Gators look to continue winning streak in Big V basketball doubleheader

By Rodney Woods

Apr 29, 2021

Shepparton Gators will look to go ahead of the ledger after this weekend's Big V basketball doubleheader against Melbourne Uni and Corio Bay.

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The Gators are 3-4 after last weekend's come-from-behind win against Warrandyte, in which Dylan Wayman (17 points), Nick Dodd (16), Sam Beks (12) and Matt Bartlett (12) all scored double figures.

The Gators will be expected to beat Melbourne Uni, which has lost its first seven matches of the season, at the Shepparton Sports Stadium on Saturday night before facing a tougher test against Corio Bay, which sits in second spot with a six and one record.

That match will be played at Geelong Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Despite Melbourne Uni's form line, coach Josh Waight said his team would not be taking them lightly.

“We need to take them seriously and a win there will even our ledger at .500 and give us a crack at Corio Bay, which is playing some good basketball at the moment.

“We're expecting two really tough matches.

“Melbourne Uni are hunting for a win and we have seen they can play good basketball at times.

“We will need to be ready play right from the start.

“Corio Bay are the opposite and are really rolling at the moment and are playing some really good basketball.

“We have to make sure we value the basketball as they like to pressure teams, so we need to make sure we are ready to go.”

While his immediate focus will be this weekend's clashes, Waight will have one eye on the 2021 Australian Under-16 Junior Championships, where he will travel with the under-16 Country Men's side to Western Australia as their head coach.

“It's very exciting to have the Australian Junior Championships back this year as it is great to get all the best athletes in the country back on the court in one place to showcase their talents on a national stage,” Waight said.

“The standard of the tryouts was particularly strong, which made the selection decisions really tough and meant some really talented players missed out.

“We feel as though we will be able to play at a really high tempo as we have some great athletes, which will allow us to play at the high tempo that we would like to play at.

“It is a great honour to represent my state at a nationals and I am really looking forward to the opportunity and hopefully I can represent our state and my home association proudly.”