Seymour Blasters have shot straight to the top of the Country Basketball League North East Men ladder following an almighty rout of the Mansfield Eagles at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre on Saturday.
Having tasted defeat for the first time this season against Wodonga last week, Seymour hit the court with a point to prove against the winless Eagles and was dominant from the start, securing a mammoth 114-42 win and top spot on the ladder.
The Blasters set the tone from the tip-off, dominating play throughout the first quarter with Patrick Green particularly impressive, dropping 11 points of his side’s 27 opening term points.
On the defensive end, Seymour suffocated any of the opposition’s looks at the basket, restricting the visitors to just two points.
It was no different in the second term, which was Seymour’s most productive quarter of the night. The home side added another 31 points to its tally while again keeping Mansfield to single digits, with the scoreboard showing the Blasters leading 58-9 at half-time.
Mansfield had a better third quarter, managing 12 points after emerging from the huddle, however an unrelenting Seymour continued to heap the pressure on offensively, with another 28-point term ensuring the margin ballooned to 65 points by the start of the final quarter.
The Blasters extended the margin by another seven in the final term, with Mansfield limiting the damage as best it could by putting up 21 points, its best quarter of the night.
Green finished as the Blasters’ top-scorer, ending the night as one of six Seymour players with double digit tallies.
William Stewart (20), Callum Stojanovic (16), Jesse Brock (15), Jack Murphy (13) and Griffin Rowe (13) were all impressive in the huge win, contributing to the Blasters’ biggest total so far this season.
With the 72-point victory, Seymour’s percentage now sits at 138.31, the second-best in the league behind undefeated Wodonga, while it also has the best record of any team to have played five or more games, meaning it sits atop the ladder with four wins and just one loss.
Wodonga is second, just one point behind with a 4-0 record, and has a game in hand over the Blasters as well as a superior percentage, so will likely regain top spot once it plays the extra game.
Seymour will continue its charge next Saturday night when it hosts fourth-placed Albury at Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre.