Gallery | Batte, Wattie shoot the lights out, but lights also dim on Gators’ season in “disappointing” final round loss

But, initially, the Gators rose to the challenge.

In round 15, the Gators felt the ecstasy of keeping their playoff hopes alive after sharpshooter Aaron Dolny nailed a buzzer-beater from three-point range to collect a courageous one-point road win over second-placed Hume City.

It was easily Shepparton’s greatest scalp of the season.

The following week, the Gators backed it up against fourth-placed RMIT University.

The game once again came down to defining moments in the home stretch, with the pair of clubs on 80 as the final minute approached.

Enter Taine Wattie, who produced a clutch three-pointer as the game ticked to less than 60 seconds to play, before Bryce Brown coolly nailed two free-throws to seal the deal.

The Gators were riding a high, a fresh breath of life injected into their season.

However, that high sharply fell downhill the next day when the Gators took on Melbourne University.

Shepparton was a point off the lead at three-quarter time, but the gruelling Saturday night contest evidently fatigued the Gators as the dying minutes arrived, with a handful of late errors the ultimate determining factor in a game Shepparton felt it was “the better team”.

It left the Gators needing an underdog victory against third-placed McKinnon, as well as other results to land in their favour, if their post-season hopes were to be realised.

The Gators’ hopes weren’t quashed immediately either after a back-and-forth first quarter saw Shepparton trail by five at the first break, thanks to a sharpshooting period for Wattie and Ryan Batte.

The pair would finish with 17 and 26 respectively by full time, combining for five threes and 13 rebounds to boot.

“They’ve both been fantastic players this year,” Shepparton head coach Josh Waight said.

“They impacted the game in multiple ways on Saturday.”

Wattie continued his scoring tear into the second term, notching the Gators’ first four buckets of the period, including a smooth quick fire three and darting baseline cut for a lay-up, as the home side reclaimed its early lead.

However, a 12 to zip run flipped the game on its head and Shepparton was once again thrust into playing catch-up basketball.

The contest toed and froed in and out of a double-digit margin until three-quarter time, where the Gators trailed by eight, before a hot start to the last quarter gave fans at Shepparton Sports Stadium hope a comeback could be complete.

Batte and Bryce Brown nailed consecutive threes to shrink the margin to two points, as the intensity of action lifted.

With desperation on both sides, the defensive systems stood tall, as two field goals were traded in the next two-minute stretch, albeit foul calls against the Gators saw McKinnon extend its lead through free throws.

From there, momentum was beginning to snowball in the Cougars’ favour, and this time it was too little, too late for Shepparton, as McKinnon reached an 11-point advantage by the final buzzer.

Waight reflected that McKinnon’s ability to capitalise whenever the Gators surged was monumental for the travelling side and each tough basket or critical defensive stop were hard to not be impacted by mentally.

“It was a disappointing way to end the year,” Waight said.

“Credit to McKinnon because they stepped up when we would make a challenge.

“There were certain stages in the game where they would just hit a tough shot or make a big play and keep their noses in front.”

The loss closes the curtains on Shepparton’s season, but also Waight’s time as head coach.

Waight began coaching the Big V side in 2020 and was instrumental in the Gators’ success through to championship division promotion and the subsequent finals series that followed in 2024.

The change of hands at the helm begins a new era for the Gators, with an off-season focused on a new head coach signing and recruitment as Shepparton chases an improved effort next year and a return to playoff basketball.