Sport
19 October, 2023
Big weekend for Blazers
It’s a weekend of great significance for both men’s and women’s Maryborough Blazers teams, with their finals hopes hinging on their results this weekend. The men’s team will have a double header against two 2022/23 finalists, with a match at...

It’s a weekend of great significance for both men’s and women’s Maryborough Blazers teams, with their finals hopes hinging on their results this weekend.
The men’s team will have a double header against two 2022/23 finalists, with a match at home against reigning champions, the Melton Thoroughbreds, followed by a game against Castlemaine Cannons on Sunday.
Meantime, the Lady Blazers will be desperate to avoid a fourth consecutive loss against Melton, which would leave them most likely needing to win their final six games to be any chance of getting back into the top four.
The men’s team were able to get on the board against Kyneton last Sunday in a much-needed win, after losing to Bacchus Marsh the night before in what was a mixed weekend.
Playing-coach Brady Neill has made the decision to come off the bench this season, and the move has paid dividends as he has led the second unit quite well, scoring 35 points across the course of the weekend.
He now sits fourth in the competition for scoring, averaging just under 17 points per game.
The Blazers were also able to enjoy a couple of breakout performances on the weekend.
Young point guard Ky Swards impressed with his ability to get to the basket and make the right decisions, and was rewarded with 11 points against Bacchus Marsh, showing the trust the team has put into him, while on Sunday, it was Lochlan Oellering’s turn to shine, pouring in 23 points.
Darcy Bond also enjoyed a solid weekend, scoring 13 points in their Sunday win, while adding 12 against Bacchus Marsh.
The challenge now is to stop a Melton team who currently have the highest points per game output in the competition, averaging 104 points, which included a haul of 119 against Kyneton last Saturday night.
They will need to back it up against Castlemaine, who are currently undefeated, thanks to wins against the Macedon Ranges Rockies and Echuca Pirates.
Meantime, for the Lady Blazers, they will need to get back on the winners list against Melton to avoid going 0-4 to start the season.
Keeping their concentration throughout the entire game has plagued the Lady Blazers so far this season, with one quarter costing them dearly in each of their three games so far.
On Saturday night, it was the third quarter against Bacchus Marsh. After a solid start which saw them trail by just two points at half time, the Lions ran away with the game in the third term, scoring 20 points to six to take control of the game, and eventually finished 29-point winners.
A young Lady Blazers lineup took to the court, but it was still the experienced heads that led the way, with Georgia Hiscock scoring 15 points, playing-coach Faith McKenzie scoring 13 and Emma Pedretti adding 10.
On Sunday, a scoreless last quarter proved very costly, as the Lady Blazers let a six-point three-quarter-time lead slip to eventually lose by 11.
Beforehand however, the Lady Blazers had some very positive moments, particularly in the second term where they scored 18 points to five to hit the front.
McKenzie played well again, scoring 18 points, while Keisha Tonzing had an impact in her first game of the season, scoring eight points.