Sport
2 December, 2025
Aislinn McCarthy’s 36 guides Lady Blazers to CBL North West Women Grand Final
The Maryborough Lady Blazers will meet the Bendigo Braves in the CBL North West Women’s Grand Final following a stunning semi-final victory against the Bacchus Marsh Lions 100-82.
After Maryborough trailed for the majority of the first half, Aislinn McCarthy took over with a 14-point third quarter, the highlight of a monumental performance that ended with a season-high 36 points.
Despite being the underdogs facing the undefeated minor premiers, Bacchus Marsh held the upper hand throughout the first quarter.
After both teams rained down buckets in their opening possessions, the Lions began to generate several turnovers on defence while star centre Kayla Salmons quickly established her dominance in the paint with her silky finishes.
With their opponents threatening to build a substantial lead in the first period, the returning Maddy Egan quickly came off the bench and limited the damage Salmons was creating.
A trifecta of late triples from Brandy Santon, who was brilliant in the first quarter, and Brodie Hillier settled Maryborough’s nerves, trailing by three at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams failed to give an inch to their opponents on defence following the break, with a staggering 14 fouls called during the second quarter as players were fearless in their pursuit of the ball.
That constant pressure stunted the Lady Blazers and Lions’ offensive rhythms, with a Trinity Steele three for Bacchus Marsh the only field goal in the first five minutes of the period.
An Azalea Wighton put-back woke the Lady Blazers’ offence into action, with threes from Heidi Plim and Santon, and a pair of Millie Cracknell free throws in their next four possessions drew Maryborough level.
Following back-to-back makes from Salmons, Cracknell and McCarthy combined for a 10-0 run, bookended by a nasty Cracknell ankle breaker setting up a McCarthy buzzer-beater which put the Lady Blazers up four at half time.
With the home crowd rocking the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre at the end of the first half, McCarthy and Maggie Tranter seemed full of energy to start the third quarter, scoring 15 of Maryborough’s first 16 points in the period to give Maryborough a double-digit advantage.
After finding constant avenues into the paint and fighting through contact at the rim, McCarthy began to punish the Lions from deep with a pair of three-pointers.
That kickstarted a 10-3 Maryborough run to end the third period, with the Lady Blazers leading 75-57 at the final break.
With players from both teams struggling with foul trouble, the fourth quarter was a war of attrition as Bacchus Marsh tried everything to cut down the lead.
The Lady Blazers’ foul problem only exacerbated when they placed the Lions in the bonus early in the period and Wighton fouled out.
Despite that, the Lions weren’t able to fully capitalise on their regular trips to the stripe, allowing the hosts to stay ahead with clutch buckets from Santon and Hillier.
Cracknell delivered the dagger for the Lady Blazers with an and-one three-pointer, as Maryborough booked their Grand Final ticket with an 18-point win.
McCarthy produced an offensive performance to remember, leading the hosts with 36 points, while Cracknell recovered from some early struggles to finish on 21 points.
The duo of Santon and Hillier stepped up during many of the Lady Blazers’ dry spells, combining to score 25 points.
The road to the Lady Blazers’ second CBL title doesn’t get any easier when they face the reigning premiers at Cobblebank Stadium Saturday night.
The Braves flipped a five-point half time deficit against the Melton Thoroughbreds by outscoring their opponents 58-42 in the second half, with 34 points from Jessica Smith and 31 from Amelia Grist leading Bendigo to a 97-86 victory.