Coach Craig Hockley and the Blasters bench watch on against Shepparton. Photos: Wayne Herring.
Seymour Blasters have made a hot start to their Country Basketball League campaign, with both the men’s and women’s sides recording big round one victories at the weekend to each occupy top spot on the ladder in their respective competitions.
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With back-to-back outings scheduled in the North East Men’s competition, the Blasters kicked off their campaign on Saturday evening at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre with a dominant victory over the visiting Shepparton Gators, cruising to a mammoth 75-48 win.
Despite an evenly matched first quarter, which saw the Blasters enter the huddle with a slender 17-16 lead, Seymour turned it on in the second term, blowing the lead out to 14 points by half-time courtesy of a 24-11 quarter.
The healthy lead was grown even further after the main break, as the Blasters outscored the Gators by eight in the third quarter to push the lead to 22 by the final interval, before polishing the performance with a 17-12 final term, winning every quarter on their way to the eventual 27-point win.
Jesse Brock finishes a classy lay-up for two of his 22 points against the Gators.
Jesse Brock top-scored for the Blasters with 22 points, with his night including an 11-point final term blitz, while Tyler Best (16 points), William Stewart (12) and Thomas O’Connor (10) all made their way to double digit points in a complete team performance.
There would be no rest for the Blasters, however, who were back on the road on Sunday for a 1pm meeting with Echuca Pirates at Echuca Basketball Stadium, where they dished out an even stronger performance.
Winning every quarter yet again, Seymour comfortably claimed the win 85-54, eclipsing the margin of victory from the night before to make it two-from-two in the opening round.
Like the contest against Shepparton, the Blasters were evenly matched with the Pirates at the first break, leading 15-13; however, they forged ahead in the second with a punishing 27-15 term to lead 42-28 at half-time.
It was a procession in the second half, with the far superior Seymour coasting to victory and the top spot on the ladder following the opening weekend.
Best was the top-scorer for the blasters against the Pirates, dropping 20 points to also move into the overall league scoring lead, albeit having played two games compared to other sides having played one, while Zac Donoghue (16), Rhylee Leighton (14), Robbie Sartori (11) and Cooper York (10) were all solid contributors.
It was a similar story of domination for the women’s side in the North East Women competition, with the Blasters destroying Shepparton Gators in a 91-41 dismemberment on Saturday.
Marlene Jarvis controls the ball during the Blasters’ 50-point drubbing of Shepparton.
The 50-point drubbing at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre was set up in the opening term, where the Blasters raced out to a 26-16 lead by quarter time, with the advantage further reinforced by a 22-10 second term that saw Seymour lead 48-26 by half-time.
But the real damage was done in the second half, despite a relatively slow 16-8 third term from the Blasters, who really went in for the kill in the final quarter, which they won 27-7 to bring up the half-century margin by the final buzzer and promote Seymour to the top of the ladder.
Isla Whitford lines up a free-throw for one of her 10 points against Shepparton.
Kasey Lennox led all-comers with 27 points, the highest individual total of the round, and was well-supported by Chloe Dimkopolous (14 points), Caitlyn Kennedy (12), Olivia Pearce (12) and Isla Whitford (10), who all cashed in with solid points in the feeding frenzy.
Both the men’s and women’s sides will be in action at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre again this weekend, with the women to host Albury at 5pm on Saturday ahead of the men’s contest against Echuca at 7pm.
