Perth Wildcats lose semifinal to Tasmania JackJumpers and grand final dream is over

Perth Wildcats championship dreams are over after they were stunned at home by Tasmania JackJumpers and lost the deciding game of their semifinal series 100-84 at RAC Arena.

The Wildcats were hoping to make the most of the home court advantage they’d earned by finishing second on the ladder but the JackJumpers stood tall to claim their spot in the grand final against Melbourne.

“Tough game, tough series, tough season,” captain Jesse Wagstaff said.

Nothing went right for the Wildcats and Tasmania just kept making big plays. Bryce Cotton top scored with 21 points but Hyrum Harris was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 13. Game one hero Keanu Pinder failed to score.

There was a surprise before the game even began when Pinder decided to play without his protective face mask.

The tension which existed from game was one still evident as the crowd booed Marcus Lee as he returned from a one-game suspension.

It was another contest with plenty of early fouls and Tasmania started well despite committing early infringements. They led 21-19 at quarter time, then Pinder took the court in the second quarter with his mask on.

Cotton had a great start to the before the Wildcats found themselves with foul problems Kristian Doolittle, Jordan Usher, Harris and Tai Webster all had two fouls and Tasmania attacked the basket.

Milton Doyle scored 13 points for the quarter as the JackJumpers pulled clear by nine points at half-time.

Tasmania kept hitting big shots at the start of the second half and extended their lead to 17 points.

But Alex Sarr inspired his team with some strong defensive efforts and when he dived on the floor to win possession, the crowd got involved. Perth got the margin back to nine points but missed free throws proved costly and Tasmania still led by 13 points with one quarter remaining.

Pinder lifted defensively at the start of the final period to give his teammates energy, but Tasmania had an answer to every challenge and pulled clear again.

The Wildcats were clearly frustrated as things kept going against them. Doyle scored 24 points, Jack McVeigh produced 27 and Will Magnay scored 18.

A smaller than usual crowd was in attendance with only 7467 people in the building and Wildcats members were left angry in the build up as ticketing problems created mass confusion.

Members who paid to sit in the same seat they’d been in all season were given the incorrect ticket by Ticketek, forcing the club to scramble to get everyone into the right spot.

They were still working on the problem one hour before tip-off.

Earlier in the night, Melbourne United booked their place in the grand final with a 100-94 win over Illawarra in the deciding game of that series at John Cain Arena.

Former Wildcat Luke Travers produced a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.