Cotton’s class takes Perth past Ignite
Photo: NBA G-League (Twitter / X)
Bryce Cotton showed his NBA-level talent in Perth’s 127-112 win over the NBA G-League Ignite on Saturday morning.
The three-time NBL Most Valuable Player had a game-breaking 40 points for the Wildcats, where he shot 8/10 from beyond the arc to go along with five rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block in just under 40 minutes of game time.
He was joined in the proceedings by next star teammate Alexandre Sarr who yet again showed NBA scouts why he could be a potential top-five pick in the 2024 draft.
Sarr had 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and swatted six blocks in 35 minutes. His performance came with efficient shooting, shooting 10/14 from the field and 1/2 from three.
The Frenchman’s best attribute is on the defensive end. He is able to move quicker than a regular seven-foot-plus big man and he showed his ability to guard on smaller opponents in the game.
New import small forward Jordan Usher had another 20+ point game for his new team. After having 22 in the first hitout, he had 24 points, four rebounds and three assists while impacting the game on the defensive end.
Local product Ben Henshall continued his form off the bench as the 19-year-old compiled 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Perth’s starting centre Keanu Pinder played his first minutes of pre-season after missing the games against the NBL1 West Select team and the first game versus Ignite. He was restricted to 13 minutes of playing time, finishing with five points and six rebounds.
They now play one more game in Las Vegas against Overtime Elite (OTE) before flying to Gold Coast for the NBL Blitz.
OTE is a youth basketball program that prepares high school aged athletes for college, or professional basketball. Alex Sarr attended the program over the past two years.
