Wildcats down the Taipans in Perth
A PIVOTAL run in the second quarter gave Perth the sniff they needed to orchestrate another Cairns Taipans hiding on Friday night.
The 86-64 loss in front of 11,000 fans in Perth came a fortnight after the Wildcats beat them by 19 in Cairns.
Once again it was their ability to string quick points together that turned a small advantage into a blow out - this time an 18-2 run prior to the main break was the key.
Prior to that one-way traffic it was Cairns who scored seven straight points to make it a 30-30 ball game.
But some sloppy possessions and weak transition defence spoiled their momentum and, led initially by Matt Knight (15 points, seven rebounds) they cruised away with the contest.
Things tightened in the third quarter as Cairns allowed just 11 points through their defence.
But Kevin Lisch (15 points), Everard Bartlett (16) and finally a white-hot Shaun Redhage (26 points, seven rebounds) were never letting the game slip.
Cairns looked good in patches, especially when Alex Loughton (16 points, seven rebounds) and Shane Edwards (15 points, six rebounds) combined in the key.
Jamar Wilson played 31 minutes for his 15 points and four assists, showing no sign of the leg injury that almost ruled him out.
It was Edwards second consecutive strong showing, and one highlighted by a wicked dunk in the first quarter that had the commentary team raving.
Cairns return to their home court for the next round against the Melbourne Tigers.
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Down in Perth: Taipans failed to find form against the Wildcats.
