Seymour Blasters have tasted their first loss of the 2024 North East Men Country Basketball League season, going down to Wodonga Wolves by six points on the road at the weekend.
The two sides entered the contest on Saturday evening as the only remaining undefeated sides in the competition, with the Blasters coming off the back of a brilliant pair of triumphs in a round three double-header.
It looked as though Seymour was bound to make it four from four to start its campaign, jumping out to a 16-7 lead at the quarter-time buzzer, William Stewart and Jack Murphy each starting positively to lead the scoring with five points apiece.
But Wodonga found its range in the second term, restricting the Blasters to just seven points while putting up 19 of its own to take a three-point advantage into the half.
The Wolves stretched that advantage to seven points after another strong third term, pouring in 21 points to Seymour’s 17, with Jesse Brock responsible for nine of the visitors’ points, as the Blasters hung in to stay within striking distance at the final break.
Stewart again found the basket regularly for Seymour in the final term, putting up 11 of his side’s 17 for the quarter, and while the Blasters outscored Wodonga, they could reduce the margin by only one, eventually falling 57-63 at the final whistle.
Twenty-six points was the final tally for Stewart, who led the scoring for Seymour, with Jesse Brock putting up 16 in a strong showing and Jack Murphy next best with eight points.
The Wolves shared the points around, with Eric Miraflores (14), Lochlin Harvey (13) and Frank Oguche (11) all ending the night with double figures.
The result sees the Blasters fall to fourth on the ladder after four rounds with a 3-1 record, although they do have a game in hand over Echuca in second, while Wodonga shoots straight to the top with a perfect 4-0 record.
Seymour will take to the court again this Saturday at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre to host the winless Mansfield Eagles, with the 6pm fixture one of just two matches scheduled for the weekend, the other seeing Albury host Echuca.