Perth Wildcats shrugged off the personal brilliance of former favourite James Harvey to record an important 103-88 win over the Gold Coast Blaze at Challenge Stadium.

Despite Harvey's 27 points - which included six three-pointers - Australia's newest citizen Shawn Redhage and his teammates combined better, breaking away in the third quarter to reclaim a spot in the NBL's top four.

Redhage, who officially became an Australian in a ceremony before the game, again top scored with 28 points, with Alex Loughton, Peter Crawford and Paul Rogers all contributing 18 to the cause.

And it was those all round contributions versus Harvey's individual efforts that eventually proved the difference after a tight first half.

Nebraska-born Redhage turned true blue in a ceremony conducted by federal immigration minister, Senator Chris Evans.

It was Loughton who scored the first points of the night, and Redhage's first shot as an Australian refused to fall - although his next two did to give Wildcats an early 6-0 lead.

That was the cue for Harvey to go ballistic, spurred on by some ribbing from the fans that used to adore him.

Three three pointers, two of them with fouls to follow, notched up 11 points in the first six minutes and even with the Wildcats double teaming the 28 year-old, they still could not stop him notching a fourth of the quarter.

With Crawford playing in pain from a dislocated shoulder suffered during the loss to Cairns earlier in the week, the impact of the Wildcats' new import Joe Shipp was immediate, intercepting a pass and converted a jumper from distance.

But Harvey would not be outdone, passing the 20 point mark with more than six minutes to go in the second quarter - and even finding time to have a go back at one of his courtside detractors.

With the score tied at 48 at the half, the margin remained nothing four minutes into the third, when a painful pause for the Blaze's Casey Frank allowed Perth to seize the momentum.

Harvey's challenge on Redhage under the basket inadvertently led to Frank falling awkwardly and injuring his right knee.

The incident seemed to send Harvey into his shell, and as Frank took his time to recover, Perth went on a 21-5 run up until three quarter time - a gap the Blaze simply could not breach .

Blaze coach Brendan Joyce said despite defensive laxity in the second half, he also felt his players got little protection from the umpires.

"It was pretty rough out there and got pretty willing, and I think that did not help us as well," Joyce said.

"There was a lot of physicality out there and I felt we probably should have gone to the free throw line a little more.

"I will be interesting to see what happens come playoffs and we get three officials that are at the top of their game."

And Harvey said after 22 points in the first half, heavy legs hampered him in the second.

"I put a lot into that first half, and I felt it in my legs towards the end of the game. I definitely fatigued," Harvey said.

"They made an adjustment and nobody left me in the second half ... but it was not our offensive end that was the problem, it was the defensive end."

Wildcats coach Scott Fisher said Harvey had been incredible early, but finding a way to stop him in the third quarter had been the key.

"Harvey was virtually unstoppable .. . I have never seen anybody get 11 points off three shots, two four pointers and a three point play,

"You just can't give him opportunities. It did not pay just to contest his shots, we just had to make it so he could not get any shots.

"From the moment we made the adjustment he only scored five."

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