THE equation was simple for the Mandurah Magic men’s team on Saturday night in Eaton – a victory over the South West Slammers would see the team play finals, a loss would mean the end of their 2014 season.
The Magic walked out of Eaton on Saturday night with a 102-88 victory and sexcured sixth place on the State Basketball League ladder which ensures they will see playoff action for the third consecutive year.
The game was originally touted as do or die for both teams, however with Joondalup’s loss to Lakeside on Friday night, the Slammers playoff position was assured.
As a result of the Magic’s win, Joondalup were relegated to ninth place and will miss the playoffs, a disappointing result for the team that were runner up last year.
The Magic came out firing early against the Slammers, in particular guard Trent Gerovich who nailed five three pointers in the first quarter.
The Slammers were able to regain the momentum to tie the scores at quarter-time, but a solid second quarter on the defensive end saw Mandurah take a 10-point lead into half time.
South West improved their shooting in the third quarter and came back to take the lead midway through the quarter, however Mandurah’s aggression in attacking the basket and fighting for the rebounds saw them regain control and maintain their 10-point lead at the final break.
From there, the Magic maintained their defensive pressure and didn’t allowing the Slammers any second chance opportunities to record the victory they needed to make the playoffs.
However the win has come at a cost with star import Paul Hafford injuring his knee in the third quarter and will potentially sit out the remainder of the season.
Taylor Mullenax led all scorers with 26 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.
Four other players finished in double figures for Mandurah with Trent Gerovich (17), Ben Smith (17), Daniel Florance (16) and Rhett Della (12) all contributing well.
Earlier in the night, the Magic women finished their regular season with some momentum after defeating the Slammers 77-56.
The Magic end the regular season in seventh place on the ladder and will make their first playoff appearance since 2011.
Hailey Dunham led the way for the Magic with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Casey Mihovilovich added 17 points while Ashlee Sidebottom finished with 15 points.
Both Magic teams also played on Friday night against Willetton Tigers at the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
The Magic men defeated the Tigers in a shootout, with the final score being 138-121. The Magic recovered from a 15 point deficit in the third quarter and outscored the Tigers 42-19 in the final quarter.
Taylor Mullenax once again led the scoring for the Magic with 32 points.
Ben Smith was a solid contributor, finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds, while Paul Hafford (27 points), Trent Gerovich (14), Rhett Della (14) and Daniel Florance (10) all contributed well to the scoreboard.
The Magic women were unlucky not to come away with a victory, going down to the Tigers 72-69.
Casey Mihovilovich starred for the Magic with 26 points, but lacked support offensively, with Bree Klasztorny the only other Magic player to score in double figures, finishing with 11 points and ten rebounds.
Both Magic teams will play game one of their quarter finals series this Saturday night at the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
The Magic women will take on the Lakeside Lightning and the men face the Perth Redbacks.
Both quarter finals series will be played as best of three with games two and three played next weekend.
The women’s game will tip off at 6pm and the men’s game will begin at 8pm.
Quarter Final Match-Ups
WSBL
Rockingham (1) v Willetton (8)
Lakeside (2) v Mandurah (7)
Joondalup (3) v Stirling (6)
Kalamunda (4) v Cockburn (5)
MSBL
Geraldton (1) v South West (8)
Rockingham (2) v East Perth (7)
Perth (3) v Mandurah (6)
Lakeside (4) v Stirling (5)
