Shaun Stewart blazed his way to a stunning 36 points but it wasn't enough to see the Mandurah Magic men to a win over Kalamunda on Saturday night.
The all-star point guard celebrated his birthday with a scorching night in the scoring column, but his Magic came up short 75-82 at the Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre.
Coming off a gut-wrenching loss to Lakeside in their season opener the night before, Mandurah started sluggishly against a Suns outfit playing their first game of 2019.
A slow start had them down 12 at the end of the first, but the Magic sparked the home crowd to life with an emphatic second quarter.
Stewart bagged 15 of his 36 points in the second period, leading the way with a red-hot field goal percentage as Mandurah erased the 12-point deficit and took a two-point lead into the half time break.
His onslaught continued in the third, as he came out of the break breathing fire to score Mandurah's first 12 points in the period.
But the Suns edged their way to a lead despite Stewart's big night, ending the third quarter four points up.
Cousteau Kyle and Jake Cannell nailed buckets to cut that lead to just two points midway through the final quarter, but the Suns held steady to run the game out in front.
Stewart ended the night with a stunning 36 points, six assists and four rebounds, throwing his hand up for player of the week honours following his 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Lakeside the night before.
Akau Deng was a force on the boards pulling down 12 rebounds to go with his seven points.
The Magic won't have to wait long for a shot at revenge, as they travel to play the Suns again this coming Saturday.
The game tips off at 8.30pm at the Ray Owen Sports 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.
