Taine Wattie continues to add scoring punch off the bench for the Gators.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Shepparton Gators continued their hot streak on Saturday night, May 10, grinding out a 90–77 road win over Camberwell Dragons in round six of the Big V Championship season.
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The result marks four consecutive wins for the Gators, who have now improved to five and three and climbed into fifth place on the ladder after a slow start to the year.
It was another team-first performance from Shepparton, with multiple players stepping up across the board despite what head coach Josh Waight described as a somewhat patchy outing.
“We found a way to win and that’s important,” Waight said.
“We didn’t play the way we wanted to play, but we put ourselves in positions to win even when we weren’t at our best.”
Leading the way was Kiwi import Taine Wattie, who exploded for a season-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.
The speedy guard slashed to the rim with ease and gave the Gators an energy boost when they needed it most.
“Taine was excellent,” Waight said.
“He brought the energy we needed, especially at a point in the game where it was a bit flat.”
Ryan Batte leads the Gators in points, rebounds and assists this season.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Ryan Batte continued his consistent run of form, finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to lead from the front.
The American forward was a force in the paint and, when the Gators needed key baskets, he delivered.
“We’re scoring the ball a lot better lately,” Batte said.
“Even if we’re not shooting lights out, we’re getting more shot attempts and finding ways to keep scoring.”
Bryce Brown added a physical 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Gators controlled the glass, out rebounding Camberwell 50 to 39.
Top performers
Ryan Batte: 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals
Taine Wattie: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 21 minutes
Bryce Brown: 16 points, 10 rebounds
Eric Miraflores: 8 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 11 minutes
Tom Frame chipped in seven points and Eric Miraflores added eight, including a timely triple in the fourth quarter, to cap another well-rounded team effort.
Shepparton led 42-38 at half-time, but broke the game open with a 26 to 20 third quarter that came off the back of stronger rebounding and improved ball movement.
While their perimeter shooting remained cold (6-of-36 from deep), the Gators’ ability to rebound, score inside and string together stops proved decisive.
“There were a few stretches where we were able to get stops and follow them up with good possessions,” Batte said.
“We took a little while to adjust, but figured it out down the stretch.
“If we can keep teams to 70 or 80 points, we feel we can beat anybody with the way we’re scoring.”
Offensively, Waight said the group still had room to improve.
“We were a bit stagnant and slow at times, especially early,” he said.
“But we’re heading in the right direction.”
The Gators now turn their attention to one of their biggest tests of the season, hosting second-placed Hume City this Saturday night, May 17 at Shepparton Sports Stadium.
“It’s a good measuring stick for us,” Batte said.
“We’ve improved a lot over the last four or five games and this will help us see where we’re really at.”
Waight said Hume City, along with McKinnon, was among the benchmarks of the league.
“They’ll come after us after we knocked them out in finals last year,” he said.
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