West Spotlight | Magic revive season with dramatic win

Featured image: @hyperfocusimages | Michael Bailey

With Michael Christmas, Matt Kenyon and Ryan Blanchett all fired Mandurah Magic to the 101-98 Friday night win over the Willetton Tigers to keep their dwindling NBL1 West playoff aspirations alive.

The Magic left themselves with plenty to do to make a third straight playoff appearance as they hosted the Tigers at Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre in a rematch of the remarkable 2024 Grand Final at RAC Arena.

Mandurah were leading most of the way including 51-47 by half-time on the back of a combined 53 points from Kenyon and Christmas, but the Tigers refused to go away with 394-game veteran guard Damien Scott leading the charge.

It set up a dramatic finish but Mandurah got the job done including a monster dunk from Christmas late when he drove in from the corner and finished emphatically.

The Magic held on for the three-point win to improve to a 7-12 record with the Tigers now 11-8 having lost eight of their last 11 games.

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The win just keeps the season alive for the Magic to end up shooting 51 per cent for the game to the 48 from the Tigers and still managed to get the win despite getting up seven fewer shots over the night.

Michael Christmas was outstanding once more for Mandurah with 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists with 11/19 field goal shooting with Matt Kenyon running the show and delivering 23 points, nine boards, eight assists and two steals with 4/7 three-point shooting.

Lachlan Bertram also had 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals, Michael Dupree 15 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Ryan Blanchett might well be in the best form of his career.

He hit six threes back in his 250th game with 24 points and six rebounds against the Goldfields Giants, backed up with 23 and eight in game 251 against the Warwick Senators, and then had another 16 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in game 253 on Friday night.

The Tigers do slip further from top four contention with the loss but again without Tim Ibukunoluwa and Bryce Johnson who were crucial in helping them to such a standout first half of the season.

Damien Scott was playing the 394th game of his career and top scored once more for Willetton with 25 points to go with seven assists, six rebounds and three steals with 4/7 three-point shooting and going 9/14 overall.

Taeshon Cherry finished with another 18 points and five rebounds, Lachlan Burnett 14 points and three boards, Michael Vigor 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Shayden Weerakoon 10 points, three boards and two assists.

It was a crucial game in the contest of the season for both teams with Willetton while shorthanded trying to regain some momentum and the Magic simply had no choice but to win to stay alive.

It was a Grand Final rematch from 2024 just to add to it and Mandurah came back from a seven-point deficit in the first quarter to be leading 22-19 by quarter-time despite Lachlan Burnett's eight points for the Tigers.

Nine offensive rebounds from Willetton helped them get up and extra six shot attempts despite going 3/14 from beyond the arc.

It was then a high-quality affair from both teams in the second quarter as they combined for 57 points with Mandurah scoring 29 of those on 12/22 shooting and Willetton 28 on 12/18.

The guns for the Magic were delivering with Michael Christmas up to 18 points and Matt Kenyon 15 while they also denying the Tigers an addition to their nine offensive rebounds.

That saw Mandurah go into half-time leading 51-47 but it was Damien Scott that got rolling for Willetton in the third quarter and he was up to 20 points by three quarter-time as a result with the scores all locked at 74-74.

After the Magic were clinging to the 79-78 lead early in the fourth quarter, the home team took charge by scoring the next 14 points to open up a 15-point advantage when Michael Dupree scored up against the team he led to the Grand Final in 2024.

Willetton responded with three balls from 300-plus game veterans Michael Vigor and Scott before Tom Gerovich added a three-point play to get back within four.

Mandurah again steadied and it was their own 253-game veteran dual championship winner Ryan Blanchett scoring their next four points and from there the Magic secured the three-point win topped with a thunderous dunk from Christmas.

Mandurah kept their season alive and now will look to keep in the playoff hunt with a double header next week away to the Perth Redbacks and at home to the Perry Lakes Hawks.

Willetton back up on Saturday night when they play host to the Warwick Senators.

NBL1 WEST 2026 SEASON | FIRST NATIONS ROUND

MANDURAH MAGIC 101 (Christmas 28, Kenyon 23, Bertram 19)

WILLETTON TIGERS 98 (Scott 25, Cherry 18, Burnett 14, Vigor 14)