Gators right at home in Swamp

The Gators welcomed Bellarine Storm to Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday night, April 27, and ultimately took the win 95-87.

Bellarine came out swinging as Kavione Green set the tone with a pair of deep threes on his way to a ridiculous 30 points and 16 rebounds.

Shepparton big man Devin Thomas answered, getting shots to go at the basket, including a finish through a foul in transition, converting the free throw for a three-point play.

After the first quarter, Shepparton trailed by seven.

The Gators would go on to win every quarter after that.

The second period opened with the Jayden Coke show, cashing in a corner three from a Tom Frame inbound before Frame found him again in transition for a two-handed slam through traffic.

Hustle from Coke and captain Matt Bartlett caused a turnover, leading to Frame setting Coke up for a dunk once again, getting the crowd up and out of its seats.

Frame, a player whose impact is not often reflected in the box score, was a standout.

The defensive workhorse and Shepparton baller scored a season-high 14 points, including cashing four of his seven threes.

He hit a couple of important shots in the fourth as Shepparton pulled away before a fightback from Bellarine proved to be too little too late.

Frame said he was feeling it.

“Been working on that corner three, it came good tonight, thank God,” he said.

“I like to set the tone defensively and hopefully the boys follow, but everyone tonight was pretty active, which was great to see.

“When we’ve got that momentum, got the crowd behind us, making buckets, that changes the game.”

Gators coach Josh Waight heaped praise on Frame.

“His impact defensively, you can’t always see it in the stats what he brings for us,” Waight said.

“He hit some really big shots tonight, but he never forces it and just takes them as they come.

“And that’s what we need in a team like this with so many great players; you need guys willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.”

Waight said it was an unselfish performance from the squad, with 31 assists from Shepparton compared to Bellarine’s 18.

Waight and Frame expressed their frustration that Shepparton couldn’t close the game earlier after having a double-digit lead in the fourth.

Bellarine hung in the game and ultimately just ran out of time.

Waight pointed out that given Shepparton was on a back-to-back fixture, the extra few minutes of rest could prove crucial.

On Sunday afternoon, the Gators made the journey to Melbourne’s far south-east to Cardinia Life Stadium to take on a Pakenham side that had started the season with two wins from three games.

The Gators’ second game in as many days got off to a rough start as the Warriors burst out of the blocks to take a 34-20 lead in the first quarter.

After starting the match on the back foot, Shepparton was never really able to chase down Pakenham as the Warriors ran out eventual winners, 88-75

Pakenham’s Malik Colvin-Seldon was the most prolific on court, scoring 21 points while shooting with a field goal percentage of 55.56.

For Shepparton, Coke scored 16 points (37.5 field goal percentage) and Thomas 14 (38.46 field goal percentage) in a tough game for the Gators.

Shepparton currently sits seventh in the league’s standings, with the Gators’ next match on Saturday night away from home against sixth-placed Sunbury.