ALTHOUGH the result was far from ideal for the Mandurah Magic in their clash against the Joondalup Wolves, falling by 24 points, the performance of emerging talent Sammie Freeman was certainly a huge positive.

It was a seriously anticipated matchup in the NBL1 West Men’s last night, with both sides having secured five wins from the first six weeks of the season, although the Wolves had played one more game than the Magic. Regardless, both sides are shaping as championship contenders come season’s end so it was looking like a finals preview.

Surprisingly, it was a one-sided affair in the opening quarter, with Joondalup dominating on both ends of the floor to take a 16-point lead into the first change, which was extended out to 21 at half-time. Although the Magic were certainly better in the second half, the damage was already done, with the Wolves cruising home to victory.

Although the team suffered a heavy defeat, Freeman was still productive for the Magic, and is continuing to develop into a key piece for Mandurah moving forward.

Mandurah Magic (80) def. by Joondalup Wolves (104)

Sammie Freeman – 26 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks

It was a starring performance from Freeman, who fought tooth and nail to try and spark something for the Magic, although he was a one-man army for much of the contest.

He blocked the first field goal attempt of the match when Joondalup’s Joey Baker tried to challenge him inside, setting the tone for the rest of his performance. Freeman then followed up a missed triple from Jahcoree Ealy and tipped the ball in to get the Magic on the board.

Freeman then backed down his opponent, and nailed the turnaround jumper to continue his hot start to the match, and when he sank a driving layup a couple of minutes later, he had recorded all six of Mandurah’s points.

The second quarter saw Freeman look to push the ball inside for the Magic, after the team’s shooting had failed to make a mark on the scoreboard, and he generated some easy points at the free throw line as a result of this. He threw down a nice driving dunk late in the half to try and energise his side, although they still trailed by a hefty margin at the main break.

Coming out of half time, Freeman looked to assert himself aerially, getting first hands on the ball on both ends of the floor and becoming one of the most prominent forces of the match on the glass, although some foul trouble limited his court time. He showed his relentless effort as a rebounder with a nice tip-in through contact to produce an and-one that was one of the highlight plays of the match for Mandurah.

He finished the match with 26 points on 10/19 shooting from the field to go with 11 rebounds in a tireless performance, proving one of the most influential players on the floor and never giving up despite the scoreboard deficit.