Play-off aspirations are in the balance when the men’s Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers and Mandurah Magic meet in an intriguing regular season finale at the Eaton Recreation Centre on Saturday night.

In one of the closest finishes to the State Basketball League in recent memory, a multitude of round 20 permutations mean the eighth-placed Slammers could finish as high as fifth while Mandurah faces the possibility of a jump from ninth all the way to fourth – and home court advantage in round one of the play-offs.

But for both teams the formula is simple – win and you are in.

After years in the wilderness Ty Harrelson’s Slammers (14-11) are hoping to return to August basketball for a second consecutive season while Mandurah (13-11) will miss out for the first time since 2011 if it falls to the South West.

The Slammers will still sneak into the play-offs with a loss on Saturday if other results fall their way but victory is the stated goal.

“It’s our last home game and we’re planning on going in strong,” Harrelson said.

“After starting the season 2-5 I think we’ve played really well down the stretch and we just need to do what we always do and take care of business on Saturday.”

Mandurah overturned a three-point half-time deficit to romp to a 116-95 victory over the Slammers in the first meeting between these sides back in April, thanks largely to an outstanding performance from beyond the arc.

“They’ve got several weapons,” Harrelson said.

“Taylor Mullenax is an SBL All Star and one of the best inside players in the competition.

“Ben Smith is also an inside player who can go outside and shoot, similar to Trent Worthington, and then they’ve got some guards who can really score like their import Paul Hafford who is averaging 20 points a game.

“Last time out, we were playing zone defence but didn’t execute very well, which allowed them to find some spots to shoot from and that is something we’ll need to do better this weekend.”

Another Mandurah weapon is head coach Jason Chalk, now in his seventh year in charge of the Magic after winning three SBL championships with the Slammers in the 1990s.

“I played a lot of games in Bunbury so it is always tough going back there but I’m with the Magic now and we’re fully focused on beating the South West,” Chalk said.

“They’re a very good outfit and Ty has done a great job of getting the team off the bottom of the ladder and into the play-offs last year.

“They have a lot of talented players with Ty, Markus Monroe and Clive Weeden plus the local contingent which is one of the best in the league.

“We would have liked to already have cemented our spot in the playoffs by this stage but like the Slammers we have our destiny in our own hands and I think we’re in for a tense and highly competitive game because there is a lot on the line for both teams.”

Article by Josh Zimmerman: Bunbury Herald and South Western Times

Photo by Mick Cronin