The Mandurah Magic women’s side is hitting its stride after a nice weekend of basketball saw them go 1-1 against two of the league’s top sides.
A strong fourth quarter saw the team overcome the sixth-placed Cockburn Cougars by nine points on Friday night, a performance they backed up against the first-placed Willetton Tigers on Saturday night.
The Magic pushed the Tigers to the brink but fell just short of a win, being beaten by three points.
Against Cockburn, the Magic pulled away in the last quarter, winning the period by eight points to claim a 73-64 win.
The women were again impressive on the backboards, out-rebounding the Cougars 47-40.
Coach Randy Miegel labelled the game an “arm wrestle”, expressing his delight at the side’s ability to grind out a win.
“The Cougars gave us a real tussle but it was encouraging to see the girls come away with the victory,” he said.
Annette Davis starred in the match with 15 points and 13 rebounds making for a healthy double-double, while Adijat Adams went for 16 points and eight rebounds.
Emma Klasztorny was also productive, putting up 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
“It’s really pleasing to see all the girls putting in a contribution,” coach Miegel said.
“It’s a lot harder for other teams to guard three or four girls than it is to guard one, so it gives us an edge when each player performs the way they did.”
Against Willetton, the game came down to the final seconds in which the Tigers nailed a pair of free-throws to keep the game out of Mandurah’s grasp and take a 71-68 win.
Casey Mihovilovich was productive in all areas for the Magic, tallying 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Davis recorded another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Coach Miegel said the performance was a sign of the side’s potential.
“It was nice to go into the top side’s stadium and push them to the final seconds,” he said.
“We had our chances to win and should have closed the game out, but the team played really well overall.”
The Magic now face a one-game weekend with a clash against the 11th-placed East Perth.
Tip-off is scheduled for 6pm Saturday night at the Morley Sport and Recreation Centre.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
