Gallery l Gators and Redbacks go to extra-time in blockbuster finals match-up

Shepparton Gators trailed RMIT Redbacks 51-55 at a packed-out Swamp in the biggest game of the season.

The two best teams in Big V division one were leaving it all out on the court, duelling for a chance at not only making, but hosting the grand final and the away team had the edge.

The Gators brought the ball up, moving tentatively around, desperately trying to get a good shot off as the Redbacks tightened the screws defensively.

Captain Matt Bartlett drove into the paint before being held up by the RMIT defenders, saving a turnover by throwing it out the back to an open Nick Dodd for three.

It’s off, but Benalla big man Lachlan Kego got position on a smaller defender and managed to tip it in.

Gators trailed 53-55.

RMIT point guard Stephen Coffee pierced the Gators’ defence before dumping the ball off to the towering Louse Agon, who went straight at Kego under the rim for a two-hand jam.

Kego said no, erasing the shot and quickly giving it off to Shepparton’s star import Derek Murphy, who sprinted up the court.

Murphy hit a charging Kego who made a floater, completing the two-way highlight.

55-55.

Agon came straight back at Kego, scoring a floater of his own.

55-57.

Gators vice-captain Sam Beks grabbed a rebound, pushed the ball up to Joshua Kooiman, who dribbled in from the wing before he found a cutting Murphy.

With 20 seconds on the clock and the game on the line he iced the one-hander.

57-57.

RMIT timeout.

Coffee called his own number after receiving the inbound, dribbled the clock down and sized up Gators guard Kooiman.

He faked a shot and got Kooiman in the air before jumping forward into a double clutch shot, nobody around him.

He missed and the capacity crowd let out a gasp, its heart in its throat as it got prepared for another anxiety-filled five minutes.

Beks begun the overtime period with a corner three.

60-57.

Coffee shook off the disappointment of his last shot, going back to his trusted mid-range jump shot off the backboard, before throwing the ball up for an Agon dunk.

60-61.

Beks stood strong against a driving RMIT player, putting his arms straight up to avoid the foul and forced the miss before accelerating down the court, clapping his hands and screaming for the ball.

Murphy obliged with a nice pass and Beks pulled up for the jump-shot.

62-61.

Coffee remained relentless, throwing a layup high off the glass over three Gators.

62-63.

Bartlett had the ball up top and threw a bounce pass to Kego.

Kego pump faked, getting the defending Agon off his feet and went straight into another RMIT defender, simply finishing over him.

64-63.

After a Murphy steal Bartlett got the ball at the top of the three-point line, receiving a screen from Kego, before deceiving everyone by shaping to pass the ball out to the wing before whistling it back to a rolling Kego.

66-63.

Agon took the ball to the rim, missing but fouled in the process.

The roar and screams from the crowd were only good enough to make him miss one of the two free throws.

66-64.

Kooiman had back-to-back three-point attempts miss the mark and Coffee misplaced a jump-shot.

Twenty seconds left, up by two, all the Gators had to do was hold the ball.

But, much to the horror of the Shepparton faithful, the Redbacks got a steal.

Matt Spencer raced down the court taking on a vulnerable Gators defence.

Murphy was guarding Daniel Steen, RMIT’s sharpshooter, who was waiting in the corner for the ball.

A three here would’ve almost certainly meant a loss for the Gators.

So, Murphy stayed disciplined and opted to stay with Steen over trying to impede the driving Spencer.

But Spencer had no interest in Steen and took it all the way to the rack, looking for an easy two to level the scoring.

And Murphy had no interest in letting him do that.

At the last second he changed his mind, coming over to swat the shot away, sending the crowd into uproar and propelling the Gators into a grand final at the Swamp.

“It was definitely a gamble, because I thought they were coming to Steen for the three,” Murphy said.

“I tried to get over there as fast as I could and the gamble was successful.”

Murphy gave credit to the Shepparton coaching staff, who had informed him before the game that Spencer was a great driver of the basketball and probably wouldn’t be looking to pass in that situation.

While Murphy had the decisive play, the whole squad heaped praise on Kego for his monstrous effort in the clutch.

“You guys have seen a lot of great things from him, including tonight, but in my opinion you still haven’t seen the best from him,” Murphy said.

Beks said he had been trying to get Kego to suit up for the Gators for two years and that on that night he’d seen the fruits of his labour.

“He had a dunk, a game-saving block, sprints down the other end and gets a bucket,” Beks said with a smile.

“Lachlan Kego, if you’re listening to this, I love you!”

Murphy highlighted the support of the packed-out Swamp.

“They never cease to amaze me,” Murphy said.

“They took it up a notch today and knowing we’ll have them in the grand final is huge for us.”

The Gators will return to the Swamp on Saturday, August 19, playing either RMIT again or Pakenham for grand final glory and promotion to the pinnacle of Big V basketball, the Championship.

“We’ll celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we’re back to business,” Beks said.

“We’ve got two weeks to figure this thing out and as Kobe Bryant said, job’s not finished.”