The North East men’s and women’s division had multiple blowouts in the opening round of the season, and unfortunately both Gators teams felt the brunt of such games.
In a round where three out of five matches were decided by 27 points or more, Shepparton men’s’ major margin defeat was the lesser of the kind in a 75-48 loss to the Seymour Blasters.
The Gators trailed by only one at quarter time, but the tide quickly turned into a tsunami wave of scoring in the Blasters’ favour.
Aiden Whitelaw provided the bulk of the scoring with 16, including two buckets from beyond the arc, the most made by any player on the court.
Cooper O’Neill (12) and Thomas Frame (10) also reached double figures on Saturday night.
The women’s fixture went no better against Seymour too, tasting the largest defeat of the round, 91-41.
In a six-team competition, the Blasters’ win over the Gators was one of two landslide results, with a four-point Albury win over Myrtleford the only nail-biter.
Gator Chance Powells did all she could to provide a spirited effort with 15 points, as did Charlette Grey with her 12 for the evening.
But Seymour’s Kasey Lennox’s lights-out shooting saw her finish with 27 and dismantle any chance of a Gators win, as an early 15-2 lead in the first term placed the writing on the wall from the jump.
Both Gators sides will face Myrtleford in round two, with the Saints coming off losses also, providing an opportunity to regroup and avenge round one’s defeats.
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