Wildcats Sink Phoenix with Scorching Fourth Quarter

The Perth Wildcats only booked a Play-In Qualifier spot by the slimmest of margins, but they are one win from a playoff berth thanks to a Bryce Cotton, Luke Travers-inspired fightback to beat South East Melbourne Phoenix 106-99.

It was elimination time for the Phoenix and Wildcats at John Cain Arena to open the NBL23 Finals and for a lot of the evening, it did appear it would be South East Melbourne advancing to Sunday's Play-In Game.

The Phoenix were up by 13 when Mitch Creek scored to start the fourth quarter and the Wildcats needed something special. That's exactly what they got and it all started with three-time MVP Cotton.

After his nine points and 2/20 shooting performance on Sunday against Sydney, he had a two-point, 1/9 shooting first half and his team needed him to fire. That's exactly what he did. 

Cotton hit three three-pointers for 12 quick points to start the fourth quarter to will the Wildcats back into the contest. Then ultimately, despite it being their great weakness all season and even in the first half, three huge offensive rebounds proved crucial down the stretch.

Two of them went to Travers who finished off both with two-handed slams, the other went the way of TaShawn Thomas on his own missed shot, and he scored on the second chance. 

That helped the Wildcats to outscore the Phoenix 41 points to 23 in the fourth quarter and to come back from 13 points down to win by seven.

The season is now over for South East Melbourne while Perth will head to either Cairns or Hobart on Sunday to take on the Taipans or JackJumpers with a spot in the playoffs against the Sydney Kings on the line.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Luke Travers is coming up clutch for the <a href="https://twitter.com/PerthWildcats?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PerthWildcats</a> ?<br><br>Live &amp; free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/bYuhm86Yfm">pic.twitter.com/bYuhm86Yfm</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1623612812873580545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

After 11 points and 3/29 shooting going back to Sunday and the first half of this game, Cotton delivered a stunning fourth quarter for Perth and finished the night with 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals with 4/8 three-point shooting.

Brady Manek was huge for Perth with 19 points in the first half and 24 for the game with 6/11 from deep while TaShawn Thomas added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Corey Webster 12 points and three boards.

Travers was huge too with 11 points and nine rebounds while Mitch Norton made a significant impact in his 19 minutes with 10 points.

Wildcats coach John Rillie liked the way his team played most of the night, it was just a matter of waiting to catch fire and that happened with a 41-point fourth quarter – the best quarter of any team all season.

"I felt we came out with a great aura about ourselves, I thought we had great intent and purpose," Rillie said.

"The scoreboard does not dictate how you play, the game was going fine and we just weren’t playing at our best offensively. The guys were competing and rebounding hard, and then they just stuck with it. 

"They were dialled in and then we had that explosion for 41 points. I think we've been showing that we're an explosive offensive team when we find a good rhythm. We just didn’t find our rhythm until that fourth quarter."

Mitch Creek top-scored for the Phoenix with 24 points while Gary Browne added 20 points and five assists with Alan Williams contributing 16 points and 17 rebounds, Trey Kell III 14 points and four boards, and Reuben Te Rangi 14 points and nine rebounds.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell just felt his team couldn’t keep doing in the fourth quarter what they had done so well to be in control by 13 points up to that point.

"Up to three quarter-time we had a pretty good ascendancy in certain areas of the game which we pride ourselves on like our rebounding and getting to the free-throw line," Mitchell said.

"In that fourth quarter, add the Bryce factor in on that and they kicked our arse in other areas we should have been taking care of. 

"They outrebounded us by 12 in the last quarter, had 14 second chance points in the last quarter and combine that with six points off turnovers and getting to the line 10 times, and shooting perfectly from there. 

"It all sort of added up and for us, from an offensive standpoint we weren’t very efficient. It looked fatigue had set in a little bit and I know some guys were cramping up. All the credit to Perth and the way they were able to close that game out. It was a ridiculous last quarter."

After his 2/20 showing on Sunday, Bryce Cotton made the perfect start with the first basket of the game for the Wildcats but amazingly he would miss his next eight shots of the half and it would be his only field goal going into half-time.

However, Brady Manek was having no such problems and hit a couple of early triples for Perth before South East Melbourne took over scoring 11 straight points including a couple of deep makes from point guard Gary Browne.

Tai Webster responded with an and-one play for the 'Cats and then Manek hit his third triple of the opening term. Mitch Norton gave Perth a spark and got an offensive rebound and made a spectacular play for a putback which he converted into a three-point play.

However, Browne nailed another triple on the buzzer and South East Melbourne was leading 22-18 by quarter-time.

Ryan Broekhoff knocked down a three-pointer early in the second quarter enjoying his return for the Phoenix and just as the home team were threatening to pull away, Manek led the response for the Wildcats.

He hit a fourth three of the half to put the 'Cats back in front but it would be Reuben Te Rangi who led the charge of South East Melbourne into half-time. He scored seven quick points and the Phoenix would take a 51-47 lead into the break.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gary Browne is a magician ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLFinals</a> Live &amp; free on ESPN and Kayo Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/urT1H1kDPT">pic.twitter.com/urT1H1kDPT</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1623603519881383938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Williams had delivered a dominant half for the Phoenix with 12 points and 11 rebounds with his team controlling the glass with 27 rebounds to 19 including 13 at the offensive end to five.

It was the 19 points and five three-pointers from Manek that kept Perth close at the half while Cotton had just two points on 1/9.

Creek and Williams both scored to open the second half in worrying signs for the Wildcats. Yet another offensive rebound and basket from Williams, and then a Creek finish off the Owen Foxwell steal on Cotton had South East Melbourne up 11 heading towards three quarter-time.

It soon became 14 and settled at 11 by the end of the third with Creek scoring to open the fourth period and putting the Phoenix on top by 13.

Then it became Cotton time. He knocked down a three and then after a dunk from Luke Travers, Cotton scored again and completed a four-point play and all of a sudden it was a two-point ball game.

Te Rangi hit another from beyond the arc to steady the Phoenix but Cotton responded in kind as he continued to heat up like only he can.

Norton and Te Rangi traded three balls before five quick Perth points from TaShawn Thomas saw them grab the lead for the first time in the second half.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Death, Taxes and Bryce Cotton ?<br><br>The game is tied, watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLFinals</a> Live &amp; Free on ESPN and Kayo Freebies ? <a href="https://t.co/MUet1OwA1W">pic.twitter.com/MUet1OwA1W</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1623609433011150848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

An offensive rebound and dunk from Travers after a missed Cotton three saw the 'Cats out to a three-point lead with 3:45 to play. A minute later and Cotton stretched Perth's lead to five and Travers kept it there with another o-board and putback dunk.

An and-one from Creek and three-pointer from Kell still gave the Phoenix a glimmer of hope, but it wasn’t to be and Thomas secured the win for the Wildcats firstly with an offensive rebound and bucket, and then two clutch free-throws.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL FINALS – PLAY-IN QUALIFIER

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 99 (Creek 24, Browne 20, Williams 16)

PERTH WILDCATS 106 (Cotton 26, Manek 24, Thomas 13) 

BOX SCORE