Mandurah Magic women kick off season with victory in grand final re-match against Perry Lakes

The Magic were undaunted going up against the defending champs on their home court in a grand final rematch to start the season, opening their account with a 69-45 win over the Hawks.

A quick start led Mandurah to a six-point advantage at the first break, but it was a dominant showing in the second and third quarters that led the Magic to the comprehensive result.

They outscored the Hawks 33-14 across the two periods, setting them up with a comfortable 26-point lead at the final change.

Mandurah’s stringent defence continued in the final term, allowing last year’s premiers to finish with just 45 points as they steamrolled their way to a victory.

Brown handled the bulk of the scoring, pouring in 19 points on 9-20 shooting in her first official game in a Magic uniform.

Star centre Carly Boag collected her share of numbers, as the 2017 runner-up MVP posted 14 points, seven rebounds.

Mandurah’s bench was outstanding in the opening round, putting up 21 points to help fill the void of a managed Casey Mihovilovich, who played just a shade under 16 minutes.

Emma Klasztorny led the way in the rotations, pulling down 10 rebounds to go with seven points as the Magic outscored Perry Lakes by 24 with her on the court.

Champion Hawk Antonia Farnworth was a victim of Mandurah’s tough defence, being restricted to just six points and five rebounds despite seeing 34 minutes of court time.

Perry Lakes felt the absence of perennial star Nat Burton.

Mihovilovich said it was an encouraging win for a Magic side not yet at full strength.

“It was a very good win for our first game,” she said.

“It was pretty even and we won, and it definitely helps getting wins early on the ladder.

“It’s going to be an exciting year.”

The Magic are still on the road for game two of the State Basketball League season, travelling to Eaton to take on the South West Slammers on Saturday night.