With finals action just around the corner, a gruelling and hair-raising 84-80 victory is the perfect preparation for the post-season according to Gators’ assistant coach Troy Lundberg.
A spirited Southern Peninsula brought the fight to the Gators on Saturday night at the Shepparton Sports Stadium but the home side was able to hang on for a thrilling win.
Shepparton was made to grind it out against the visitors as they made a late push in the final term.
Matt Brasser was locked-in from deep range for the Sharks and helped them mount a serious comeback.
Some coolness and poise was needed from the hosts in the final minutes as Peninsula began to send the Gators to the foul line.
The home crowd acted as the sixth man on the night and gave the Gators the support they needed in the dying stages of the contest.
The result keeps Shepparton cemented in third spot on the Big V division one ladder with three rounds of the regular season left.
“The boys did a really good job of fighting and toughing it out,” Lundberg, who filled in as acting coach for Josh Waight, said.
“Even though we won pretty comfortably over Peninsula last time out, we knew it was going to be a real tough contest and that’s certainly what it was. We allowed them to get a bit of a run on us and we were poor in patches defensively with them getting open looks.
“Matt Brasser was locked in for them in the last quarter, he hit three of his six three-point shots and it was a nervous time for us.
“The boys went eight of nine from the foul line in the final four minutes which was pleasing to see especially when the heat was on us.
“But the boys showed lots of poise and determination to finish off the win.”
Lundberg praised the performance of Gabe Evans for his “impact off the bench” while Dylan Wilkie had a “strong shooting night”.
Lundberg said the win, which had a finals-like atmosphere, would benefit the Gators as they prepare for the post-season.
“We haven’t had too many games where the score has been under 10 points,” he said.
“(Absolutely) it will help us heading into finals. It is very hard to recreate that atmosphere and pressure at training so the more experience the better.
“There’s a lot going on in those tight matches so it was pleasing to see the boys perform well. But we know we’ve still got lots to work on for the next three upcoming games.”