Sport
21 October, 2025
Lady Blazers go to 4-0 with strong wins
While the local fire season is yet to commence, the Mary-borough Lady Blazers are already stoking some flames with their white hot start to their season, remaining undefeated following an away double header last weekend.
The Mildura Heat and Swan Hill Flyers were powerless in their attempts to extinguish the Blazers, who cemented their status as a finals contender with two dominant victories which improved their record to 4-0.
A 41-point shooting masterclass from player-coach Millie Cracknell gave the Blazers an insurmountable half time lead against the Heat on Saturday, eventually winning 97-49.
Maryborough followed that with an outstanding team performance against the Flyers on Sunday, pulling away in the second quarter and never looking back on their way to a 95-59 victory.
The Blazers welcomed in some key inclusions for their contest against the Heat, with Azalea Wighton making her season debut while Heidi Plim, Bridget and Georgie Allan were also added to the team.
Following a hotly contested opening, Maryborough screeched Mildura’s offence to a halt, not allowing a point in the last five minutes of the first quarter.
Their defensive prowess was the catalyst for a superlative 22-0 run to end the period, with Cracknell and Maggie Tranter combining to score 14 of those 22 points to give the Blazers a 22-point advantage at quarter time.
Even with their healthy lead, Maryborough kept their foot on the accelerator to start the second quarter, led by Aislinn McCarthy and Plim.
Three late threes shared between Cracknell and Bridget Allan near the end of the first half meant the Blazers virtually had the game wrapped up at the half, up 59-20.
Credit to Mildura, they brought the fight to Maryborough at the start of the second half, but a 13-point third-quarter barrage from Cracknell ensured the Blazers maintained a healthy 44-point lead at the final break.
Cracknell added a further nine points in the fourth quarter, while rising stars Bridget Allan and Kesh Wallace made the most of their extended minutes as Maryborough finished as 48-point victors.
While Cracknell stole the show with her 41 points, Tranter was pivotal to Maryborough’s fast start with 14 points, while Wighton and McCarthy also reached double digits with 11 points each.
The Blazers couldn’t rest on their laurels, as they moved to Swan Hill to play the 1-1 Flyers on Sunday.
Unlike Saturday’s encounter, Maryborough found themselves on the back foot early as Swan Hill soared to a 14-6 advantage midway through the first quarter.
As they began to generate some stops, the Blazers picked up the tempo on offence, with McCarthy and Wighton often finding lanes to the rim, assisted by some exquisite passing from Cracknell.
McCarthy and Wighton combined for 15 of the Blazers’ 20 points in the first period to kickstart a late rally that put the visitors up by four points at quarter time.
The Blazers began to assert their defensive dominance midway through the second quarter, with Cracknell and Tranter conjuring up several steals while Plim and Wighton secured the interior with forceful blocks and strong rebounding.
Multiple buckets from Plim were the start of an 18-4 Blazers run to end the half, entering the main break with a 20-point buffer.
With most of their team’s points coming from in the paint in the first half, Jones, Plim and Cracknell started to punish the Flyers with their outside shooting.
Even as the Flyers regained their offensive footing, Plim’s eight points in the third quarter kept the Blazers in control, heading into the last 10 minutes up 75-50.
A 9-0 run to begin the fourth quarter put the result to bed for the Blazers, securing their place in first atop the CBL North West Women’s ladder with a 36-point win.
Five Blazers surpassed double-digit points in a well-rounded performance on Sunday, led by McCarthy’s 21 points and Cracknell’s 19.
Plim (18 points), Wighton (17) and Jones (10) also stood out on both sides of the floor for the Lady Blazers.
Maryborough now prepares for another double header this week-end, with a clash against the 2-3 Castlemaine Cannons away from home on Saturday and a meeting with the Bendigo Braves at the Maryborough Sports and Leisure Centre on Sunday.