Sport
17 October, 2025
Saturday’s clash crucial for the Blazers
With a 0-3 record to their name, the Maryborough Men’s Blazers have seven games to turn their season around, starting with this Saturday night’s encounter with the Mildura Heat at AusLoans Mildura Hothouse Basketball Stadium.
Last Sunday’s defeat to the Kyneton Tigers has put the Blazers in a precarious position, sitting seventh on the CBL North West Men’s table despite being one of two teams to have played three games in 2025.
However, all hope is not lost for Maryborough, especially considering they turned a 1-4 start into a 5-5 finishing record last season, just missing out on the finals.
An impressive performance in a battle of the flames against the Heat would go a long way in restoring the team’s confidence, with Mildura currently 1-1 following a tight round one win against Macedon Ranges Rockies and a defeat to the Castlemaine Cannons last weekend.
If Maryborough is to earn their first victory of the campaign on the road, they will need to rectify several shortcomings on both sides of the floor.
There were some positives with the Blazers’ offence against the Tigers on Sunday, even without superstar scorer Bailey Jacobs at their disposal.
Ky Swards and Harry Alsop seemed to excel in more predominant roles, combining to score 34 of Maryborough’s 78 points as they sit first and 12th in league scoring after two rounds. Sean Costello made the most of limited floortime in his season debut, adding 10 points.
However, the Blazers relied heavily on tough finishes driving at the rim, not making the most of their possessions to find a cleaner look.
Without the ball, Maryborough’s interior defence was under constant attack last weekend, with Kyneton scoring the majority of their points in the paint.
The Blazers were somewhat able to rectify that problem in the third quarter against Kyneton, allowing just 12 points in the period in large part to their on-ball defence and rebounding.
Maryborough will be keen to improve against a Mildura Heat side that delivered what turned out to be the crushing blow to their finals hopes last season.
After building a 27-18 advantage at quarter time, the Heat never relinquished the lead, holding on to a tense five-point win.