Mandurah too hot for Flames
Mandurah Magic has continued Rockingham Peel Finance Flames’ dismal start to the season with a 36 point thrashing at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre on Saturday night.
The Magic’s 111-75 victory ensures the Flames remain winless at the bottom of the ladder, while the Magic improve their record to four wins and two losses.
Mandurah were dominant from the outset as veteran Aaron Trahair started the game with two three pointers which fired the Magic up. Taylor Mullenax also looked to assert his dominance early in the low post as he also started the game with some early field goals.
The Flames looked to counter the Magic’s low post game through Rhett Della and James Booyer with their own but were unable to convert the close range shots. This allowed the Magic to run the floor through Taylor Land who dished out the ball with great efficiency.
The Magic took a 22 point lead into half time and didn’t hold back from there.
The lead blew out to as much as 43 points at one stage as the points became almost too easy for the Magic to score. The Flames gave up too many wide open layups as their defense became somewhat shambolic.
The huge lead allowed Magic coach Jason Chalk to clear his bench and give his youngsters some court time. All Magic players saw court time in the rout as they looked to pile on the points.
One of the clear differences in the stats saw the Magic have 40 assists in the game to the Flames’ 22. The Magic also shot 50% from three point range, connecting on 12 from 24. In comparison the Flames shot 15%.
Mullenax led all scorers with a game high 27 points and he also had ten rebounds. Tom Remmerswaal continued his great form contributing 21 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Trahair turned back the clock connecting on five three pointers in his 17 points while Taylor Land continued his impressive all around game with 11 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists.
The Flames were led by Marko Deric who had 18 points with youngster Jake Amos chipping in with 17.
“It was a great team game for us, everyone contributed and Aaron hit a couple of threes early on which really got the boys going,” Mullenax said after the game.
“We are starting to take a step forward and get some confidence within the team. Next week is going to be tough. We had a really good week at training and all of the little things are starting to pay off,” he added.
Earlier in the night, the Rockingham Flames defeated the Mandurah Magic 66-63. The game came down to the final possession which saw the Magic have a chance to win the game with one final shot but they couldn't convert.
The Flames came back from a 14 point deficit earlier in the game to continue their improvement and rise up the ladder and the loss sees Mandurah remain winless in 2012. Despite a quiet first half, Emma Cannon led all scorers with 24 points while Talisia Bourne contributed 11 points. The Magic’s top scorers were Bree Klasztorny and Tarsha Fletcher who both had 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Flames men’s side return home Sunday afternoon to face Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers. Next rounds fixtures see the Magic head to Joondalup on Friday night to face the red hot Wanneroo Wolves and a Saturday night fixture at home against Kalamunda. The Flames host the Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers next Saturday night.
Article by Nathan Winch at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre
Photo by Darren Speedie (Vision Inspired Photography)
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