RANDY Shanklin can be mighty proud of his ‘‘Baby Gators’’. One of the youngest teams in the Big V basketball women’s division 1, the Altona Gators bravely took it up to powerhouse Craigieburn Eagles at the Craigieburn Leisure Centre on Saturday night before losing 71-68 in an overtime thriller.
Years of experience was lost by the Gators last year when Sharon Grieve, Emma Coyne, Louise Johnston and Nicole McMahon, one of the centrepieces of the Eagles team at the weekend, departed the Swamp.
The replacements came in the form of youth league players wanting to step up.
A painful transition it was supposed to be.
Yet while the Gators sit last with just two wins from 11 starts, the rapid improvement of their young players is coming quicker than expected.
Coach Shanklin has shown belief in his players – and perhaps the youngsters are now starting to believe in themselves.
Taking a quality team like the Eagles, top of the ladder with an 11-1 record, to the brink is a sign of significant improvement from the young line-up.
“I’m loving what they’re doing right now,” Shanklin said.
“Where we were getting beaten by 30 or 40 points earlier in the year, all of a sudden that’s changing.’’
The Gators had their chances to win the game in overtime, but blew it.
They had 12 shots to seven in the extra period, but still lost as the Eagles iced the game from the freethrow line.
Jayne-Maree Sant had a brilliant game for the Gators with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. Katrina Vogelezang (12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals) and Ashley Patterson (six points, four rebounds and seven assists) logged a marathon 40 minutes.
In a cruel twist, it was former Gator Nicole McMahon who would prove the difference, with 18 points and 17 rebounds, proving there is no substitute for experience late in games.
