A powerful offensive performance delivered Shepparton Gators a dominant 30-point win over fellow top-four outfit Corio Bay on Saturday night.
Led by import Dylan Wilkie, who channelled his inner Seth Curry with a breathtaking three-point shooting display, the Gators posted a resounding 107-77 win at Shepparton Sports Stadium.
Wilkie was cooking from down town and served up seven threes from eight attempts — an impressive 87 per cent — to finish on 23 points.
The New Zealand talent’s extraordinary shooting accuracy rubbed off on his teammates in the Big V Division One round 10 encounter.
The Gators had six players reach double figures, with Gabe Evans (15 points), Garrett Jefferson (15), Jordan Michel (13) and Matt Andronicos (11) all finding their range.
Shepparton coach Josh Waight applauded his outfit for getting the job done in the crucial second-versus-third clash.
“It was a really good win from the boys over a quality team. It was good to see the boys keep building on from last week’s win,” Waight said.
“The group were locked in defensively right from the start which set the tone for the rest of the game and they were able to hit shots early and build a strong lead.
“We didn’t give Corio Bay a sniff for the rest of the game which is really pleasing against a quality opponent.
“(The win) gives us plenty of belief knowing that our best is good enough against the top teams. But we know anyone in this comp can win on the day, so we can’t afford to become complacent.”
Shepparton stunned the visitors in the first quarter and led 15-1 halfway through the term.
Wilkie managed to sink three of his shots from deep range which sent the crowd into raptures and raised the roof on the Swamp.
Wilkie’s now averaging 42 per cent from three land and is statistically the second best three-point shooter in the competition.
The star talent earned plenty of praise from his coach for his class outing against Corio Bay.
“Dylan shot extremely well and it was pleasing to see him perform well,” Waight said.
“We know he can shoot the ball like that and the boys did a really good job of finding him and getting him open looks. Everyone else just kind of fed off of his shooting and got heaps of confidence and we had a good spread of scorers.”
Although the Gators’ roster recorded a clinical night on the scoreboard, perhaps the most pleasing aspect was its ability to share the ball.
The hosts tallied up 26 assists, which shadowed Corio’s 12, and all 11 players who hit the hardwood picked up a dime.
“We harp on about that to the boys all the time (sharing the ball). You need to have trust in your teammates and share the ball around,” Waight said.
“To have 26 assists is a fantastic achievement and it’s a credit to the boys.”