The Seymour Blasters’ men’s team took down the undefeated Benalla Breakers in a triumphant end to a double-header weekend in round five of the Country Basketball League, CBL.
It was a disappointing start to the weekend for the Blasters, with a 15-point loss to the Myrtleford Saints at home on Saturday night.
The first quarter saw the Saints take an 11-point lead before Seymour pushed back in the second term, keeping the margin to 11 points at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Blasters had a strong third quarter push outscoring Myrtleford, but the Saints hung on in the fourth to take the win 102 to 87.
It was a huge scoring game for Keenan Gorski with 20 points backed up by Seymour staple Robbie Sartori and Zac Donoghue, who had 15 and 14 points respectively.
On Sunday, Seymour stepped on court in Shepparton against top-of-the-ladder side and previously undefeated Benalla Breakers.
Teams were tied at 15 points a piece at the first break, before the Blasters pushed ahead in the second quarter to take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The rest of the game belonged to Seymour, as the visitors continued to outscore and control the game, taking the win 73 to 54.
The win is also a testament to the Blasters’ defensive efforts containing the Breakers to a score of 54 – the lowest for a side who hadn’t scored less than 83 points so far this season.
Seymour captain Jack Murphy said their defence was a huge focus for the undermanned Blasters.
“Being undermanned without Robbie Sartori and Liam Hockley, we knew we were in for the biggest challenge of our season,” he said
“Benalla were undefeated for a reason – they have one of the most potent offensive systems in the league.
“We made it a big focus to stick to our defensive schemes and try to limit their offensive output. Harry Stones led the way for us as he held the league’s leading scorer to only nine points.”
With 20 points, Seymour’s Eden Hobbs led the scoring for both teams, supported by captain and second highest game scorer Jack Murphy with 14 of his own.
Donoghue, Tom O’Connor and Ethan Bates stepped up at crucial points in the game for Seymour, while Harry Stones was a huge presence in defence, setting up the win for the Blasters.
Wally Stewart and Jake Sapiano also played their roles helping create necessary turnovers at critical times in the topple of the top team.
“We entered the clash as severe underdogs, but I think this really gave us some motivation to test ourselves against the benchmark of the competition,” Murphy said.
“Eden Hobbs again looked threatening when out in the open court and has really come into his own over the past few weeks.
“We are beginning to see a changing of the guard as our younger brigade continue to develop and take on the challenges in front of them.”
The Seymour women had a bye at the weekend, as did both Wallan teams.
This Saturday, the Blasters will travel to Wallan to face the Panthers.
The women will hit the court at 6pm, followed by the men at 8pm in a repeat of the round two Mitchell Shire clash.
