The Mandurah Magic men dragged themselves off the canvas that is the bottom of the State Basketball League ladder with an enthralling win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns on the road on Saturday.
Magic forward Jamal Shabazz couldn’t be stopped in his spellbinding display of scoring, piling up 39 points to help the Magic overcome a five-point deficit at the end of the third quarter and post a captivating 101-100 victory.
Shabazz got his scoring party started early, with a flurry of two-point shots and free throws gifting him 16 points in the opening half, alongside point guard Shaun Stewart who also posted 16 with the help of back-to-back three-point bombs heading into half time.
Their efforts early, along with six points each to Damon Ballantyne, Fletcher Klasztorny and Chudier Pal, gave the Magic a three-point lead at the long break.
Shabazz continued to score fluently with another nine points coming in the third quarter, but things went back to Kalamunda’s favour as they piled up 33 points in the third to take a five-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Thankfully for the Magic they were able to cut into that lead early when Shabazz was fouled on a three-point attempt, and knocked down all of his free throws.
He quickly followed up with a two bringing the Magic within a point, and they took the lead when Klasztorny knocked down a jumper.
The Magic were out to a 98-91 buffer when Stewart hit a free throw midway through the quarter, but Kalamunda went on a run to even things up at 100 apiece with just seven seconds on the clock.
The game looked likely to head into overtime before Kalamunda’s Louis Timms was called for an unsportsmanlike foul, giving Frank Fimmano two attempts at the free throw line.
Fimmano was off on his first shot, but came through on the second to give Mandurah the one-point win.
Shabazz finished the night with a stunning 39 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals, while Stewart piled up 23 points and six assists.
Klasztorny also starred in the victory, recording 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals while Pal went for 14 points, nine rebounds.
The win is the Magic’s third on the year and lifts them to 12th in the standings.
They will need to muster all the form they can if they are to make it two straight wins, as they hit the road to take on the league-leading Joondalup Wolves this weekend.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
