Mystics hold off the Bush Chooks in round four wrap up

There were plenty of big rumbles in round four of the 2021-22 Manjimup basketball season last week. The Manjimup Amateur Basketball Association announced last week it would combine its women’s AR and B grades into one 12-team division. One of the first matches of the new fixture system saw the Mystics take down the Bush Chooks by six points in a thrilling finish on Wednesday night. Both sides set themselves up well defensively, making easy points hard to come by. There was little separating the two teams for most of the match, however the Mystics appeared to find a little more fluidity in their offence than their opponents, giving them a small early lead. The game remained tight until the end but the Bush Chooks started to make a late run which brought the margin back to just four points with about a minute to go. Unfortunately the Bush Chooks were unable to capitalise on their momentum as Mystics’ Emma Podziuka sealed the game with a clutch lay-up to give her team a six-point lead with 30 seconds remaining on the clock. As the time ran out, the Mystics finished on top 25-19 as they moved to 3-1 for the season. Elsewhere in the AR/B women’s grade, the Slam Dunks defeated Aus Stars Purple 31-19, Aus Stars Green took down Magpies Light Blue 35-26, Magpies Orange beat Senators Blue Green 23-20, while Senators Maroon rolled the Panthers 62-17 and the Diamonds narrowly won against the Saints 29-28. The women’s A-grade saw the Pink Ladies bounce back with a 43-24 win over the Vipers and the Comets take a win over the Aces by forfeit. The men’s competition also saw some high-scoring battles, such as the Barracudas’ 78-37 win over the Yabbies and the Cobras taking down the Wolfpack 60-37. The Imperials came away with a one-point victory against Hawks B, while Hawks A managed a 58-33 win against the Dingos, the Giants knocked off the Raiders 40-36 and the Spoonbills claimed their first win of the season defeating the Warriors 49-37.