Mandurah Magic disappointed with finals elimination

The Magic won game two of the series with an inspiring performance on Friday night, but failed to carry momentum over to Saturday’s win-or-go-home match, losing the game 71-59.

Coach Randy Miegel said his side could not find rhythm in the match.

“We just struggled to get consecutive baskets at times and it was a real grind of a game,” he said.

“The girls gave a strong effort, but we just failed to get any kind of momentum going and couldn’t get on a run at all.”

Mandurah was outscored 41-25 in the opening half, including a poor second quarter that saw them downed 25-12 by the Hawks.

But the Magic can take pride from their second half, where they fought and scrapped to make the game a contest and won the half 34-31.

Coach Miegel said he made a number of changes throughout the course of the game, attempting to lift his side to a winning platform.

“We tried a few different things on the court and within the line-up, just trying to get an edge, but we struggled to execute,” he said.

Annette Davis was one of the Magic’s best with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Casey Mihovilovich stood up with eight points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Rachel Halleen (14 points) and Adijat Adams (13 points) were also productive.

Despite the loss, coach Miegel said there was plenty to proud of in his side’s 2016 campaign.

“When you step back and look at it as a whole, we lost a lot of momentum at times in the year,” he said.

“But when the heat was on our girls stood up and found a way to get into the finals and force a game three, which is something to hold their heads high about.”

The team will now head into the off-season with the hope of making a bigger push in 2017.

“I had a brief chat to a few girls and let them know a few things they can improve on over the off-season,” Miegel said.

“Rachel Halleen and Emma Klasztrony had great seasons this year and showed the importance of hard work in the off-season, so hopefully we can come back bigger and stronger.”