A powerhouse performance from Will McNeill led the Mandurah Magic men to their second win of the season when they toppled Kalamunda on the road on Saturday night.
McNeill has had a run of hot form over the past couple weeks, which culminated in a scintillating performance to buoy the Magic over the line.
Following on from a 12-point loss against the Wolves on Friday night, the Magic found their feet midway through the first quarter and hit the ground running.
Kalamunda landed the first couple of blows, starting the game with an 11-6 run.
But Mandurah quickly reeled them in, and finished the quarter up 24-17.
Taylor Mullenax was in good touch, scoring six in the opening term to go with five from Tom Remmerswaal and four each from Ruot Pal and McNeill.
Mandurah’s offence continued to flow in the second and third quarters, winning each period 26-20 to stretch their lead to a whopping 19 points at the final break.
But Kalamunda responded in the fourth, firing back into the game with a flurry of shots and three-point plays.
They cut the lead to four points with 26 seconds remaining, but it wasn’t enough to claim the win as Mandurah held on for their second victory.
McNeill finished the game with 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals to record one of his best stat lines of the season.
Coach Aaron Trahair praised the entire team for its growth since round one.
“I think people can see when they watch us that we’re visibly playing better basketball now,” he said.
“There’s a number of factors as to why but overall it’s just development. Our team is young and they are growing with every experience.
“Will (McNeill) has found his feet and is playing some really stellar basketball for us now.”
Making the win more impressive, the Magic had to do it without import Rick Kreklow, who was injured in the game against Joondalup.
Trahair said his side now needs to continue it’s strong form if they are to overcome the South West Slammers this Friday night.
“I think we go into every game now knowing that if we put our best foot forward we can mix it with the best,” he said.
“But we need to continue playing well and playing with confidence if we’re going to bag more wins.”