The Perth Wildcats are back in the NBL Grand Final, and continue to cement their place as one of Australia’s most successful sports franchises.

Import duo Terrico White and Bryce Cotton have delivered a masterful performance to lead Perth to a seventh NBL grand final in 10 seasons.

The Wildcats guards were a class above their Brisbane opponents in the 84-79 win at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre which gave the visitors an unassailable lead in their best-of-three semi-final series.

It was to the Bullets’ credit they still had a shot, having climbed from the wooden spoon position last season to be in contention for the grand final. But they ran into a pair of seasoned professionals in White and Cotton, who scored 24 points and 19 points respectively.

Cotton also managed 10 assists, with the game firmly in his control. The Wildcats will meet the winner of the other NBL semi-final between the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.

Brisbane’s chances of keeping the series alive were dealt a massive blow before the game when veteran forward Mika Vukona was scratched with an Achilles injury. While the Bullets’ big-men lifted in his absence, Perth’s perimeter shooters threatened to take the game away from the home side in the early minutes.

White, Cotton and Damian Martin all found their range to hand the Wildcats an early lead, while the Bullets struggled from beyond the arc. Despite their offensive troubles, the Bullets were still in the contest deep inside a lively third quarter when they trailed by one point.

But Perth crushed the Brisbane fightback when Cotton and Nick Kay hit decisive triples early in the final quarter.