The Perth Wildcats maintained their clean sweep over Cairns in Perth, beating the Taipans 104-97 at Challenge Stadium.

Tony Rampton scored all of the Taipans' first six points to keep them in touch with the home side early in the game before three consecutive three-point bombs in the last two-and-a-half minutes of the first term gave the Taipans the momentum to work their way to an 11-point lead at quarter time, 32-21.

The Wildcats had led by two points with 2.45min to play in the first period, but with former championship-winning Wildcat Marcus Timmons firing with 11 points in the opening term, it was the Taipans who held the upper hand going into the first break.

Perth's campaign to capitalise on last week's drought-breaking win over New Zealand wasn't helped by Ben Thompson's five turnovers in his 4.36 minutes on court in the first quarter. The Taipans scored eight points from those turnovers.

A run of six points to nil midway through the second quarter put the Wildcats back within seven points, after being down by as many as 13, but with the high foul count continuing, the Taipans made the most of their opportunities from the free-throw line and by half-time had taken the lead back out to 10, to lead 54-44.

A total of 32 fouls had been called by half-time, with Wildcats James Harvey and Rashad Tucker leading the tallies with four each. Wildcats forward Tony Ronaldson had three fouls to his credit, as did Taipan Brad Davidson whose hussling at the point guard position helped forced the Wildcats into their 11 half-time turnovers.

The Wildcats scored the first seven points of the third quarter to reduce the margin to three.

The home side's tough defensive rebounding helped them take the lead twice in the third term, but each time they made a charge the Taipans had the answer and by three quarter time had regained the lead to be ahead by three, 72-69.

Neither team could gain the ascendancy early in the last quarter, as the lead continued to change hands.

But as the quarter wore on the Wildcats heated up and broke the game open to take a 10-point lead with just over two minutes left on the clock.

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