A strong finish has helped the Mid City Magic reclaim its lower South Island basketball title.
The Dunedin champion club beat the Southland champion Turbos 98-87 at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
It was a depleted Magic side that took the court, three of its top players at the national tertiary championships and several others unavailable.Indeed, only two of its A team turned out and it was bolstered by two players from its second team and five from its third.
That was enough to get the job done, though.
Youngster Tai Porima-Flavell led the way with 34 points, using his length to score over the Turbos’ defenders in the middle of their zone.
Joe McAuley, Brent Cheshire and Dallas Hartmann all chipped in with 18, 17 and 15 points respectively.
However, it was the Turbos that got off to the better start.
Zac Williams (31 points) and Morgan Waihirere (35 points) both put on classy displays and combined for 66 points.
Waihirere hit the first three of his nine three-pointers in the first quarter, notching 13 points in that opening period.
Meanwhile, Williams found his way to the hoop with ease, while showing his ability to both score from the outside and make tough finishes inside.
The Magic was struggling to keep up on the scoreboard, but started looking good when it began pushing the ball in transition.
However, it needed stops and rebounds to do that and it struggled to get either in that first quarter.
The Turbos took a 29-28 lead to the first break, although that scoreline certainly flattered the hosts.
The visitors came out strong once more in the second half, Williams remaining difficult to contain, while the Magic offence stalled.
A 49-42 lead had the Southlanders positioned well at halftime.
However, the Magic took control midway through the third quarter.
It ate into the lead and then finally edged ahead just before three-quarter time.
Porima-Flavell took over as the most dominant player in the game during that period.
The Magic regularly found him in the high post, his length enabling him to score over the smaller Turbos defenders.
It also leaked out well and threw several nice passes to find various lane runners for easy transition buckets.However, the Turbos did not give up their lead quietly.
Waihirere continued his sensational shooting day, splashing a further four three-pointers to keep the score ticking over.
However, it was the Magic that took the lead to the final break, Hartmann scoring on the buzzer to make it 71-69.
From there, the Magic pulled away.It switched to a zone early in the fourth quarter and the Turbos struggled to get the same looks they had earlier.
Meanwhile, the Magic continued to push the ball, while using its length to score inside.
The Turbos came back late, but the Magic finished convincing winners.
