But, 2,500 school-aged children in attendance had a grand time
Former Orlando Magic player Devin Cannaday and Jalen Crutcher combined for 46 points, and Trey Jemison scored three baskets from inside the paint late in the game, as the Birmingham Squadron defeated the Osceola Magic, 116-114, on a rare morning game at Silver Spurs Arena that tipped at 10:30 a.m.
The loss dropped the Magic to 7-5 on the season and pushed them a full game back in the Southern Division against the Mexico City Capitanes.
It was a tough game for the Magic, as they played behind most of the game and had to overcome double digit deficits three times. But each time the Magic rallied, the Squadron answered with mini-runs of their own to move back in front.
"It was frustrating at times but that is the nature of basketball. We had to exert so much energy on offense in coming back that it really makes hard on the defense on the other end of the floor," Osceola coach Dylan Murphy said.
Still the Magic had an opportunity to tie late and send the game into overtime. Trailing by seven with just 23 seconds left, Trevelin Queen hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to four, 114-110, Following a couple of Birmingham free throws that extended the lead back to six, Mac McClung nailed a three-pointer to make it 116-113, Crutcher pushed the lead back to five with two more free throws, but Queen was fouled while hitting a three-pointer to pull the Magic back to within two at 116-114. Queen missed the ensuing free throw on purpose and the ball rolled hard off the the right side of the rim and back into his own hands but the subsequent put back with 1.5 seconds remaining missed.
"We had our chances at the end, unfortunately we weren't able to make that last shot and send it to overtime," Murphy said. "I was certainly pleased with the effort we gave all game."
Queen led all Magic scorers with 30 points and said the missed free throw at the end was intentional but not scripted.
"All that you are trying to do on that play is hit the rim and hope you get a bounce. Fortunately, we got that bounce but weren't able to finish. I thought we played hard all game. We had our chances."
In addition, Queen led Osceola with 11 rebounds and five assists. Brandon Williams added 27 for the Magic. Osceola shot 43% on overall but was just 16-of-54 (29%) from beyond the three point line. "Our shot selection was pretty good all game, we were getting the looks we wanted," Murphy added.
The 6-10 Jemison was a handful for the Magic. In addition to his 14 points, he had 18 rebounds and blocked a shot.
Osceola started off cold in the first period, falling behind 15-7 but rallied back with a 12-2 run to take a 19-17 lead,. A thunderous dunk by Chris Walker and a three-pointer by Myron Gardner led the rally. Gardner added a bucked down the stretch and Brandon Williams scored 10 in the period, as the Magic built a 26-20 lead after one quarter.
Osceola would build the lead to 11 early in the second quarter, but Birmingham fought back with an 11-0 run to knot it at 31-31. From there, the teams battled for a stalemate for most of the quarter but the Squadron scored 10 of the final 12 points in the quarter to take a 58-50 lead into the locker room.
MAGIC NOTEBOOK: Osceola has two more games left in the current home stand. They will take on Birmingham again on Friday night (Dec. 15) before entertaining the Mexico City Capitanes on Saturday, Dec. 16. Both games tip at Silver Spurs Arena at 7 p.m. The Squadron are affiliated with the New Orleans Pelicans, Mexico City, along with the Las Vegas Ignite, are one of two franchises that does not have an NBA Affiliate.
The 10:30 a.m. Wednesday start was part of a School Days Matinee promotion with Osceola County schools. More than 2,500 kids were guests of the Magic at the game, Several events, including Career Day speakers, were part of the program. The Magic have done the same event and day game in the past.
After averaging almost 24 points per game in his last three, Osceola fan favorite Mac McClung started off slow on Wednesday morning — hitting just 1-of-9 in the first half. He came on strong in the second half to finish with 24 points but was an uncharacteristic 9-for-25 in the game with five turnovers.
