Men dig deep in gritty win, youth women off to magical start

The Magic found themselves down by as much as 10 points in the final term of their round five Waratah League Men's match against the Port Macquarie Dolphins at the Moss Vale Basketball Stadium on Saturday, April 20, but grit and determination got them to a 85-81 win.

Magic assistant coach David Watts said his side's offense wasn't up to scratch all match, but solid defense got them back into the game.

"We turned the match around thanks to our defensive effort and it flowed onto our offense," Watts said.

"Our offense was horrible today.

"We weren't getting through our offensive sets and were just playing some one out basketball which isn't great."

The win means the Magic Men have now beaten both the first and second teams from last year and Watts put the success down to his team's camaraderie.

"Even though we're a fairly new team, the players have played together since juniors," Watts said.

"They're a great bunch of boys who play for each other."

The Magic, which sit third on the ladder, next play the Goulburn Bears from 4pm at the same venue on Saturday, April 27.

Earlier in the day, Moss Vale's inaugural Youth Women Magic debuted in the Waratah League competition in style, coming away with a 70-61 victory over the Central Coast Waves.

The match was dedicated to Keith Williams, one of three founding fathers of the Moss Vale and District Basketball Association, this year, so it was fitting his great granddaughter and co-captain Lily Bentley made the team's first basket.