Sport
26 February, 2024
Blazers award best and fairests for 2023 season
Maryborough Blazers held their best and fairest on Friday night at the Bull and Mouth Hotel, with Zac Dunmore and Faith McKenzie taking out men’s and women’s MVP. Dunmore’s win in the men’s MVP brought to an end playing-coach Brady Neill’s...
Maryborough Blazers held their best and fairest on Friday night at the Bull and Mouth Hotel, with Zac Dunmore and Faith McKenzie taking out men’s and women’s MVP.
Dunmore’s win in the men’s MVP brought to an end playing-coach Brady Neill’s incredible run of nine consecutive John Stringer MVP awards, and also came from just five games.
Those five games, however, were truly spectacular, as the Ballarat Miners NBL1 player also scored an average of 30 points per game in that span, finishing 14th in scoring across the league and second at the Blazers behind Bailey Jacobs.
Highlights included an incredible scoring spree to finish off round six, scoring 36 points against the Echuca Pirates, before backing up the following day to score 35 against the Macedon Ranges Rockies, while also showing off his three-level scoring, getting to the rack, scoring in the midrange and from beyond the arc.
Dunmore’s season also saw him named in the men’s All-Star Five at season’s end.
Jacobs took out the most determined award, which came thanks to his continued improvement in scoring, yielding 16.1 points per game to finish in the top 10 in the competition.
Like Dunmore, Jacobs was consistent from all three areas on the court on offense, and enjoyed some standout games, including dropping 25 against the Rockies, and exploding for 29 points in the Blazers’ final game of the season against Swan Hill.
Most improved went to Kynan Carter, with the youngster continuing to improve his craft as a solid player on both ends of the floor.
In the women’s MVP race, playing-coach McKenzie put together a dominant season which saw her lead the league in scoring at the end of the regular season, finishing with 19.8 points per game, and earning selection to the women’s All-Star Five team.
McKenzie’s season saw her establish herself as a strong scorer from inside the paint and from midrange, putting together a string of strong games, including 27 points against Bendigo, 26 against the Macedon Ranges and 25 in their second meeting with the Braves.
Most improved went to Charlotte Cain, with the young point guard stepping up this season and earning more opportunities to run the offense and dictate play.
While Cain scored 30 points for the season, it was her ability to find open teammates which stood out.
Most determined went to Emma Pedretti, who stood out defensively throughout the season and also established herself as a decent scorer, finishing fifth in scoring across the team with 54 points.
