Sport
25 November, 2025
Lady Blazers enter playoffs undefeated
A spotless triple-header bookended an immaculate regular season for the Maryborough Lady Blazers, securing the minor premiership with three startling victories.
Starting with a laborious 13-point win against the Bendigo Braves on Thursday, Maryborough defeated a shorthanded Melton Thoroughbreds 94-57 on Saturday and surged late in Sunday’s clash with the Mildura Heat to finish as 76-51 victors.
Despite their outstanding achievement, all regular season records and accolades will be set to zero this weekend when the CBL North West Women’s finals commence.
Heading into the playoffs as the one seed, the Lady Blazers will play the red-hot Bacchus Marsh Lions this Saturday, who finished the year with a six game winning streak.
Maryborough got a taste of playoff intensity basketball on Thursday, pushed to the limit in a riveting see-saw contest against the Braves.
After a slow start, an Aislinn McCarthy’s three-pointer woke the Lady Blazers from an early slumber.
From there, Maryborough implemented immense on-ball defensive pressure on their opponents, a cornerstone of their success this season.
Brandy Santon and Maggie Tranter in particular were stealing possessions away with some spectacular plays.
Meanwhile, player-coach Millie Cracknell had a massive first quarter on offence, highlighted by two three-point missiles and an and-one to put her team up 21-12 at the first break.
The Braves began to match the Lady Blazers’ clamping defensive effort in the second quarter, causing points to come at a premium.
As Bendigo chipped away at Maryborough’s lead, Tranter routinely influenced the game with her frequent excellence on defence. Led by Tranter, Maryborough remained in front at half time, but the Braves shaved their deficit down to six points.
The contest remained a tense affair heading into the second half, with both teams exchanging heavy blows in their quest for a crucial victory.
In this piviotal juncture, the Lady Blazers began to dissect the Braves’ defence, generating a sustained run that expanded the margin to 13.
Maryborough carried that momentum for the rest of the third quarter, entering the final break with a 15-point cushion.
Sensing a chance to secure another statement win, the Lady Blazers looked to put the game to bed early in the fourth period.
In the highlight of an arguably best on court performance, Tranter produced a spectacular chasedown block, leading to an Azalea Wighton three-pointer that put Maryborough up by 20 with five minutes to play.
Bendigo made things very nervy for the Lady Blazers late, cutting their deficit down to eight with some excellent steals, which led to fast break points. However, Mary-borough’s lead proved to be insurmountable, finishing as 13-point winners.
Starting with an outstanding first quarter, Cracknell remained a constant threat on offence, leading her team with 26 points and a remarkable five three-pointers.
McCarthy and Heidi Plim also supplied valuable shooting, adding 15 and 12 points respectively.
After a tense opening to their triple-header, Maryborough quickly turned their attention to a top-of-the-table clash with the Melton Thoroughbreds, knowing a win would clinch the one seed.
The Thoroughbreds entered this game at a noticeable disadvantage, with Elle Price, who has averaged 19.7 points a game this season, and fellow key contributor Ruby Murphy both unavailable.
The Lady Blazers wasted no time asserting control, scoring their first three attempts before a McCarthy three gave them a quick 9-0 lead.
After attacking the rim early, the Lady Blazers went on a three-point barrage with Plim, McCarthy, Brodie Hillier and Tranter all hitting consecutive triples.
Assisted by Melton’s shooters being ice cold early, a Wighton buzzer-beater put Maryborough up 29-5 at quarter time.
Looking to extend their healthy lead, the Lady Blazers routinely found themselves open in the corner, with Tranter and Hillier the common beneficiaries.
Even with the Thoroughbreds breaking their first-quarter cold streak, the marksmanship of Tranter and Hillier, coupled with six second-quarter points from Wighton, kept Maryborough well ahead.
Trailing by 28 points after the half time break, Melton started to find sustained success on offence on the fast break.
However, Maryborough’s offence kept humming along, with a Cracknell buzzer-beater three-pointer virtually securing the result with the Lady Blazers up by 36 points at three-quarter time.
After a back-and-forth last period, Maryborough was officially crowned the minor premiers with a 94-57 win against the Thoroughbreds.
The dynamic duo of Cracknell and McCarthy combined to score 42 points, while Hillier and Wighton produced one of their more complete performances of the season, finishing with 19 points each.
Despite Sunday’s clash essentially turning into a dead rubber, Maryborough was keen to finish the regular season undefeated against the Mildura Heat.
The Heat were keeping pace with the Lady Blazers throughout the first quarter, but some sharp shooting courtesy of McCarthy, who netted 11 first-quarter points, guided Maryborough to a six-point quarter time lead.
Mildura took the lead early in the second term before a 12-0 run from the hosts allowed Maryborough to wrestle back the advantage, leading 38-29 at half time.
With both teams playing strong interior defence, offences were often forced to rely on their outside shooting.
Fortunately for the Lady Blazers, Hillier was making it rain from three-point land, helping her team stretch its advantage to 12 points at the final break.
Hillier added three more three-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish as the Lady Blazers’ leading scorer on 21 points.
A combined 10 fourth-quarter points from Cracknell and McCarthy, who finished on 18 and 17 points respectively, coupled with their defence icing the Heat to eight points in the last 10 minutes, allowed the Lady Blazers to cruise to a 25-point win.