Sport
25 November, 2025
Men’s Blazers end 2025 with valiant defeats
Despite some of their best performances of the season against the Melton Thoroughbreds and Mildura Heat, the Maryborough Men’s Blazers left their season-ending double header empty-handed.
Last weekend’s tight defeats are a disappointing end to a disappointing season for the Blazers, ending the 2025 season with a 0-10 record.
Maryborough started their weekend home stand on Saturday, hoping to throw a spanner into the finals aspirations of Melton, who needed a win in their last two games to punch their playoff ticket.
After the game opened with a Darcy Bond three-pointer, the two teams went back and forth in the first quarter, with Brady Neill making great plays on defence while Bond and Bailey Jacobs led the way on offence.
Despite a combined 15 points from Bond and Jacobs, the Thorough-breds led by three points at quarter time thanks to their electric shooting from beyond the arc, with four three-pointers in the first 10 minutes.
After one of the Blazers’ best quarters of the season, Melton threatened to pull away in the second quarter, starting the term with a punctuating and-one and putting Maryborough in the bonus early in the second.
However, the Blazers continued to fight against the established playoff contenders, routinely manufacturing extra possessions with outstanding hustle plays on the offensive glass and for loose balls.
Tyler Madigan provided an offensive boost for Maryborough in the second quarter as the Blazers remained within touching distance down nine at half time.
Coming out of the extended break, Maryborough’s offence ran cold at the worst possible time, allowing Melton to take advantage with a 12-0 run early in the third quarter.
Just as the contest threatened to slip away, the Blazers’ defence stepped up while the offence refound its feet. Late buckets from Neill and Kynan Carter limited the deficit to 12 points at three-quarter time.
Head coach Troy McCarthy had a simple message for his players at the final break, expressing his belief that the Blazers could still win this game.
Jacobs clearly took those words to heart, scoring Maryborough’s first seven points of the fourth period to cut the margin back to seven.
Some late heroics from Ky Swards alongside Jacobs brought the Blazers within four points, but moments of offensive brilliance powered the Thoroughbreds over the line, eventually winning 90-80.
Jacobs was the focal point of the Blazers’ offence with 31 points, while Swards (12 points) and Bond (11) also reached double figures.
Maryborough attempted to dust themselves off the following day against the Mildura Heat in a match that had massive ramifications on the finals.
With the Heat defeating the Bacchus Marsh Lions and the Bendigo Braves losing to the Macedon Ranges Rockies on Saturday, the Heat knew a win would clinch the final available playoff spot.
Jacobs and Neill sent the message early that the Blazers wouldn’t allow the Heat to waltz into the playoffs. The pair both scored 11 points in the first quarter to give the hosts the narrowest of leads at quarter time, up 27-26.
After a high-scoring opening period, both teams improved their defensive pressure as the lead changed hands throughout the second quarter.
Thanks to a 9-2 run in the middle of the quarter, the Heat took a four-point lead into halftime, knowing more needed to be done to put the Blazers away.
After Maryborough took the lead early in the third quarter with scores from Ollie McCarthy, Jacobs and Carter, Mildura’s offence exploded for 34 points in the third quarter, expanding their lead to 13 points at the final break.
Even with Jacobs ending with a season-high 37 points after nine points in the final term, the Heat clinched their place in the final four with a 104-83 win over the Blazers, set to face the undefeated Castlemaine Cannons in the semi-final.
In a bright spot for Maryborough’s season, Jacobs’ 37 secured the regular season league scoring title for the reigning John Stringer MVP. Nine-time John Stringer MVP Neill added 18 points while Carter scored 12.
