Sport
7 October, 2025
Maryborough Lady Blazers open 2025 season with 2-0 record after double header
The Maryborough Lady Blazers couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opening to their 2025 campaign, finishing their season-opening home double header with a 2-0 record.
The Lady Blazers currently sit atop the CBL North West Women ladder after following Saturday’s 67-46 win over the Bacchus Marsh Lions with a commanding victory against the Macedon Ranges Rockies 73-50 on Sunday.
Aislinn McCarthy was the star of the weekend for Maryborough, averaging over 25 points across the two games to provide reliable firepower to a well-balanced offence.
The Lions were a good test for the Lady Blazers to open their 2025 campaign, a team that made the finals in 2024 and defeated the Lady Blazers by 27 points in their only meeting last season.
Maryborough put Bacchus Marsh’s interior defence under immediate pressure, with player-coach Millie Cracknell and McCarthy forcing some early fouls by driving into the paint.
Even with constant attacks at their rim, the Lions held firm, holding the Lady Blazers to just free throw makes for most of the opening period.
McCarthy scored Maryborough’s first field goal with just over three minutes to play in the first with a three-pointer to give her team a one-point advantage.
Despite both teams differing offensive game plans, with the Lady Blazers attacking the paint and the Lions relying on their outside shooting, very little separated the two teams after the first quarter, with the hosts leading 17-16.
As the game remained in the balance with the teams deadlocked at 23-23 early in the second quarter, the Lady Blazers produced a momentum-swinging run that forever altered the game’s outcome.
Kickstarted by a pair of Brandy Santon threes, Maryborough went on a staggering 21-0 run to build a healthy 18-point buffer by half time.
The Lady Blazers kept the Lions scoreless for over seven minutes, primarily through several steals, which generated fast break opportunities that Cracknell and Maggie Tranter converted.
Maryborough was also dominating on the boards, earning multiple second-chance opportunities with their offensive rebounding.
The Lady Blazers’ defence remained stout in the third quarter, forcing their opponents to settle for threes that weren’t routinely falling.
Despite numerous dry spells on offence, two late buckets from Cracknell ensured Maryborough entered the final break 19 points ahead.
Some well-taken attempts from Maryborough early in the fourth quarter extinguished any chance of a late Lions comeback, as the Lady Blazers secured the win by 21 points.
After lighting up last season’s opener with 36 points, McCarthy wasted no time acclimatising herself to the new season, finishing with 28 points.
Cracknell played well in her return to Maryborough, scoring 13 points and providing a steady presence on both sides of the floor, while Santon brought an effective offensive spark with nine points.
Following Saturday’s stellar showing, Maryborough turned its attention to the Rockies on Sunday, who were fresh off defeating the Mildura Heat by eight points the night before.
The night’s sleep did nothing to cool the blazing Maryborough offence, which kicked into gear almost immediately.
With six different scorers in the first quarter, the hosts overpowered the Rockies early, allowing the Lady Blazers to lead 23-10 at quarter time.
McCarthy found her range late in the first to lead with six points, while Santon, Rhylie Jones and Tranter all added four.
Macedon Ranges were able to regroup after the intermission, not allowing a field goal for the first four minutes of the second period and drawing early fouls to begin cutting away at the deficit.
However, Maryborough was up for the task, recapturing their offensive groove to complement their strong team defence to remain 13 points ahead at half time.
Macedon Ranges caught Maryborough off guard to start the second half, going on an 8-2 run to bring the deficit to an attainable seven points.
With the Rockies beginning to threaten, McCarthy took over late in the third with a shooting performance even Sue Bird would’ve been proud of, scoring 11 points, including three makes from beyond the arc late in the term to give Maryborough a 19-point advantage at three-quarter time.
After being unavailable against Bacchus Marsh, Brodie Hillier finished a splendid season debut with eight fourth-quarter points to put the icing on the cake of Mary-borough’s 23-point win.
McCarthy once again led the team in scoring with 23 points, with Hillier (14 points), Cracknell (11) and Santon (10) also reaching double digits.
Following the double header, Maryborough will enjoy the bye alongside the Bendigo Braves in round two.