COMING off a tough loss the previous week, being without their two heart and soul players and then with both imports getting hurt the Perth Redbacks had to find something last Friday, and that's exactly what coach Nik Lackovic's system and the team's character allowed to happen.

The Redbacks had lost to the Willetton Tigers 125-90 the previous Saturday night after leading by eight at half-time after big man Michael Vigor went down with captain Joel Wagner already sidelined.

That meant they had to be mindful of an ambush from the Mandurah Magic on Friday at Belmont Oasis Leisure Centre with the visitors having ended their losing run the previous week with a stunning buzzer-beater from Trevor Setty.

Then when Jourdan DeMuynck injured a toe in the opening minutes the Redbacks had further reason to worry. He did return to play most of the second half running the point solidly, but he was clearly hampered by the injury.

Then Reed McConnell also rolled an ankle early in the third quarter meaning the Redbacks were missing Wagner and Vigor while their two imports were well below 100 per cent.

But Lackovic has put together a system at the Redbacks where the entire squad has full buy in and anyone off the bench is ready and able to step in and stand up when called upon. That's what happened on Friday as they recorded a strong 111-87 win to consolidate themselves a playoff spot.

Thomas, Lokan lead Redbacks to important win over Magic

Lewis Thomas and Simon Lokan were the undoubted stars of the night for the Redbacks, but they couldn’t do it alone with Ben Smith delivering 16 points, Jamieson Lewis five (two assists) and Jack Wagner (five points, three steals, two assists).

Thomas had the best night of his career and sensed the need to take on more responsibility particularly when DeMuynck went down in the first three minutes.

He took over the game at both ends of the floor showing he can shoot from the outside, drive to the basket and finish around the rim with his energy and athleticism a standout.

He finished with 40 points, 16 rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks with Lackovic in no doubt he has the tools and all-round game to go to the next level.

"He has got so many areas of his game that you don’t need to recoach. He is so smart and his IQ is really good and defensively he defends so many areas of the floor so well," Lackovic said.

"He did a great job this week on Ben Smith on the interior and we could put him outside on a Trevor Setty, and in on-ball pick and rolls against heir two best offensive players and he does a great job there. His rotations are unbelievable and he rebounded really well, and finished plays so well.

"In my mind he is the kind of guy who you can't help but be impressed by with his work rate, energy and ability around certain areas of the floor where he can just out-think guys. That all came together for him in this game and I'm really happy for him."

The other standout performer of the night for the Redbacks was energetic big man Lokan. He finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots but it was more than his numbers that made an impact.

His remarkable energy and competitiveness ensured that the Redbacks disrupted every Magic offensive possession, he fought for every offensive board and made sure that the absence of Vigor wasn’t felt too severely.

Having previously played with the Lakeside Lightning and Willetton Tigers, Lackovic has been delighted to be able to give Lokan an opportunity in 2016 and to see him grab it.

"I'm so happy for Simon. He really recognised the importance of staying patient and understanding how important his role is within the team, and playing at the right pace. And then controlling his emotions as well," he said.

"When he does that and it was against a tough front line, he is so valuable for us and in the absence of Mike I thought the minutes we were able to get out of him will put us in good stead for the future weeks moving forward. I'm really pleased for him."

Both DeMuynck and McConnell were able to finish the game on Friday despite being sore and as a result Lackovic expects them to be right for this Saturday night's clash with the Lakeside Lightning at Lakeside Recreation Centre.

"They should be fine. Jourdan will have a week where we just manage that toe and Reed should be OK after rolling an ankle. It's a long season so at this stage the value of your depth and having guys on the bench you can turn to is just so important," he said.

"I thought guys like Jamieson Lewis and Jack Wagner came in and in their minutes were so productive in everything they did.

"We just have to manage certain players and bodies right now at this stage of the season. We know we have to keep winning games to give ourselves the best chance to finish as high as possible and let everything else take care of itself."

Lackovic also expects captain Joel Wagner to push to play this Saturday night after missing the last three games with his ankle injury while he is hoping Michael Vigor is back before the playoffs.

"If we can get Mike back in two or three weeks that would be a good result, but it's a week by week proposition. He's had this week off and we'll see how we go. We'd like to get a couple of games into him before the playoffs," Lackovic said.

"Joel should be a chance to play this week but again we will revisit that as the week goes on and see how he is feeling. They are so important to us the both of them so if it means that we finish as the eighth seed but get healthy bodies I'm more than happy with that.

"But at the same time they are two competitive guys who want to come back and play. I'm going to have to try and pull them back a little to make sure we take care of them the right way."

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Sebpix Photography