Sport
5 December, 2022
Blazers bow out of finals
The Lady Blazers’ premier-ship defence came to an end on Sunday afternoon when the Bendigo Braves answered every one of their challenges to record a 14-point victory, avenging their 2021/22 grand final defeat in the process. The Lady Blazers were...
The Lady Blazers’ premier-ship defence came to an end on Sunday afternoon when the Bendigo Braves answered every one of their challenges to record a 14-point victory, avenging their 2021/22 grand final defeat in the process.
The Lady Blazers were given the opportunity to play finals on their home court, despite Bendigo finishing on top with an unbeaten record, and looked to take advantage of this in the first quarter. But a handful of missed shots, coupled with the Braves hitting some contested shots in the paint, ensured that they would lead 16-10 at the first change.
It looked like the Braves would have complete control of the game when they skipped out to a 12-point lead early in the second quarter. But, sparked by Millie Cracknell, the Lady Blazers would go on a 16-5 run to cut the lead down to just one point, before the Braves steadied to finish with the last five points of the half to hold a 36-30 lead at the main break.
The third quarter was a titanic struggle as both teams fought to keep their season alive. Again, it was the Lady Blazers continuing to ask all the questions as they whittled down the Braves’ lead to two by midway through the third quarter, but Bendigo proved they had all the answers. On top of their shotmaking inside the paint from difficult spots, they were also proving to be extremely efficient from the mid-range, and that allowed them to keep holding on to the lead throughout.
The Lady Blazers did manage to win the quarter however, scoring 17 points to 16 to reduce the lead to five points at the last change, trailing 47-52.
With the game on the line, it was Bendigo who proved to have the better finish, extending their lead throughout the final period and winning a game that was tighter than the scoreboard suggested, running out 72-58 winners.
Cracknell was superb for the Blazers, pouring in three threes and proving to be an excellent option from distance, eventually finishing with 20 points. Maddy Egan had a fantastic third quarter and would eventually finish with 10 points, as would Claire Constable, while Elisa Pica finished with eight points.
However, the loss marked the end of the Lady Blazers’ premiership defence, despite their best efforts.
