Gators win: Shepparton Gators under-16 boys outfit triumphed at the Wangaratta Junior Basketball Tournament last week.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
A grand final victory and a handful of impressive performances have Shepparton Gators junior coaches and supporters excited about tournaments and competitions to come this season.
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The young Gators ventured to Wodonga at the weekend to compete in the Wangaratta Basketball Association’s Junior Basketball Tournament.
Shepparton’s under-16 girls soared to the tournament grand final, but went down to a red-hot Wodonga, while the Gators’ under-18 boys went all the way with a 49-29 win over Wangaratta Warriors.
Under-16 coach Chris Judd said his side had to work out some kinks in the first two games, but it didn’t take long to find its groove.
“We came away with some good wins in our first two games over Tumut and Myrtleford, in those games we were trying to get our organisation in place, so we could play more competitive basketball,” Judd said.
“We then played Wodonga’s main side, they’re a very, very good division one side.
“The girls had a tremendous game, all the kids stood up, it was a really good result for them.”
Up they go: Shepparton Gators’ Declan Hallett competes in the under-18 clash with Benalla at the weekend.
Two dominant wins and a brave 49-36 defeat to Wodonga in round three put the Gators well on track for finals.
Shepparton smashed Benalla Breakers 60-5 in the final round and cruised through into the decider after a 26-17 win over Wodonga’s development team in the semi-finals.
It wasn’t to be for the young side, however, which was undone by Wodonga division one in the grand final 67-16.
In the zone: Shepparton’s Riley Onley shoots from the free throw line.
Judd said the Gators made a fast start to the grand final on Sunday, but couldn’t maintain their early pressure.
“We played really, really well in the first 15 minutes, it was level pegging, but unfortunately we dropped away badly, we came away with a bad result, but not considering how well they played at the tournament overall,” Judd said.
“It was a really good result insomuch as we were in the grand final.
“The girls can take a lot of good things out of the weekend, we’ve had the opportunity to get a lot more practice in game situations and we’ll be much better for the occasion.”
For the Gators’ under-18 boys, not a lot went wrong for the in-form outfit which cruised to a 5-0 outing at the weekend.
Shepparton picked up wins over Euroa, Benalla and Wangaratta in the opening rounds, before saluting over Wangaratta again 49-29 in the decider.
Coach Dylan Wayman said his side’s belief and chemistry on the court was on full display in its five games.
“We went in pretty confident in what we were doing, confident we could take it out and put our best foot forward which we did,” Wayman said.
“We worked hard and stuck to our structures, everyone played a big part and people played their roles in getting all five wins.
“We had to battle a bit of adversity in the grand final, but the boys showed real character to overcome that.
“This is an extremely talented group of men I’ve got, they’re 10 brothers at the end of the day who all enjoy each other’s company and love playing basketball together.”
Both sides will now look toward the Shepparton Junior Tournament to be held on the weekend of December 3.
Going nowhere: Shepparton’s Jesse Brock and Jensen Dowling on defence.
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