Shepparton Gators had been on a roll, with four wins in their past five.
They had climbed into the top six in the Big V Championship ahead of round 12.
The Gators welcomed fifth-placed Hume City to Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday night, June 28, in an important clash for both teams’ prospects at finals.
The Swamp was rocking in the lead-up to tip-off before the game was delayed due to rain leaking onto the court early in the first quarter.
American Devin Thomas dominated the paint for Shepparton, with a handful of finishes through fouls.
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Shepparton Gators’ Dylan Wilkie drives into the post. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Devin Thomas shows his raw emotion. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Tyler Best tosses a lay up over and through. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Sam Beks hits a mid-range jumper. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Lachlan Kego gets vertical on the rebound. Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Devin Thomas displays his handles on offense. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Josh Kooiman throws up a shot. Photo by Megan FisherImage 8 of 8
Shepparton Gators’ Jayden Coke progresses the rock forward. Photo by Megan FisherCanadian Jayden Coke got cooking from the three-point line before attacking the basket for easy twos.
Local boy Jordan Birch got some early minutes after impressing last game.
He was only in the game for a couple minutes in the first half, but made an instant impact.
He threw a touchdown pass to Coke on a fast break, showing no signs of nerves.
Birch almost backed that up with a steal, but was whistled for a foul, a call the Shepparton faithful did not agree with.
It was a tight contest with neither team able to get any real distance from the other.
Hume closed the second quarter strong before Kiwi sharpshooter Dylan Wilkie beat the buzzer with a floater.
At half-time, Shepparton trailed 47-53.
Gators coach Josh Waight said the team was moving the ball really well and defended well.
“We wanted to push the pace and get the ball through people’s hands,” Waight said.
“We lost our way and they took us out of our shape.”
Hume star Malik McKinney ended the game in about five minutes.
The smaller, shifty guard tore the Shepparton defence to shreds, able to get all the way to the basket every play to finish or create easy chances for teammates.
In the blink of an eye, the lead went from six to more than 20.
Shepparton showed some life in the fourth, but the game was well and truly over, the Gators defeated 75-104.
“Our good is good, our bad is bad,” Waight said.
“It’s still about putting in a consistent four-quarter performance.”
Shepparton has a stack of home games to close the season and will need to get results quickly if it wants to play finals basketball.
The Gators sit at seventh, with an even record of eight wins and eight losses.
Shepparton welcomes sixth-placed Pakenham to Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday night, July 6, at 7pm.
Gators’ top performers v Hume
Jayden Coke: 26 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists
Devin Thomas: 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists