Buzzer-beater from Mark Worthington lifts Melbourne to 83-80 win over Perth Mark Worthington (left) was the hero as Melbourne edged out Perth. Picture: Jordan Shields Source: News Limited WA product Mark Worthington provided the knockout blow in his home state to lead Melbourne to a stunning 83-80 win over the Perth Wildcats. Worthington connected on a long-range three-pointer as the final buzzer sounded, silencing the crowd of more than 11,000 and handing the Cats their first loss at Perth Arena this season. It came amid a frenzied finish, with Perth climbing in front by four points with less than two minutes remaining - on the back of a Shawn Redhage triple - after trailing for most of the night. But Melbourne refused to lie down, with Chris Goulding responding with a three of his own after Worthington hit a tough contested fadeaway. A Damian Martin lay-up tied things up with 11 seconds remaining, and the game seemed destined for overtime before Worthington's clutch effort as time expired. It sparked a wild celebration from the visitors, with the two teams briefly coming together in an exchange after the game before things were broken up. Worthington led all scorers with 24 points and also pulled in 10 rebounds, while Goulding was also influential with 23. Tom Jervis produced a career-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats dropped to 15-4 for the season. James Ennis had 19 points and 11 boards for the home side. "That's a pretty special one for me, I'd say," Worthington said of his game-winner. It's going to be right up there in the memory bank once it's all said and done. Chris (Anstey) drew up a pretty good play for Chris Goulding, and as we walked out of the timeout, I said 'If they're going to double you, I'm going to knock down the shot'. Luckily, that all worked out. The Tigers started the game with a 6-0 run and led for much of the first three quarters, with Nate Tomlinson (13 points) pacing the visitors' offence in fine fashion. But Jervis remained prominent around the basket to keep Perth within touch, while Ennis produced two highlight plays - a buzzer-beating three at the quarter-time horn, and a big dunk late in the game - to keep the crowd involved. But the Cats simply couldn't stop Melbourne from hitting a series of tough shots down the stretch.