Perth Wildcats trio Dylan Windler, Jesse Wagstaff and Ben Henshall cleared for NBL clash with Adelaide 36ers

Perth Wildcats are set to enter Sunday’s re-match against Adelaide and Bryce Cotton at almost full strength after Dylan Windler, Ben Henshall and Jesse Wagstaff were all cleared to travel. The Wildcats overcame Wagstaff (hamstring) and Henshall (calf) being unavailable to beat Tasmania before Christmas, but there were fears they’d also be without Windler for a period of time after he injured his ankle late in that game. The club breathed a sigh of relief when he recovered well, and then received an extra boost when Wagstaff and Henshall resumed training during the week. While Jaron Rillie (hamstring) remains unavailable and Dontae Russo-Nance (illness) has been ruled out, the team will enter the clash at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre with plenty of depth. Perth famously gave up a 21-point lead and lost to Adelaide by one point earlier this month. Coach John Rillie said nobody needed reminding about what happened that day. “All of us feel like that one was one that got let go and slipped away. To go back into there, where we’ve had success this year is a very important game and challenge for us,” he said. Cotton turned the game for Adelaide during their incredible fightback at RAC Arena when he scored 21 points and had 12 assists. His ability to score and set up his teammates was again evident on Christmas Eve when he scored 22 points and had 11 assists during Adelaide’s victory over Cairns. Wildcats guard Sunday Dech said it would take a team effort to quell Cotton. “We’ve done a great job on Bryce. He’s a great player. At the end of the day you are not going to stop him, you’ve just got to find ways to slow him down,” Dech said. “It’s a team effort. I don’t think you can play Bryce one-on-one. He’s too good. It’s a game plan. It’s a strategy we have to follow. It takes five guys. “I’m on the ball quite a bit with him and so is David Duke and our other guards. But it’s also the level of our bigs. It’s our help side sinking in. It’s all of those little factors that maybe the general fan doesn’t see, but they’re the ones the coaches really pay attention to and it makes our job a lot easier. “With Bryce you’ve got to wear him down. It’s a 40-minute game. He lifts in the big moments. It’s about how least effective you can make him.”