The division one men’s outfit travelled to Craigieburn for a clash against the ladder-leading Eagles, and will take some belief after a gallant effort against quality opposition.
Craigieburn notched two six-point leads in the quarters one and two to establish a 12-point halftime buffer, but the Gators dug its feet into the hardwood to prevent a scoring avalanche and blowout.
Shepparton reeled in the lead by three after a hot-handed shooting display in the third period, scoring from downtown at a 50 per cent clip, and shooting from inside the arc at an even stronger rate at 60 per cent from the field.
But Craigieburn would brush off its woes after the long break, to extend its lead by six again and claim a 15-point win, 88 to 73.
Joshua Kooiman and BJ Gladden led the scoring with 18 each, as another three Gators entered double figures in a well-rounded team performance.
Captain Kooiman said the scoreboard wasn’t a reflection of the effort put in across four quarters against a side expected to contend for the division one championship.
“We competed the entire time, we just had one blip towards the end of the first half, but it was an improvement from last week,” Kooiman said.
“At half time, that’s when a weaker team would’ve quit, and we were undermanned too, missing two important big men.
“So I was proud that we came out with energy in the third and won that quarter.
“We’ve reflected that’s been a point of weakness for us - it has been honestly since I’ve played in Shepp - but we found a mentality shift and came out with energy, including better spirits on the bench from the guys who didn’t play that were still willing to cheer the guys on.”
In the women’s division two match, the Gators will go back to the drawing board after a stinging 52-point loss to Wallan.
Yushan Hiseh issued 12 points on the scoreboard while Eliana Gray nabbed 10 in a game where scoring was difficult to come by, the Gators scoring at a 22.5 per cent clip from the field.
Credit should be given to Shepparton as it fought until the final buzzer however, as after being blitzed in the first half, the Gators matched the Panthers in the final term with 16 points either way.
The pair of teams will brush off the latest defeats however, as an exciting unveiling of the new-look squads at Shepparton Sports Stadium is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, April 11.
In the club’s home opener, the women’s and men’s will play a double header in round three, both sides playing Surfcoast.
“It’s a super exciting time, anytime we play in front of the Shepparton crowd it’s amazing... it’s almost up to NBL1 in terms of the atmosphere,” Kooiman said.
“It’ll be great for some of the young guys who haven’t played in front of a crowd before.
“In terms of playing after the girls, it’s just a great moment for Shepparton basketball as an association.
“It’s been, what, 15 years? It’ll be awesome to do that (the double-header).”
The women’s Gators tip off at 5:00pm, followed by the men’s at 7:00pm.
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