Sport
9 October, 2023
Blazers fall to Braves in tough opening stand
It wasn’t quite the weekend the Maryborough Blazers were looking for, as despite some promising moments in both men’s and women’s games, they were outclassed by the Bendigo Braves. The Lady Blazers had a tricky task to overhaul the reigning...
It wasn’t quite the weekend the Maryborough Blazers were looking for, as despite some promising moments in both men’s and women’s games, they were outclassed by the Bendigo Braves.
The Lady Blazers had a tricky task to overhaul the reigning champions to start their season, with a vastly different team taking to the floor.
However, the Lady Blazers, under the tutelage of Faith McKenzie, were aggressive with their shot selection, with their ball movement allowing them to get some good looks from three-point land.
While some shots fell, the Braves were able to establish an early lead thanks to some good shooting of their own, with Lavinia Cox in particular getting them off to a great start, as the Braves led 30-17 at their first break.
The second quarter was Mary-borough’s best, with McKenzie in particular leading the way.
She was able to showcase her three-level scoring by driving to the paint where needed, while also scoring from outside, as she helped bring others into the game.
Georgia Hiscock and Maddy Egan were also scoring well throughout the quarter, and the Lady Blazers were able to hit the front for a brief period, before the Braves went in to half time leading by the barest of margins, 43-42.
With the game on the line, the Braves were able to take control as their depth proved to be stronger throughout the second half, as they were able to score 25 points to 10 in the third term to take a 68-53 lead into the final change.
Maryborough kept fighting hard throughout, but were unable to stop the Braves’ excellent long-range shooting, as they scored 27 points to 14 in the final term to finish 29-point winners.
The Lady Blazers were unable to stop the form of Cox, as the Braves’ young gun finished with 33 points.
However, despite the score blowing out, there were some excellent signs for the Lady Blazers, particularly from McKenzie, who showed out with 27 points. Hiscock added 16, while Egan showed she will continue to be a consistent scorer this season, finishing with 13.
The men followed shortly after as they looked to get their season off to a good start.
It looked as though they would succeed early on as they established an early 15-7 lead, as new recruit Lochlan Oellering and Bailey Jacobs were busy in the early stages.
However, the Braves would soon come into the game, and finished the quarter with a 13-4 run to take a one-point lead into the first break.
The second quarter would belong to the Braves, as they were able to consistently make their shots, particularly from deep, as they poured in 28 points for the quarter, while restricting the Blazers to just 17 points as they took a 48-36 lead at the main break.
The Blazers’ cause wasn’t helped by an injury to Matt Johnston, which robbed them of some handy experience.
However, in the third term, it was Darcy Bond who showed out, hitting some good shots to help the Blazers stay in the game, while also getting others involved, such as coach Brady Neill, who was starting to find his rhythm after coming off the bench.
It meant that the Blazers could keep asking questions throughout, but the Braves kept answering in kind, scoring 20 points to 19 to extend their lead to 13 at the last change.
The Blazers started off the last quarter the stronger, and were able to reduce the margin to seven points thanks to the hard work of Bond, Neill and Jacobs, but the Braves were able to hold them off, and eventually finished off with a 12-point win to get their season started in the right way.
Maryborough had five players finish in double figures, with Jacobs in particular showing that he will be one to watch throughout the season, finishing with 18 points. Neill scored 15, while Oellering, Bond and Lachlan Drummond scored 11 points each.
Maryborough will now look to respond with an important double-header next weekend, with games against Bacchus Marsh at home on Saturday, before travelling to Kyneton on Sunday.
