Nick Kay tormented his former side with his 10th double-double of the season as the Perth Wildcats unleashed on the Illawarra Hawks on Friday night.
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The 104-90 triumph took the Cats to 16 victories, which historically guarantees an NBL finals appearance.
Led by Kay and Bryce Cotton it was the Cats biggest score of the season and their fourth straight victory.
Backing up from an outstanding double-header the previous weekend in which he recorded 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and one steal in both games, the Tamworth product finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists.
It took his season averages to 15.2 points with a field goal percentage of 59, 8.6 rebounds (the best for the Cats), and 3.3 assists per game.
Speaking earlier in the week, Cats coach Trevor Gleeson said Kay should be considered for the All-NBL First Team.
"He's been our one most consistent player out there. It's pretty good when your four-man is leading the team in assists,” Gleeson told Perth Wildcats Media.
"He has a team-first mentality, he puts his body on the line. He's a great teammate and we're so glad we got him."
Cotton top-scored with 27 points on Friday night and a career-high seven assists, while Terrico White also dropped 26 points.
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The Wildcats were on fire offensively, but their defence lacked some polish.
Jordair Jett (19 points) and Brian Conklin (20 points and eight rebounds) had the Hawks trailing by just five points late in the final term.
Hawks coach Rob Beveridge was pleased with the way his young side performed.
"We really had a crack tonight. We didn't take care of the ball well enough - way too many turnovers (16). If we half those turnovers; rebound better, we win the game.
"And 29 free throws (for Perth) to our 12, when we play a power game. We get to the rim a lot.
"Although we pound inside and scored 50 points in the paint, we just didn't get the calls tonight."
Since the NBL became an eight-team competition in the 2009-10 season, no team with 16 wins has missed the playoffs.
So, Perth's amazing streak of finals appearances looks certain to stretch to at least 33 seasons.
They are in a fight for a top-two finish, with both Melbourne United and the Sydney Kings also winning their respective games on Friday night, claiming their 15th victories.
The Wildcats have three regular-season games remaining, while the Kings have four and United, five.
Perth equalled their best start for the season with 36 points in the opening quarter; and the 60 points they had at the main break was also their best.
Gleeson was happy with the way his side fought off a side pushing for a top-four place.
"It's always hard to play a team that is still fighting for a chance and they played great," he said.
"They played aggressive, attacking basketball and we had a hard time stopping them.
"You have to find different ways to win and we did that tonight."
Perth can go a big way towards claiming that top-two spot if they can beat the Sydney Kings in Perth next weekend.
Australian Associated Press
