Geraldton Buccaneers unaffected by Mandurah’s Magic in 111-85 win

The Geraldton Buccaneers are still the team to beat in the NBL1 West after their comprehensive 111-85 win over the Mandurah Magic on Saturday night at Activewest Stadium.

Heading into the match, the Buccs were without captain Mat Wundenberg, import Cameron Coleman as well as Liam Hunt.

Despite these outs, it was business as usual for Dayle Joseph’s side in front of their home fans.

The Buccs came out strong in the first term, scoring 31 points to the Magic’s 21 to go into quarter-time with a 10-point lead.

They didn’t let up in the second quarter, adding a further 29 points while holding the Magic to 20, as they headed into half-time with a 60-41 lead.

As they have done all season, the Buccs held on for a dominant 26-point victory, moving their record to 8-0 while their opponents now sit at 5-3.

Mathiang Muo stepped up on the night scoring 35 points, to go with his 10 rebounds and five assists, while Ryan Blanchett added 26 points and seven rebounds.

Shaun Stewart had a relatively quiet night by his standards but still managed to put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a triple-double.

Sixteen-year-old Robert Griechen made his season debut for the NBL1 side, playing 10 minutes and scoring five points in an impressive cameo.

Johny Narkle continued his impressive form, finishing with 17 points and eight rebounds for the night.

The Buccs will play the last of their five-game home run next Saturday night when they face the Eastern Suns at Activewest Stadium.