There was just a glimpse of the Mid City Magic’s true quality.
It was a glimpse that showed they will be tough contenders for the Dunedin men’s club basketball title.
It was also enough to claim an opening day 89-71 win over the St Kilda Saints at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
A 16-0 run to open the second half was the winning of the game.
After an even and gritty first half, it was five minutes of complete dominance from a star-studded Magic side.
They got out in transition, got to the hoop and the line, hit from deep, and found open cutters to dismantle the Saints’ defence in an array of ways.
Notably they came out with a much higher intensity on the defensive end and the Saints struggled to look after the ball, or generate a single good look.
It took the halftime score of 43-41 out to 59-41.
The game became effectively out of reach from the Saints, as the Magic coasted through to the finish from there.
Guard Ieremia Morris (15 points) was a threat for the Magic through that run, the Varsity-transfer scored seven consecutive points in a devastating stretch.
Fellow guard Dallas Hartmann (23 points) was equally threatening on both ends — just as he was going downhill to the hoop all day.
Yet up until that point, it was a classic tussle between the league’s two biggest rivals — who both had plenty of quality missing.
The Saints led 27-26 at the end of the first quarter, as both teams scored freely to open their seasons.
Saints point guard Mike Ruske (28 points) was dangerous driving to the hoop, both with his ability to finish and draw the foul, alongside finding his shooters on the perimeter.
Those shooters delivered early for the Saints, while Lawson Morris-Whyte (14 points) was strong inside, enabling them to take an early lead.
Their defensive intensity helped quell a star-laden Magic lineup early too — the Magic having picked up Morris, Noah McDowall and Callum Chirnside from the Mid City Lions, and Toby Lewis from the Andy Bay Falcons.
For much of the first half, the Magic looked like a team that had not played together.
However, they hung tough and Hartmann kept driving aggressively, while Thomas Willmott (15 points) provided an outside shooting threat.
Both defences tightened in the second quarter, leaving the halftime score at 43-41.
At that point the Magic lifted, and the Saints struggled to maintain their intensity, Ruske shouldering a heavy load to try to keep the Saints in check.
The Magic led 75-61 to end the third quarter, maintaining that margin through to the end.
In other games the City Rise Bombers began their title defence with an 83-60 win over the Andy Bay Falcons, while Mid City Lions beat Varsity 80-68.
