A sizzling 30-point haul from Shane Heal was not enough to stop the fast-finishing Wildcats edge out a two-point win over South at Challenge Stadium on Sunday night.

Heal took charge of the Dragons’ scoring in the opening term, pouring in 11 of his team’s 23 points for the quarter. His dominance throughout most of the opening term helped South to a four-point advantage by the first break.

Heal again wreaked havoc in the second stanza, adding 10 points to the scoreboard in a stunning three minutes of play.

Shawn Redhage was powerful early for the Wildcats with 17 points, six boards and two assists to his name by halftime. His goal midway through the second term gave Perth a brief advantage before Rosell Ellis nailed a basket to regain the Dragons’ lead.

It was neck and neck for much of the term before consecutive goals to Darren Brooks blew Perth’s lead out to six points with just under five minutes left on the clock.

A late basket to Ellis inspired a remarkable fightback by the Dragons that saw Heal and rookie Joe Ingles combine to nail 17 points in three minutes, sending the visitors into the main break 52-46 in front.

South kept Redhage scoreless in the third stanza, as Heal again stole the show with nine points. Ellis and Kavossy Franklin contributed a combined 11 points for the term, with Ellis (10 boards) and Jacob Holmes (9 boards) limiting the impact of the Wildcats’ talls at both ends of the court.

The Dragons went into the final term with a 74-72 advantage over their western foes, but an early three to Ben Hunt saw the Wildcats snatch an early lead. Franklin and Ellis shot some quick-fire baskets before a string of threes to Perth had the margin out to five points.

Like all Dragons-Wildcats clashes before it, the result came down to a heart-stopping final few minutes. Heal was kept scoreless in the final term but accurate shooting from the stripe by Franklin (13 points for the quarter) and then Ingles had the deficit back to one point with two and a half minutes to play.

A three to Franklin levelled the scores at 98 apiece with 48 seconds on the clock before Brooks broke the Dragons’ hearts, nailing a late basket to set up a two-point victory to Perth.

Heal later sent an ominous warning to the league ahead of next month's playoffs.

“Facing a team that has had so much success at home, I thought our guys did really well to be in there with the chance of winning with one shot at the end,” he said.

“We feel if we can win the last couple of games of the season then the finals is really set up for us to be a giant killer."

Perth Wildcats 100 (Brooks 24, Ronaldson 20, Redhage 17)
South Dragons 98 (Heal 30, Franklin 25, Ellis 22)
@ Challenge Stadium, 28/01/2007