As the final progressed, any lingering doubts were gradually quashed, as their quality became more and more apparent.
They wrested back the Otago men’s club title from the St Kilda Saints on Saturday, beating the defending champions 103-79 at the Edgar Centre.
It was their sixth title in seven years, and one of their most dominant seasons of that stretch.
Their only loss this year came in May, a two-point overtime loss to the Saints.
They have since won 11 in a row and, for the most part, been comfortable in each of the victories.
Saturday’s final was no different.
League MVP Dallas Hartmann top-scored with 27 points, taking over in the second half to allow the Magic to pull away.
Mitchell Hughan and Oscar Hickey added 21 and 19 each, completing a guard trio which had far too much firepower.
On the other side James Ross led the Saints with 25 points, although the Magic did well keeping the rest of the Saints quiet — notably holding dangerous guard Mike Ruske to 16 points.
It was early that the warning signs sounded for the Saints, too.
The guard trio, alongside Josh Aitcheson getting to the foul line twice, helped the Magic out to a 17-6 lead.
A time-out helped the Saints regather, finding ways to get stops and hit shots, pulling back to within one at 18-17.
But it was the only genuine counterpunch they threw.
The Magic responded with stops of their own, helping them out to a 28-19 lead at the first break.
That lead grew in the second quarter.
Centre Nathan Hanna (10 points) became a focal point, exploiting the lack of a Saints’ defensive post presence, in the absence of an injured Lawson Morris-Whyte.
As the Saints’ defence began to suck in on him, it opened further space for the Magic guards.
While Ruske helped keep the Saints’ score ticking over, it was not at the same rate.
The Magic’s lead grew to 47-28 midway through the second quarter, before going to halftime ahead 56-42.
Sautia Misa (12 points) hit a pair of triples early in the third quarter as the Saints made a push.
But the Magic guard trio, notably Hartmann, fired back.
Hickey hit a pair of three-pointers of his own, while Hartmann continued to prove a handful at the hoop, while also showing his mid-range game with a pull-up jumper.
They took an 80-63 lead heading into the final break.
A Saints’ run may have been enough to pull them back.
But it was the Magic that essentially buried their opponent in the opening exchanges of the fourth quarter.
An 8-0 run, capped by Hartmann driving through the Saints’ defence for an open layup, took the score to 90-65.
The Saints hit back with a mini-run of their own. But by that point the game was well-gone, the Magic cruising to victory.
Hartmann was named MVP, and was joined in the All Star Five by Ruske (Saints), Hughan (Magic), Max Pearce (Lions) and Olly Smith (Bombers).
