first two terms. The Wildcats were able to capitalise on the Phoenix’s persistent misses and bypass their defence by getting out in transition, closing the second quarter on a 10-0 run to open up a game-high 14-point lead at half-time. As has often been the case at home this season, Perth could not take their momentum from the first half into the second, allowing South East Melbourne to score 29 points in the third term and close within three at the last break. After making only two of their 15 three-point attempts in the first half, the Phoenix connected on five of their nine in the third term — three of which came from centre Jordan Hunter — and were able to give themselves second chances by grabbing seven offensive rebounds. South East Melbourne collected 19 offensive rebounds over the course of the night, which Rillie attributed to his team not “competing at a high enough level in that second half”. “They do a great job on the glass, they launch a lot of threes, so you have to contest, but then you’ve got to do your next job of rebounding,” he said. Neither side was able to seize the initiative in the fourth quarter’s early exchanges due to their offensive struggles, but a Glover tip-in tied the scores with four minutes to play and set the stage for a blockbuster finish.