Sport
12 October, 2023
Important double-header weekend for Blazers
Round two of the Country Basketball League sees both men’s and women’s Mary-borough Blazers outfits facing important, must-win assignments against Bacchus Marsh on Saturday and Kyneton on Sunday. Both outfits were unable to get the job done at...
Round two of the Country Basketball League sees both men’s and women’s Mary-borough Blazers outfits facing important, must-win assignments against Bacchus Marsh on Saturday and Kyneton on Sunday.
Both outfits were unable to get the job done at home against Bendigo — despite fielding lineups that were far from 100 percent, both were able to give a glimpse into what their best basketball might look like later on in the season.
The Lady Blazers ultimately went down by 29 points, but it was relentless late shooting from a talented Braves outfit that helped blow out the margin.
Beforehand, the Lady Blazers showed, particularly in the second quarter, that their best basketball under new coach Faith McKenzie is good enough to compete with the best.
McKenzie herself led the way with an outstanding first up game, scoring 27 points, which included three three-pointers as she showed her versatility.
Georgia Hiscock played her first game with the Blazers and instantly settled in, showcasing her ability to put pressure on the opposition defenders by drawing fouls and, as a result, scored 16 points. Maddy Egan was another who played well, finishing with 13 points.
The Lady Blazers will be keen to get their season back on track with their games against Bacchus Marsh and Kyneton.
Bacchus Marsh provided a decent contest to Melton last week, eventually losing by nine points, while Kyneton played against a weakened Bendigo team that was playing a back-to-back, and took a three-point victory last Sunday.
Meantime, while the men’s team had a positive start, they weren’t able to sustain it, with Bendigo quickly taking the lead, extending it to double figures and controlling the pace of the game from half time onwards in winning by 12 points.
Despite that, there were some immediate positives to take out of the game as a young Blazers team took to the floor.
Bailey Jacobs looks like showing that he could very well establish himself as a leader of the team this season, and he was able to lead the way last Saturday by scoring 18 points.
Lochlan Oellering was another who played well, as his first game for the Blazers yielded 11 points, while coach Brady Neill will again prove to be an important player, dropping 15 points after coming off the bench.
Darcy Bond and Lachlan Drummond also showed that they’ll also be important pieces to the team, each scoring 11 points.
The Blazers’ opponents this week both come off losses, but will provide a competitive contest nevertheless.
Bacchus Marsh are fresh off a good effort away from home against last season’s premiers, Melton, losing by just nine points, while Kyneton — who are also playing back-to-back games this weekend — lost to the Macedon Ranges Rockies by 24 points.