A dominant performance from young shooter Kelsey McPhee has led the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic to a crucial 57-50 win over the Mainland Tactix in front of an energetic home crowd on Monday night.
The 21-year-old showed plenty of confidence in a rare starting appearance, which resulted in her collecting the match MVP award. She shot accurately from all parts of the circle and got up for the rebound or tipped the ball to her teammates on the unlikely occasion she missed - finishing with an 87 per cent mark; slotting 40 of her 46 attempts.
The Magic's win gave them a much-needed three points, and while the positions on the ladder remain unchanged, they clawed closer to the top three spots needed to make the finals, sitting four points behind the Northern Stars with five games to go.
They also managed to deny the Tactix of a bonus point, confining them to the bottom of the table for another week.
The Tactix changed their defensive structure multiple times to try shut down McPhee, but were ultimately unsuccessful, as the Magic managed to pull away in the third quarter thanks to a strong performance through all areas of the court.
