Despite almost succumbing to the potential upset of the season, the Lakeside Lightning were good enough to edge out the Mandurah Magic by two points on Friday night.

The 113-111 win gives the Lightning their best ever record for a MSBL season, improving to 23 wins with only two losses.

And once again, Lakeside can thank Luke Payne for the victory. With the scores tied in the final seconds, Payne's two-point basket with less than two seconds remaining was enough for the victory.

Lakeside came out firing in the first quarter from three point range with Kyle Armour, Payne and Brad Jackson all contributing. Armour’s speed and vision all over the court helped the Lightning jump out to an early 11 point lead at quarter time.

The Magic put together an early run in the second period on the back of some great outside shooting and the strength of Tom Remmerswaal in the key, and eventually took the lead into half time.

Mandurah again put together consecutive baskets to start a quarter, and after only a few minutes into the third term, they had raced out to a seven point advantage. However the outside shooting of Jackson again proved valuable for the Lightning as they regained the lead not long after, and carried it into three quarter time to lead 88-81.

The final term saw the intensity level from the Magic increase, as Aaron Trahair hit two three pointers early to keep Mandurah close. Crucial defensive stops saw them tie the game with about eight minutes remaining. After Paul Pantaleo’s three point play with 6:12 to go, the Magic went ahead by one.

However, Payne and Ben Beran soon had Lakeside back ahead as they connected on several tough shots in the key. A technical foul on Trahair gave Beran two free throws and six point lead for Lakeside with a minute and a half remaining.

Despite intense defensive pressure, Trahair made up for his early misdemeanour by hitting a three pointer to cut the lead to three with 38.2 seconds on the clock. A missed three pointer by Armour gave Mandurah another possession, and with 6.1 seconds remaining, Trahair was fouled on a three point attempt. He made all three free throws to tie the game and forced Lakeside into a timeout.

Enter Payne. His drive into the key and tough floater over three defenders gave Lakeside a two point lead with less than two seconds on the clock. Trahair narrowly missed the game winning shot that almost caused a massive boilover.

Postgame, Lightning coach Andy Stewart praised the Mandurah side.

“Mandurah played really well. At stages their execution and timing was excellent,” he said.

Payne led all scorers for the Lightning with 32 points followed by Beran who had 23 points, while Jarrad Prue also pulled down 27 rebounds. Trahair had 25 points to top-score for Mandurah, who had seven players in double figures for scoring.

Earlier in the night, the Magic boosted its top four hopes in the WSBL with a hard fought 86-71 win over Lakeside.

The game was close throughout until the Magic pulled away in the final period. Hailey Dunham was outstanding for Mandurah with 28 points. Casey Mihovilovich again narrowly missed out on a triple double when she finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Courtney Bayliss was the top scorer for the Lightning with 17 points. Lakeside remain in the eighth and final playoff position.

Article by Nathan Winch at Lakeside Recreation Centre
Photo by Mick Cronin

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