Gators win one, lose one in testing weekend double-header

By Zac Standish

May 16, 2022

Leading from the front: Garrett Jefferson. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Coming up against the top two teams on the Big V division one table on back-to-back nights, coach Josh Waight and the brains trust at Shepparton Gators learnt a lot about their 2022 squad over the weekend.

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Beginning with a tough 86-69 loss against the ladder-leading Melbourne University, the following day the Gators showed they are made of the right stuff, travelling to Geelong and besting the second-placed Corio Bay in a thrilling 78-75 encounter.

Composed: Shepparton’s Thomas Frame. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Waight said he was incredibly proud of how his team responded in what was arguably the toughest road trip in the competition.

“It was a fantastic win and a really well rounded effort from the boys,” Waight said.

“We had lots of contributors and everybody played their role, and we got back to playing our best basketball.

Looking for options: Shepparton’s Jordan Michel. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

“The players did a great job preparing for the game after a tough game the night before, so full credit to the group who did an excellent job executing their skills against an excellent opposition in Corio Bay.”

The standout from the win against Corio Bay was the even contribution from the entire Gators squad, with four players reaching double figures in scoring a sign of their ability to share the offensive load.

Dynamic duo: Gators pair Garrett Jefferson and Sam Beks. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

Down the stretch, the Gators were also finally able to eradicate their demons from a host of recent close losses, an area Waight said his team had been desperate to improve heading into the contest.

“We did a really good job down the stretch of defending their good players and limiting them to just one shot with good rebounding,” he said.

“It is something we will be able to look back on and give us confidence that we can prevail in those close late-game situations.”

Guarding up: Melbourne University’s Nick Patel. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

While the result against Melbourne University on Saturday night was disappointing, Waight said there was still plenty to take out of matching up against the best.

“We left nothing out there and competed really well, but unfortunately they just shot the ball really well and we missed a few shots we’d normally make,” he said.

Hands on hips: Shepparton’s Nick Dodd. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

“It gave us a great insight into the level we have to get to to be the best, so we’ll go back, examine the tap and make adjustments for the next time we play them.”

Garrett Jefferson was once again the star for the Gators in the Saturday night contest, dropping 20 points to be the only real offensive weapon for the home side.

Battling for the board: Melbourne University’s Xavier Evans and Shepparton’s Sam Beks fight for the ball. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

A weekend that Waight and the Gators coaching unit would have without doubt had circled on the calendar, he said they could take a lot out of the 1-1 record.

Eye on the prize: Shepparton’s Sam Beks. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

“We spoke during the week that worst case scenario we want to go 1-1 and obviously we lost Saturday night which was disappointing, but to the boys’ credit they did a great job bouncing back on Sunday,” he said.

Big night on court: Melbourne University’s Joe Furphy. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

“There is still plenty of things we need to work on, but overall we are happy with how we’ve started the season, and with a stretch of home games coming up there is a real opportunity to capitalise.”