Strong finishing Shepparton storms past Warrnambool in Big V division one season opener

Warrnambool led 80-77 with just more than four minutes to go, but Shepparton stormed home, with two clutch three-pointers from Joshua Kooiman helping the Gators to an 86-81 triumph.

“I am really proud of the group. It is always a tough trip heading down to Warrnambool and being able to come away with the win is really exciting, it really sets our season up, especially being the first game,” Gators coach Josh Waight said.

“We got ourselves a really handy lead midway through the third quarter and, to Warrnambool’s credit, they made a game of it and they really got themselves back into the game.

“Our boys did a really good job of digging deep down the stretch to come away with the win.”

Shepparton was up 54-42 at half-time and its lead grew to 17 points in the third quarter, but Warrnambool came storming back.

The margin was cut to one at the end of the third quarter, with Warrnambool’s Jamal Pollydore dropping 13 of his game-high 33 points during the term.

The Seahawks then hit the front in the fourth quarter, but they ran out of steam as the Gators took the lead again late on – this time for good – running out five-point winners.

Waight said he was pleased with the way his side responded and fought back after its big lead slipped away.

“It shows heaps of determination. They have a really good following, Warrnambool, and the crowd really lifted them and got them back in the game” he said.

“To be able to fight out a win in that environment shows a lot about the group and shows what they can do with their backs against the wall. It is really exciting and hopefully we can use that and continue to build on it going forward.”

Kooiman was the leading scorer for the Gators with 24 points – 21 of which came from beyond the arc – with all five starters for Shepparton scoring double digits.

Sam Beks was impressive as well, putting up a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Waight was full of praise for not just those two, but the entire team.

“Josh hit some really big shots at important times, he shot the ball really well. Matt Bartlett did a really good job of running the offence, Derek Murphy was really good too,” he said.

‘’Sam Beks was excellent, he really crashed the defensive boards. He ended up with 17 points and 11 rebounds, which was fantastic.

“Lachlan Kego was big for us. He didn’t score much, but he gave us second and third opportunities throughout the game. We felt that everyone played their role and was a big part of why we won.”

Starting the season off with the biggest road trip of the season, Waight said he hoped the win over Warrnambool was a sign of good things to come for last year’s grand finalists.

“It is a really exciting win. Warrnambool are a really good team, they are going to be really competitive this year,’’ he said.

“They really exposed some things that we need to work on, so it was exciting for us because we know we have plenty to work on.

“Hopefully we can continue to build on that heading into our first home game this week.”

The Gators will take on Bulleen in round two with tip-off at 7pm on Saturday at Shepparton Sports Stadium.