Gallery | Surfcoast ride Shepparton wave

Women’s coach James McQuellin said the team were chomping at the bit to play in front of an “engaged and energetic” home crowd for the first time in years.

“We went there in the morning to set up and everyone was a bit anxious - in a good way, there was a lot of eager excitement,” McQuellin said.

“It’s been such a wait and build up, so it was really good to see everyone turn up and have that engaged and energetic crowd.”

The women’s Gators sides hit their stride defensively early on, but faltered when shooting the ball themselves, scoring at a mere eight per cent clip inside the arc in the first quarter, but fortunately, sharpshooting beyond the perimeter from Macey Watson and Yu-shan Hsieh ensured the deficit didn’t balloon out early.

However, the Chargers would find gaps in the defence in the second term, and produce hot-handed shots from range too, improving the shooting from three-point territory significantly to pump 29 points on the scoreboard in the second term, while the Gators would only post another 11 again, this time scoring solidly from the paint but struggling from three.

Surfcoast continued its ascendancy in the third term, but it would be the Gators that rallied in the fourth, riding home an electric, building crowd to punch out 24 points in the final quarter.

The Gators nailed three threes at a 75 per cent clip and shot above 50 per cent inside the arc for the first time all game, outscoring the Chargers by 10 to reduce the final margin to 26 at the final buzzer.

Watson top-scored with an efficient 18 points, while Hsieh secured a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

The former is 16 years old, and taking it up to players double her age and size, earning high praise from McQuellin.

“The girls just fight, they’re tough,” he said.

“For Macey, as a 16-year-old taking the game on at a smaller stature and some players being twice her age or more, she’s having a crack and being aggressive with the ball.”

Following suit was the men’s clash with Surfcoast, and the Gators rode the wave of momentum that the women’s had finished off with.

In a high-scoring opening term, the Gators and Chargers went tit-for-tat as both sides shot the lights out of the Swamp, but it would be Surfcoast that ended the quarter ahead, 26-22.

However, Shepparton responded as the intensity lifted and defence tightened, drawing level at the main break at 41-apiece, as the Gators found scoring avenues off the bench.

While holding firm at the post and knocking down mid-range daggers, the Chargers would limit inside scoring opportunities in the second half, as the Gators began to fade.

14 points in the paint after half time to 36 illustrated the story, and back-to-back quarters lost by 14 points resulted in a resounding Surfcoast victory, 103 to 75.

Captain Josh Kooiman (22 points), Taine Wattie (14 points) and Byron Gladden (13 points, 10 rebounds) were the Gators’ top performers in the loss.

Both sides travel to the eastern suburbs of Melbourne to play Blackburn at Mullum Mullum Stadium next week, with both men and women’s Vikings sides starting with positive win-loss records this season, presenting another challenge for the chemistry-building Gators.

“We’re building towards a full strength team now, but Blackburn will be decent, they’ve got some good shooters,” McQuellin said on the women’s chances.