The Shepparton Gators were on the road again as the Big V championship season kicked into full swing.
In round five, Shepparton travelled to take on Sunbury on Saturday night, May 4.
In need of a bounce-back victory following a disappointing loss last time out, the Gators fought hard but ultimately fell to the home side 72-77.
It was another tough one to take, with Shepparton having the lead at various points in the second half before being outscored by 10 in the final quarter.
Gators head coach Josh Waight said Shepparton had been in every game this season, including the side’s losses, and just needed to execute better at the right moments.
“We’re definitely headed in the right direction, but we need to turn those close losses into victories,” he said.
Down by eight in the third, the Gators went on a 13-0 run to close the period.
Shepparton big man Devin Thomas halted Sunbury’s momentum, faking a shot from the three-point line before using his long strides to get all the way to the rim for two.
Shepparton’s swarming defence then forced a turnover from the home team.
Dylan Wilkie tracked down a missed three by teammate and Kiwi compatriot Josh Kooiman, finding a cutting Jayden Coke slashing to the rim, leading to a two-handed dunk.
Thomas’ long arm of the law denied a Sunbury attempt at the rim before Kooiman made up for his miss with a three.
Skipper and veteran Matt Bartlett wound back the clock, drilling a deep triple to hand Shepparton a two-point lead with 30 seconds left in the period.
Shepparton got another defensive stop, and Bartlett drove to the rack with just a few seconds to spare.
He threw a bullet pass to Wilkie in the corner, who splashed in a buzzer-beater.
All of a sudden, the Gators were up by five.
“It was definitely his (Bartlett’s) best game of the season so far,” Waight said.
Top performers
Matt Bartlett: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 20 minutes
Devin Thomas: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Jayden Coke: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks
Lachlan Kego: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
“We know how important he is to the team, but he really got going in a crucial moment for us which was great to see.”
Some more heroics by Bartlett were not enough for Shepparton to get across the finish line, as he scored or assisted on nine of Shepparton’s 11 compared to Sunbury’s 21 in the fourth.
With the score level at 72-all with 30 seconds left, a Sunbury three broke Shepparton hearts and decided the game.
Waight said the Gators got good looks but just went cold at the wrong time, and that it was encouraging to see the squad stick to the game plan but there was lots to work on in terms of execution.
“We’re not hitting the panic button and we’re headed in the right direction, we just need to keep trusting each other,” he said.
“Some of these away losses, with the home crowd behind us we would probably get over the line.
“So we’re definitely looking forward to getting home, but we’ve got to learn to put these games away as well.”
The eighth-placed Shepparton Gators (three wins, four losses) are away again this weekend on Sunday, May 12 at 2.30pm against 11th-placed Blackburn (one win, five losses).