The Mid City Magic remains  unbeaten, although there is little separating  the top teams at the end of Dunedin club basketball’s first round.

A 79-61 win over Varsity enabled the defending champion to  jump out to a 5-0 record to start to the season.

It got out to a fast start and led 23-14 at the end of the first quarter, Benoit Hayman scoring 15 of his 23 points early.

From there,  the Magic was able to cruise, its range of threats shooting well and making it tough for Varsity to contain.

It got solid contributions from Matt Dukes, Adam van Heezik and Brent Cheshire, who managed 14, 13 and 12 points respectively.

They helped the side lead 43-29 at halftime, extending that to 63-40 heading into the final break before Varsity got its offence going in the final quarter.

Earlier, the City Rise Bombers put on an impressive display to thrash  the Andy Bay Falcons 85-63.

It was their fourth win and the first time one of the top four sides has lost by a convincing margin.

Matt Bardsley and Olly Smith continued their form as a one-two punch, dropping 30 points apiece — 20 each in the first half.

Arguably the most influential player in the league this season, Bardsley used his aggression and footwork to get to the hoop at will.

It was the third time he has cracked 30 points — having also put up big numbers against the Magic and the St Kilda Saints.

Smith was deadly from deep — hitting five three-pointers — while also proving tough to stop with his pull-up jumper going right.

They helped the Bombers take a 25-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, extending that to 48-29 at halftime.

The Falcons defence dug in to limit the damage in the second half, although the deficit was always too much to bring back.

In the late game, the St Kilda Saints beat the Magic Lions 96-83 in a high-scoring game.

The Saints did the damage early, shooting out to a 25-15 at the end of the first quarter and extending that to 47-35 at halftime.

The Lions fought back to win the last two quarters although were unable to overcome the deficit.

James Ross and Matt Gillan led the way with 24 points each.

It was the Saints’ third win of the season, leaving them in third place, while the Falcons are in fourth with two. Varsity is knocking on the door with one, while the Lions are still searching for their first scalp.