Shepparton Gators staged a valiant comeback after falling behind by 17 points in the first quarter against the RMIT Redbacks in a Big V division one men’s clash at the the weekend, but ultimately fell short, losing 66-71.
The game took place at 2pm on Sunday, May 7, at RMIT Stadium in Bundoora, Melbourne.
RMIT stunned the Gators early on, outscoring them 25-8 in the opening quarter.
Although the Gators won every other quarter, they couldn't quite close the gap, heading into the fourth quarter down 53-46.
The two teams battled fiercely, with the Gators rallying as a team in a bid to pull off a heroic comeback.
Detroit import Derek Murphy hit a clutch pull-up jump shot in the final minutes, followed by captain Matt Bartlett's layup that cut the lead three with less than 30 seconds left.
However, six seconds later, RMIT sealed the deal with Redbacks player Daniel Steen responding with a layup of his own to put the game out of reach for the visiting team.
“We didn’t do a good enough job being ready to play,” Gators coach Josh Waight said.
“They hit some tough shots early on and did a really good job defensively. We weren’t moving the basketball enough.”
Waight said he was proud of the team’s determination to fight back after a poor start, but lamented that the opening quarter performance was costly.
“We made some good adjustments, better ball movement, finding mismatches and hitting shots,” he said.
“But we didn’t come ready, poor mistakes cost us and the damage was done.”
Murphy picked up an ankle injury early on and pushed through it, struggling with his shot alongside fellow import, New Zealander, Josh Kooiman.
Murphy shot 3-12 from the field (25 per cent) and Kooiman shot 2-12 from the field (16.67 per cent), both ending the game with six points.
Waight said Murphy would be fully fit for next game and heaped praise on Kooiman’s performance despite his poor shooting.
“Josh (Kooiman) did a really good job, he didn’t shoot the ball well, but defensively he was awesome,” Waight said.
“I think the defence took a physical toll on his offensive production, but it was one of his most impressive performances.”
Kooiman chipped in with 10 rebounds to go along with his defence.
Skipper Bartlett also had an uncharacteristic performance, ending up with seven turnovers in the loss, but got it going late in the game.
Nick Dodd was a shining light for the Gators, stacking up a team-high 20 points from 12 attempts.
The Gators drop to third on the ladder, while Redbacks claim top spot, with Pakenham separating them in second place.
Gators return to the Swamp this weekend on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14, at 2pm.
They look to keep their unbeaten record at home alive against eighth-placed Coburg Giants.
“We’re looking forward to getting back playing in front of the home crowd,” Waight said.
“They’re the sixth man, so we’re excited and confident we can bounce back.”