Perth Wildcats celebrate Jesse Wagstaff’s milestone with a win over Illawarra Hawks as Ben Henshall dominates

Perth Wildcats honoured record-equalling captain Jesse Wagstaff in style on a night where a 20-year-old stole the show during their 113-105 win over Illawarra Hawks at RAC Arena. The Wildcats were determined to send Wagstaff home with a win in his 482nd game for the club, and Ben Henshall dominated with a career-high 26 points, including five three-pointers. Henshall missed all 10 of his field goal attempts last week but controlled proceedings despite admitting he’d suffered rare doubts leading into the game. “I did (have doubts), which is rare,” Henshall said. “I’m normally next shot. I’m normally good with that stuff. Throughout the week, when I was missing practice, I was like, ‘Man, what am I doing right now?’ But I had a chat with a couple of guys on the team, and they were like, ‘It’s basketball. It happens. You miss shots.’ “I got my mind right today. I did a couple of things off the court before I got here, and it showed.” Henshall scored 24 points on debut last season but then lacked further opportunities and didn’t have another double-figure game. But he’s seized his chances this season and has had chances to be in the starting five. His form was rewarded with Australian Boomers selection on Thursday, and he said having a career-best night in a win meant the world to him. “I want to be known as a winner,” Henshall said. “I want to win basketball games. That’s all I really want to do.” Wagstaff spent nearly eight minutes on the court, scoring two points and having one rebound and one assist before getting a rousing reception from Wildcats fans after the win. He will now break Ricky Grace’s games record with his 483rd match on Sunday against South East Melbourne Phoenix in Victoria. Coach John Rillie said the players knew the importance of winning for Wagstaff. “I highlighted the fact of what this occasion was to Jesse. The best way we could show our respect was to go out there and perform like he has done for 16 years,” he said. The Wildcats set up the win with a 39-point first quarter which included nine three-pointers from 12 attempts. It was in stark contrast to last week’s victory over Sydney when they struggled to make shots from long range. Six players scored in double figures, with Dylan Windler (17), Tai Webster (15), Kristian Doolittle (13), Keanu Pinder (13) and Elijah Pepper (13) all having key moments. The Wildcats have now recovered from their 2-4 start to be 4-4, and Rillie has enjoyed their approach to games. “For us to come out and start the way we did was very good. Then, as the game flowed on, we got good contributions from different guys at the right moments when we needed them,” he said. “You can see form last week to this week, guys are enjoying playing. They’re a good bunch to be around. “It took us a minute to figure some things out. I think we’re starting to see the rewards of persevering through this right now.