By Lachlan Onions
IT was a tough night for the Millicent Magic men on Saturday when they travelled to Portland to take on the Coasters in Round 5 of the Country Basketball League season.
The Magic could not match the strength of the Coasters in any of the four quarters, succumbing in the end with a 112-58 result.
The Coasters hit the floor running, but did not shake the loose of the Magic in the opening term, with a seven-point margin at the first break.
“We just weren’t dropping shots in the first quarter and could not get going at any stage,” Magic coach Darren Dean said.
“The boys had dropped their heads a bit at the quarter-time break.
“It was probably our worst quarter of the season but we were only seven points down, so I said if we could hit a few shots and contain them we were back in the game.”
However, the Coasters blew out to a 34-point lead thanks to a relentless quarter from the hosts.
A 27-10 term put the Magic on the back foot and they did not recover.
The third term went to the Coasters to the tune of 12 points, while a stinging final stanza (35-17) ended the game in style for the victors.
Portland managed to cruise to victory in the second half as foul trouble meant the Magic had just four players on the court for the final nine minutes of the game.
“The four payers who ended on the court – Austin Fuller, Declan Hurley, Harry Schultz and Jackson Dean – they fought it out until the end,” Dean said.
“Portland was pressing for the whole second half, even with the four players on to their credit and our boys stuck at it and fought through till the end.”
Kade Bradley (14) and Austin Fuller (10) were the only two Magic players to reach double figures in a game the side will need to put behind them.
“They (Portland) were quite good on the night offensively and we were unable to contain the three or four players we had earmarked who were going to be threats,” Dean said.
He said his side will review the game as a group before they face Portland again when they host the Coasters on Saturday night.
