It proved to be a stellar weekend on the court for the Shepparton Gators.
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A potentially tricky double-header fixture turned into a landmark round of action for the Gators, with a pair of victories allowing Leigh Bathman’s troops to put plenty of space between themselves and the chasing pack on the Big V division one ladder.
The Gators sit fifth with 12 wins from 15 outings, while teams occupying positions six through nine all have only seven wins on the board.
‘‘It was a terrific weekend for us,’’ Bathman said.
‘‘To be 12-3 at this stage of the season is a good position to be in and it was important that we got the double win — it was a real shot of confidence for the group.
‘‘But the top teams keep winning, so we have to keep winning.’’
The Gators welcomed Coburg to The Swamp (Shepparton Sports Stadium) on Saturday night and were in control for most of the contest.
Javaan Mumtaz was on fire from outside the arc, draining a trio of threes from just four attempts on his way to 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the night.
Atem Atem (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Carlin Dupree (13 points, seven rebounds and five assists) were also impressive during the match, while Nick Dodd (nine points) and Tyrone Mohamed (eight) added plenty of scoring support.
The Gators’ dominance — heading into half-time with an 11-point lead and the final break with a 16-point advantage — allowed Bathman to empty his bench and give his starters some crucial rest, with the likes of Jordan Michel (six points) relishing the opportunity.
‘‘We got all 12 on the court on Saturday night, which was important because we were backing up Sunday,’’ Bathman said.
‘‘It had a positive effect on our legs on Sunday, but it was a good opportunity (for some of the younger players) to take to the court in front of probably one of the better home crowds of the season.’’
And the Gators certainly needed everything in the tank come Sunday on the road against Bulleen.
Bathman’s charges were forced to work extremely hard for the 12-point win after watching an almost 20-point lead disappear early in the second half.
‘‘We were 17 up at one point, but didn’t do a few things right in the third quarter and they got back to level,’’ Bathman said.
‘‘Carlin picked up a few fouls so we had to protect him, but we did really well to stand up without him for long periods.
‘‘Atem was one who really stepped up when we needed him to, he buckled down well with some key baskets and we tried him in a few different spots.’’
Atem’s second double-double of the weekend was worth 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Dupree still managed one of his own with 23 points and 10 assists, also pulling down six rebounds.
But the weekend certainly belonged to Mumtaz, who drained seven of nine shots from outside the arc on Sunday to secure another 24 points.
‘‘Javaan was the standout,’’ Bathman said.
‘‘He was able to knock down the three really well across the weekend.
‘‘He’s just got such a pure shot, he’s one of the better shooters I’ve seen come through our program with his feet set in the last 10 years at least.
‘‘But he also plays at a high level on both ends of the court.’’
Dodd (13 points and six rebounds) and Jaxson MacFarlane (nine points and three rebounds) also drew praise from their coach after solid weekends.
‘‘Nick and Jaxson played their roles really well on both days,’’ Bathman said.
‘‘They were really moving the ball well and sharing it well, and we were plus 27 points differential with Nick on the floor on Saturday night, which shows how important he is for us.’’
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