One month to the day since their four-point loss to the Wildcats in Melbourne, the Dragons were again overrun in the dying minutes of the game.

Rosell Ellis led the Dragons’ attack, with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three assists against his former side. Kavossy Franklin (25 points) and Shane Heal (19 points) joined Ellis’ lethal campaign from the back court but it wasn’t enough to stem the late-surging Wildcats, who hit the lead with just three minutes left on the clock.

Despite being significantly outsized by the Wildcats, the home side managed to maintain control for much of the game; what the Dragons lacked in size they more than made up for in hustle and determined defence. But South had a tough time finding the stripe all night and were eventually outrun by the superior fitness of their western rivals.

Regardless of tonight’s loss the Dragons loom as a formidable force in the lead-up to the finals.

“We’ve beaten everybody in the top eight except Brisbane and Perth now so we’ve certainly got the ability when things are rolling well, ” playing coach Shane Heal said.

“Tonight we were undersized and we just couldn’t get away with it for the whole game.”

In a further blow to the Dragons, Shanahan succumbed to a lingering hamstring injury and is expected to be out of action for two to three weeks.

But the run home is far from bleak for the Dragons, with rookie Joe Ingles again on fire (14 points, two rebounds, five assists).

The Dragons now travel to Wollongong to take on the Hawks tomorrow night.

Perth Wildcats 108 (Redhage 25, Rogers 21, Ryan 16)
South Dragons 104 (Franklin 25, Heal 19, Ellis 19)
Crowd: 4,692 @ Vodafone Arena, Melbourne, 30/12/2006