The SKILLED Goldfields Giants achieved their own great escape with a 100-99 double overtime win in Saturday’s State Basketball League clash against lowly ranked Mandurah Magic at Kalgoorlie’s Neils Hansen Stadium.

American import Michael Haney drove hard to the basket for the winning layup with five seconds remaining as the Giants clinched their fifth win in eight games – only after blowing an 18point lead in the second period. Haney, who finished with 21 points, had also sunk a clutch threepointer to send the game into a second five minute overtime period.

It followed the Giants’ worst second half of the season so far when they were outscored 43-30 by Mandurah, who have not beaten Goldfields since 2000.

Magic import Casey Crevelone, who went 8/ 21 from beyond the threepoint arc for a game high 32 points, was instrumental in ensuring the game went the distance. Despite being doubleteamed, Crevelone was still able to sink a long range bomb on the fulltime buzzer to lock the scores at 81all.

The Giants were looking down the barrel when they lost American import John Vaudreuil and standin captain Matt Leske – both fouled out in overtime – to leave them further shorthanded after the late withdrawal of forward Russell Hurst with a bruised heel. But on a night the lead changed hands on 12 occasions, the likes of Lordan Franich ( 15 rebounds), Jimmy Bowler ( 10 points) and Tom Kendall ( seven points) all stood up when required.

Vaudreuil finished as the Giants’ leading scorer with a season high 27 points in another impressive display, combining perfectly with Haney to outmuscle the undersized Magic. Vaudreuil had 17 points in the first half when the Giants took a commanding 51-38 lead into the main break.

Goldfields coach Wayne Creek said the opposition’s focus on 203cm Vaudreuil worked in the Giants’ favour. "John’s a hard guy to stop once you throw the ball into him at the post and he’s also got a nice midrange jumpshot," Creek said. "He’s had 13 foul shots and was shooting 50 per cent from field goal range. He’s done a good job. Unfortunately he got some soft fouls.

"I don’t think there are too many players in this league who can stop John one on one defensively at the post. Some teams have now started throwing two guys down there to make him really work. But he’s a smart guy and passes out of the post, which is good for the team."

It was a different Giants outfit after halftime, however, as Mandurah’s Tom Remmerswaal worked his way into the game with 19 points. The Giants were shooting just 38 per cent from the field, with Mandurah sinking 13 threepointers to Goldfields’ three.

Saturday’s victory continued the Giants’ decade long dominance of the Magic, stretching their remarkable winning streak to 20 games.

It was only the fourth time in club history the Giants had gone to double overtime, winning two of those games, including a 133-130 victory against Geraldton in September, 1995 in triple overtime.

Article by Jarrod Lucas (Kalgoorlie Miner)
Photo by Travis Anderson (Andmedia/Sportsvision)