Comebacks, clutch moments, hustle plays, big three-pointers, elite defence and double overtime.
This game had it all.
After a good stretch of wins, Shepparton had the weekend circled as one of the biggest of the season.
Round 11 encompassed two away games, against top four sides for the then seventh-placed Gators.
On Saturday, June 22, they took on top of the ladder Wyndham.
This game was not a thriller, with Wyndham dominating the second half to win 97-75.
Gators coach Josh Waight said Wyndham was on top for a reason.
“They’ve been the benchmark all year,” he said.
“We matched them in the first half, but lost our way a bit in the third quarter.
“The good thing about a double-header is you can redeem yourself the next day.”
After a disappointing defeat, the Gators took on fourth-placed Bellarine on Sunday, June 23.
Bellarine was also on the tail-end of a back-to-back.
So, two tired sides, both in need of a win to continue to bolster their campaigns for a finals spot.
It took an extra 10 minutes after the fourth-quarter buzzer to separate them.
The Gators came out on an absolute tear.
Vice-captain Sam Beks continued his hot form, putting up 14 points in the first quarter, beating his season-high for an entire game.
“We came out hot, created and made a lot of open shots,” Waight said.
“We trust Sam (Beks), we know his mid-range game is elite and we’re doing a better job of finding him in his spots.”
Shepparton led by as many as 12.
It was more of the same in the second period, with the Gators up 64-51.
American Devin Thomas and Canadian Jayden Coke added to Shepparton’s point tally before Bellarine went on a run to close the third quarter.
In the blink of an eye, it was a one-point game.
Bellarine came out in the fourth quarter with the same energy Shepparton started the game with and took a double-digit lead.
Waight said the ball slowed down for Shepparton and that its energy dropped in the third quarter and the start of the fourth.
“We got back to it when we could’ve let go of the rope,” Waight said.
“We hit some clutch shots.”
Kiwi sharpshooter Josh Kooiman ignited the late comeback with two triples and a layup, adding up to eight points in about a minute.
His compatriot Dylan Wilkie hit a triple before Coke got a tip-in.
Down two with a minute left, Thomas converted a tough layup through contact and got the foul.
He then converted the free throw to give Shepparton the lead once more.
Bellarine answered with a three, taking the wind out of Shepparton’s sail.
In a score-or-lose situation, Thomas drove in and was fouled.
With the game on the line, he converted both free throws to send the game to overtime.
The Gators got the better of Bellarine in the first few minutes of overtime.
Shepparton gained a five-point lead with a minute left from a Wilkie corner three.
Bellarine jacked up a deep three that was all net before a foul was controversially upgraded to a goaltending and one.
A Bellarine player was fouled near the basket, and his shot attempt bounced off the rim, likely dropping harmlessly next to the basket.
Thomas jumped up to contest the shot and accidentally touched the ball while it was still in the cylinder.
So, the points counted, and Bellarine had a chance to take the lead with about 20 seconds left.
The free throw was missed and Shepparton could not answer.
The crowd was on the edge of its seats with another five-minute overtime period to go.
Both teams got to the free-throw line well to start the second overtime and they were neck and neck with about two minutes to go.
After his hot start, Beks notched his first points since the first half on a one-dribble pull-up.
Shepparton had a three-point advantage immediately quashed by a three-pointer from Bellarine star Kavione Green.
Kooiman tried to answer with a three of his own that hit the front rim.
Coke dived in for an offensive rebound, surrounded by Bellarine defenders.
He couldn’t grab hold of the ball and it popped, fortunately, into Wilkie’s lap.
With all the defenders on the ground after trying to stop Coke from getting the ball, Wilkie cashed in a wide-open layup to give Shepparton a two-point lead.
Kooiman was then fouled and converted two clutch free throws to make it a two-possession game.
Shepparton tightened the screws and did not allow Bellarine to get a good shot off as the final buzzer sounded.
Both sides just about collapsed onto the floor, head in their hands, having left everything on the court in a brilliant display of basketball.
Ultimately, Shepparton left with the win 132-128.
Waight said he was proud of the squad battling injury and fatigue.
“There were times where I thought Bellarine had done enough for the win and times I thought we had probably done enough,” he said.
“It just kept changing.
“We fought hard and that got us over the line.”
Shepparton welcomes fifth-placed Hume to Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday night, June 29, at 7pm.
Gators’ top performers v Bellarine
Sam Beks: 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
Devin Thomas: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Dylan Wilkie: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists
Jayden Coke: 33 points, 17 rebounds, 4assists, 3 steals, 1 block
Josh Kooiman: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists