Shepparton’s Big V division one men’s season looked dead and buried after a loss to Coburg a fortnight ago put a two-win buffer between the pair and the bottom-two relegation zone.
With head-to-head factoring into ladder positioning, the Gators were set the task of winning their last three games, while hoping the Giants lose all of theirs if Shepparton is to leap out of relegation.
As it stands, the dream is still alive.
Following a backs against the wall victory over Chelsea, the Gators followed up with a second half blitz against Bulleen on Saturday, while Coburg suffered a second straight defeat to last week’s Gators opponents, leaving the final round of action with everything to play for.
It was a tight first half at Bulleen Templestowe Basketball Stadium, with the Gators taking leads as big as eight points before the Boomers would reel them in, leaving it a two-point game at the half.
When the game was there to be won though, it was Gators skipper Josh Kooiman who didn’t let Shepparton’s 2027 division one hopes slip away.
Notching a season-first double-double, Kooiman finished with season-high figures of 33 points and 10 assists to will the Gators to victory.
Kooiman’s best scoring effort came in the final term as he rained down three game-sealing three-pointers, but two crucial steals on the defensive end in the third quarter amplified the heat on Bulleen and sparked a game-breaking offensive run.
The Boomers were held to 13 points in the third period, Shepparton reaching a 14-point advantage at three-quarter-time, before extending that lead to as high as 22 throughout the last term, on its way to a 107-90 victory.
US import Joseph Allen remained a crucial cog defensively with two steals and a block, but he too exploded on offence for a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double.
Samuel Maher and Samuel Hawkins were just shy of the double-double feat also, both recording eight rebounds and 13 and 10 points respectively, while Taine Wattie dropped 20 points to continue his scoring consistency.
Coming up in round 18, Coburg face top four team Surfcoast, while Shepparton face mid-table side Whittlesea.
The Gators will have to overcome the mental scars of a 31-point defeat the last time they played the Pacers, but this is now a side with unbreakable belief after it overcame such a previous shellacking to the Gulls in round 16.
At 7pm on Saturday at Shepparton Sports Stadium, a buzzing home crowd atmosphere will be driving the Gators to victory, with hopes to snatch 2027 division one from the jaws of relegation.
After the loss to the Giants, Shepparton narrowed its focus to its own version of must-win playoff basketball. It’s two down, one to go.
The Gators are just a win away from one of the Big V’s great escapes.
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