Magic 58Stars 45The Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic have missed out on the ANZ Premiership playoffs in agonising fashion, falling barely short of their lofty target against the Northern Stars tonight. The Magic needed to beat the Stars by 15 goals to sneak into the third and final playoff place but, after flirting with that number in the final quarter in Tauranga, ended up 13-goal victors. But the Stars soon reversed their slide and trimmed the deficit to seven by halftime, leaving the Magic with some work to do. That work began well, capitalising on their opponents' increased turnover count in the third to see the lead swell to 12 heading into the final quarter. And the home side soon reached their magic number early in the fourth.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 21, 2017 09:11 UTC