NBA product James Ennis helped the Perth Wildcats soar to an impressive 81-69 victory over the Sydney Kings in Round 2 of NBL action in Perth on Friday night.
Ennis was unstoppable in the final five minutes, smashing home two furious fast break dunks and another acrobatic layup as the Wildcats opened up what had been a tight four quarter-long contest with a 10-0 run.
The Miami Heat import was electric over the opening two quarters, scoring the majority of his 27 points in the first 20 minutes, before catching fire again in the final stretch with a dazzling open court display.
Sydney were right there for the huge upset- they led at the half and came into the fourth quarter tied at 54 apiece, but the Kings managed just six fields in the final frame while the Wildcats equalled that amount in the paint alone while adding four threes.
Shawn Redhage had an even game for the Wildcats, adding 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists while young big man Tom Jervis had an outstanding game with 18 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.
Sydney failed to match the defensive intensity of the Wildcats, recording three steals to Perth’s seven, five less blocks and a 1-14 effort from three-point land.
Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson was back in Victoria with his sick mum, leaving assistant Andy Stewart in charge.
“It’s a massive relief but what I loved was that every single person stood up this week. We asked for it with one man down obviously and all the guys stepped up, which was beautiful,” Stewart said.
“I thought offensively we were out of sync and it was almost like we wanted to win the game with the ball in our hands, but we looked better when we shared the ball and that fourth quarter defensive effort was outstanding.”
Brad Hill led the Kings with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double while AJ Ogilvy added 18 points and four blocks.
The Perth Wildcats improved to 2-0 and moved into first place on the NBL ladder after the Breakers’ loss to Townsville earlier in the evening.
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Photo: Paul Kane, Getty Images.
