Clash of local titans looks tough to call

AN undefeated season or a sixth consecutive title looms today.

It shapes as potentially the hardest to pick men’s club basketball finals in many years.

The Mid City Magic has claimed the past five titles and looks to be coming into form, as it gets its team back to full strength for the business end of the season.

However, it faces a St Kilda Saints team that has been sublime all year, and heads into today’s match unbeaten.

The teams have been the two powers of men’s club basketball over the past 20 years.

They have played each other in 10 finals since 2005 — the Magic holding the headtohead edge 64 — and account for every title except 2011, which was won by Otago Boys’ Old Boys.

While it has been unbeaten through 15 games, this will be a true test for St Kilda.

The Magic has not had the services of NBL duo Richie Rodger and Josh Aitcheson in the previous meetings of the team’s this year.

They both add significant quality to this team, and provide two of the three remaining players from the original championship team of five years ago.

Otago Nuggets guard Joe Ahie is missing, but there is plenty of other quality among this Magic team.

Dallas Hartmann has been, at times, unguardable going to the hoop, while he is the best rebounding guard in the league.

His 18.4 points per game are fourth in the league and should leave him among the top MVP contenders.

Joining him are dangerous big man Nathan Hanna, as well as sharp shooter Josh Reeves — who has hit 16 threepointers across his past two games.

The Saints have plenty of their own fire power to match that.

James Ross is a perennial winner and was the key player in the team’s threepeat between 2014 and 2016.

He remains capable of taking over the game both as a scorer and facilitator, while also being an elite defensive presence.

Mike Ruske joins him in a classy back court, the Otago Nuggets development player bringing a high IQ, tight handle and elite midrange scoring game.

In the front court Lawson MorrisWhyte is an imposing presence and will be another favourite for MVP.

He leads the league in scoring with 22.1 points per game, exceptional at crashing and playing off the guard duo, both in the half court and transition.

Around that trio it has a handy group of role players including Liam Aston, Tyler Lapham and Jamie MacDonald.

Danyon Ashcroft is another potential star of the game, although he enters under an injury cloud.

Tipoff is at 2pm.