Shepparton Gators may have fallen short on the scoreboard, but they didn’t disappoint the home crowd in an action-packed 98-81 loss to Hume City Broncos on Saturday night at Shepparton Sports Stadium.
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The round seven Big V Championship clash lived up to its billing, with both teams showcasing high level execution, explosive athleticism and plenty of highlight plays in front of a vocal Swamp crowd.
Coming into the game riding a four-game winning streak and sitting fifth on the ladder, the Gators knew they were in for a serious test against Hume City, which entered the match with one loss for the season.
Despite the final scoreline, Shepparton more than held its own in the first half, trading blows in a fast-paced and physical contest.
The Gators trailed 56-52 at the main break, with both teams shooting at a high clip and making tough shots in rhythm.
Import Bryce Brown was a standout, leading the Gators with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
After starting the season slow, the American centre has strung together multiple strong performances.
“I’ve got to appreciate my team, They’ve been very supportive,” Brown said.
“Every practice they tell me to keep shooting, don’t give up.
“They know what they brought me here to do, stretch the floor and do what I do best.”
The sharpshooting big man was efficient and assertive, knocking down three triples and powering home one of the most electric plays of the night, a one-hand dunk in transition off a no-look behind-the-back pass from Taine Wattie that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
It was one of several ‘Showtime Gators’ moments throughout the evening, with Wattie, Brown and Ryan Batte combining for multiple highlight plays that lit up the arena, despite the scoreboard pressure from the Broncos.
Kiwi guard Wattie was again a live wire off the bench, finishing with 15 points and showing no fear attacking the basket or creating plays in the open floor.
Batte continued his strong season with 16 points, nine boards and two assists.
But while the highlights were plentiful, the Gators struggled to maintain their early offensive flow in the second half.
Hume turned up the defensive pressure and dominated the rebounding battle, capitalising on second and third chance opportunities to slowly pull away.
“They did a really good job of crashing the boards and punishing our lapses,” head coach Josh Waight said.
“They’re a high-quality team.
“We knew coming in we’d have to be sharp for four quarters and in those stretches where we weren’t, they made us pay.”
The Gators were outscored 42-29 in the second half, with Hume’s ability to control tempo and dictate play down the stretch ultimately proving decisive.
“We probably just didn’t get out and run like we wanted to in the second half,” Waight said.
“When we play with pace, we get great looks, but we couldn’t keep that pace up.”
Despite the result, there was a strong sense of optimism in the Gators camp post-game.
With a five and four record and still sitting fifth on the ladder, the group has shown steady improvement in the past month and is still building toward its peak.
“We’ve seen what the best in the conference looks like now and we’re coming for them next time,” Brown said.
“We’re just going uphill now, this isn’t a setback.”
Shepparton Gators take on RMIT University away from home on Saturday night, May 24.
Cadet journalist