Ajax, Magic start second round with wins

AJAX and the South Pacific Magic both claimed wins to start the second round of women’s club basketball.

A strong second quarter proved key as Ajax claimed a convincing 8159 win over Varsity on Tuesday night.

Olivia O’Neill and Nicole Ruske scored 12 and 11 points each during that period, as Ajax went on a 289 run to blow the game open.

That resulted in the score reaching 4924 at halftime, before Varsity bounced back in the second half.

It was unable to close the gap, although Ajax was only able to extend its lead by four.

Ruske finished with a gamehigh 28 points, while O’Neill had 16.

Danielle Frost and Natalie Smith had 14 each for Ajax.

Rosie Davison topscored for Varsity with 17 points and Jeanie Pattison added 13.

The South Pacific Magic maintained its unbeaten season with a 7360 win over the Andy Bay Falcons. Georgia Te Au led the way with 16 points in another balanced scoring effort from the Magic

Natalie Visger, Kirsty Currie and Soraya UmagaJensen all chipped in with 12 points.

The first and third quarters were key to the Magic’s win.

It held the Falcons to a combined 14 points during those periods, while scoring 18 in both itself.

That helped it stay in front, despite allowing the Falcons to score 30 and 24 points in the second and fourth quarters respectively.

Twins Zoe and Brittany Richards led the Falcons with 18 and 15 points in their first game back from the United States, while Tayla MacDonald added 14.

The win means the Magic maintains top spot with four wins.

Ajax is in second — a default to the Magic in the first round was its only loss.

Varsity is in third, having obtained its one victory over the winless Falcons.