Sport
26 November, 2024
CBL campaign over for Blazers’ teams
With a final-round bye, the Maryborough Blazers’ season has officially wrapped up, with the men’s Blazers finishing in fifth and the Lady Blazers finishing sixth.
Signifying just how close the men’s competition was this season, just six points separated the top-of-the-table Bendigo Braves and Blazers this season.
However, what realistically cost the Blazers was a 1-4 start, which did have tricky assignments against three of the four finalists away from home, with two losses to Castlemaine, including a four-point defeat in round three at home, while there were also sizeable losses to the Cannons and Braves coupled with a loss to the Bacchus Marsh Lions.
But from round four onwards, a big win against Kyneton seemed to spark the crew, who went on a terrific run to finish the season, solidifying themselves as a true finals threat.
In their last four wins, their average winning margin was 21.3 points — complete with two 37-point wins over Kyneton and Swan Hill respectively.
It was their other two wins, how-ever, which really caught the eye.
Maryborough memorably made a remarkable comeback from 19 points down to inflict what was one of just two losses on Bendigo throughout the season, ending the game on a 39-17 run to pinch a three-point win, while their final round victory against Melton Thoroughbreds at a raucous Cobblebank Stadium was also noteworthy.
Bailey Jacobs’ star continues to rise in the competition, scoring 201 points to finish third in the league for scoring, and surely looms as the favourite to take out the John Stringer MVP, as well as a potential berth in the CBL All-Star Five.
Jacobs averaged 20.1 points per game, never straying below 10 points in any game, and had a personal best of 39 points in their win against Kyneton in round four.
That was a game where he erupted to score the final 17 points of the game inside the last three minutes to cap off a much-needed victory.
Lachlan Drummond again had a consistent season, finishing with 13.1 points per game as he played a two-way role, ensuring the paint could be protected at any given time.
Drummond starred in their eight-point win against Melton, pouring in 28 points.
Brady Neill again put up a terrific year, scoring 107 points in eight games at an average of 13.4 points per game.
Neill’s cause was helped by a haul of 24 points in the final round against Melton, finishing 19th in the competition for most points.
In comparison to last season, the Lady Blazers weren’t quite able to get going in the scheme of the season, but still managed to win two of their last four games.
Easily their best win of the season was their round three win against the Bendigo Braves away from home — a result which saw them climb back from a 15-point deficit early in the second quarter to record a six-point win.
Two wins against Swan Hill allowed the Lady Blazers to finish positively.
The Lady Blazers will be hoping to stay in games a little bit longer next season, with just one of their seven losses coming by under double digits.
An average losing margin of 21.6 points per game came with it a lot of lessons for a young roster, who’ll be hoping to continue their development next season.
Playing coach Faith McKenzie led from the front throughout the season, finishing equal-second in the competition for most points at 15.6 points per game, and should be in contention for a spot in the All-Star Five, as well as the club MVP.
McKenzie was ultra-consistent inside the paint, finishing with the second most buckets from two-point range for the season with 61.
After scoring just 11 points across the first two games, McKenzie did not score below 10 points for the rest of the season, with her season high coming in round six thanks to a 37-point haul against Swan Hill.
Aislinn McCarthy was also a consistent scorer across the balance of the season, and finished fifth for most points, averaging 15.7 points per game.
Those numbers could mean McCarthy could be in contention for a spot in the All-Star Five at the guard position, and it’s easy to see why.
McCarthy’s ability to drive into the paint put pressure on the opposition and forcing them into fouling, with McCarthy hitting the third-most free throws for the season.
She was a consistent three-level scorer, hitting the second-most threes for the Lady Blazers behind Maggie Tranter and also hitting regularly from inside the arc, with a personal best of 36 points in the opening round against the Macedon Ranges Rockies.
Maddy Egan enjoyed another good year, scoring 11.6 points per game and continuing to patrol the paint strongly.
Egan’s best game saw her record 20 points against Kyneton in round four, while she was strong in both of the Lady Blazers’ wins against Swan Hill, scoring 19 and 16 points respectively.