A bitter-sweet weekend is ahead for Shepparton Gators.
On Saturday night, July 27, Shepparton welcomes Blackburn to Shepparton Sports Stadium at 7pm in round 16 of the Big V Championship.
Head coach Josh Waight said after a roller-coaster of a season, Shepparton was excited and saddened to play its last game in front of the home crowd.
“The support we get, week in, week out, is phenomenal,” he said.
“We love playing in front of that crowd and we’re excited to give them one last show.”
The Gators are on a hot-streak, having won three in a row with a real shot at finals basketball.
“We always say we play our best basketball at the end of the year,” Waight said.
“We’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle and we’re starting to gel.
“We didn’t put ourself in a great position earlier in the year, we’ve been chasing our tails a bit, but we’ve responded really well.
“We’re locked in and the job’s not done.”
The game against Blackburn will also serve as a tribute to the late, great Bill McCarthy.
McCarthy was a News journalist in Shepparton and other parts of regional Victoria and a champion of basketball.
Waight said he made sure the team, particularly new players and imports, were aware of the McCarthy legacy.
“He put basketball on the map,” Waight said.
“The work he did through the paper was so important for pushing the sport forward.”