THE Mandurah Magic men will face their toughest test of the season to date when they meet the undefeated South West Slammers tonight at the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
The Slammers took their record to 5-0 on the weekend with wins against Stirling and Kalmunda while the Magic regrouped from a disappointing 90-91 loss to Perry Lakes Hawks on Saturday to defeat the Perth Redbacks 110-103 on Sunday to move to 3-2.
Mandurah Magic coach Jason Kyle said the game against the Slammers would be a good opportunity to see where his team sits in the competition.
“We respect their roster but we think we match up pretty well against them,” Kyle said.
“Apart from their first game against Geraldton they haven’t really been tested yet so we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Kyle said in reality the Magic were just two baskets away from an undefeated start to the season after their second close loss against Perry Lakes.
The Magic lost to Geraldton by two points in round one.
Kyle said they had their chances to win against Perry Lakes but it didn’t go their way.
“It was disappointing. We had a really good look at the basket but Taylor Mullenax couldn’t quite execute,” Kyle said
The Magic led by one point with four minutes remaining against the Hawks but that was reversed by the final whistle. Mullenax top-scored with 21 points with Jarrad Jackson adding 16.
Kyle said despite the loss the team were able to turn it around.
“We learnt a lot from Saturday which really helped us get the win against the Redbacks,” he said.
The Magic had to come from behind against the Redbacks with the Perth team taking a one-point lead into the final period.
The Magic shot at 60 per cent in the final period compared to the Redbacks’ 37.5 per cent to record the seven-point win.
Paul Hafford was the top scorer with 31 points with Mullenax and Ben Smith chipping in with 24 and 21. Tip off against the Slammers is at 8pm.
Season so far:
