Geraldton Buccaneers make magic happen with finals win over Mandurah

The Geraldton Buccaneers remain the team to beat in the NBL1 West following their 106-100 qualifying final win against the Mandurah Magic on Saturday.

The reigning champions have earnt the right to remain at Activewest Stadium until the grand final after finishing as the top side and taking out the finals win.

It was a battle between the current league MVP and a pair of grand final MVPs with Mandurah’s Joel Murray taking over the match, but Johny Narkle and Liam Hunt proved too good in the win.

Geraldton came out with a statement first quarter, dropping 33 points past the Magic as they looked to build an early lead.

Their momentum fell in the second term, and Mandurah managed to flip the script, getting up over Geraldton 58-55 at the half-time break.

Like they have all season, the Buccaneers turned a deficit into a lead as they got out to a 12-point advantage in the third quarter.

The Magic wouldn’t go away however, with the game coming down to the final quarter but after Murray fouled out in the dying minutes, Geraldton put away the six-point win.

Narkle and Hunt dominated the match, each notching a double-double, with Narkle finishing on 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Hunt had 26 points with 14 rebounds.

Mandurah’s Murray was giving the Geraldton defence headaches, dropping 42 points but it was not enough for the win.

The side will have to wait until Thursday night before they find out their next opponent, with the Willetton Tigers and Rockingham Flames facing off for a chance to take on the Buccs.

The Buccs will have the upper hand of being able to remain home and getting a week off, while their opponent has a quick turnaround of travelling to Geraldton following the semifinal.

Whoever they face on Saturday, the Buccs will need just one more win to reach their third straight NBL1 West grand final, as they look to become repeat champions.