Tyler Best produced two masterclasses at the weekend, scoring 31 and 30 points in his two outings to help the Blasters to a perfect opening round. Photos: Wayne Herring.
After clinching an historic 10th Country Basketball League title last season, the Seymour Blasters returned to the court at the weekend and continued where they left off.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Round one of the North East Men’s competition kicked off with a double header for the Blasters, and it was business as usual for the Seymour side, which romped to double-digit wins on both Saturday and Sunday in the perfect start to its premiership defence.
The opening contest of the season on Saturday night saw the Blasters take on Myrtleford Saints at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre, and while the opening skirmishes saw a few quick lead changes, it was quickly apparent that Seymour was back to its very best.
In a clinical showing, the Blasters had pushed the lead to 10 points by quarter time, ahead 21-11, and were a point shy of doubling the advantage at half time, going into the main break ahead 44-25 and threatening to hand the Saints a first-up thumping.
A 21-14 third term ensued as Seymour forged ahead, opening up a game-high 27-point lead at one point before going into the final change up 65-29, though it was in the final term that the damage was done, as the Blasters landed a final hammer blow.
In a ruthless display, Seymour poured on the pain, recording its highest scoring quarter to outdo Myrtleford 29-17, stretching the final margin to a mighty 38 points as they cruised to a 94-56 demolition to start the season on a high.
Tyler Best was imperious, scoring 31 of the Blasters’ 94 points, including six shots from beyond the three-point arc, while Robbie Sartori, William Stewart and Harry Stones shared the points around in what was a team effort, each hitting double digits with 12, 12 and 10, respectively.
With an impressive season opener under their belts, the Blasters travelled to Echuca Basketball Stadium on Sunday afternoon full of optimism, and while they managed the win, it was far tougher going.
The 82-72 triumph looks fairly routine on paper, but the Blasters won just one quarter across the entire contest, with a spellbinding second term proving the difference in the victory over the Pirates.
It was a hot start to the contest as both sides found their range immediately, and despite a three-pointer from Lincoln Stewart as the clock expired, the Blasters found themselves trailing 18-20 at the first break.
What occurred next though was simply outstanding, and a clear reminder to the rest of the competition of the scoring power the Blasters possess.
Restricting the Pirates to 12 points, the Blasters put 30 points of their own on the board, led by 10 from Best as well as handy contributions from Stewart (6), Adam Gatt (5) and Cooper O’Neill (5), as Seymour overturned the two-point deficit to lead 48-32 by half time.
The Blasters would be outscored 22-24 in the third and 12-16 in the fourth, but such was the dominance of the second term they were able to hang on for a 10-point victory, ensuring they ended round one in top spot.
Best again led the scoring for the Blasters with 30, while Gatt (13) and Harry Stones (12) were influential also.
The men’s wins were capped by a pair of victories for the women’s side, too, who also end the first round of the North East Women’s division atop the ladder in a brilliant outcome for the club.
Chloe Dimkopoulos started the season strongly for the Blasters, scoring 20 and 13 points in her two outings against Echuca at the weekend.
Playing Echuca twice — once in Seymour and once in Echuca – the Blasters dominated both encounters, winning the first 103-32 off the back of 22 points from Marley Pascoe and 20 from Chloe Dimkopolous, while Kasey Lennox (16), Justine Walker (15), Macey Watson (12) and Chloe McAullay (11) all reached double digits in the resounding victory at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre on Saturday night.
The return leg on Sunday wasn’t quite as emphatic as the 71-point victory the night before; however, the Blasters still claimed a comfortable 65-48 victory at Echuca Basketball Stadium.
Dimkopolous (13), Lennox (12) and Pascoe (11) were again among the points in a strong start to the season, while Marnie Jarvis (10) hit double digits for the first time in her campaign as the Blasters sealed a triumphant opening weekend.
Both the women’s and men’s sides will host Wallan this Saturday night at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre, with the women kicking the action off at 5pm followed by the men at 7pm.
14°C