THE Young Bendigo Braves have started 2017 the way they finished 2016, with a strong victory in the CBL.
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Looking upbeat and refreshed as they arrived for the round 12 clash at home against Seymour Blasters, the Young Braves took the opening quarter to find their feet and blow the cobwebs out.
Down by two points at quarter time 17-19, the Braves got their long-range jumpers going in the second.
Aidan Brohm fired the first and Lewis Beks followed suit moments later as the Braves scored the first eight points of the quarter.
The Blasters scored the next six points to tie the game up but in the last three minutes the Braves went on a 17-5 run, dropping in four more from beyond the arc.
Hunter Lawrence, Tanner Rayner and Kyle McMullan all swung into the action, McMullan’s buzzer beater a dagger to the Seymour heart as the Braves went ahead 42-30 at the half.
The third quarter was almost a replica of the second as the Braves opened the quarter on a 10-2 run and closed it out with 12-0 run to hold a 22 point advantage at three quarter time.
It included another three pointer on the siren, this time from Lewis Beks.
Top scorers Beks (18), Rayner (14) and Brohm (14) combined well, scoring 18 of the Braves 24 third quarter points.
There were some anxious moments for coach Tom Thorn in the fourth as the Blasters got the deficit back to 10 with four minutes remaining.
However there were more threes to come, this time from Jake Lloyd and Jake Cowling, steadying the ship and putting the game beyond doubt.
Earlier, the Young Lady Braves made it 11 wins in a row with a 97-35 victory over the Seymour Lady Blasters.
Danielle O’Toole was again dominant from outside hitting four three-pointers to take her season tally to 23, just two behind the competition leader.
O’Toole and Madi Sexton top scored for the Lady Braves with 22 points each, while Jessie Rennie added 14.
Both teams will complete the regular season next weekend with a double header against Castlemaine in Castlemaine on Saturday night before taking on Wangaratta at home on Sunday afternoon.
Both teams are sitting comfortably on top of their respective pools and will host a quarter final on January 21.
