Tara Murray
Altona Gators started the Big V men’s division 2 finals series on the perfect note, with a big win against the Mildura Heat on Saturday night.
The Gators hosted the Heat with a spot against the Whittlesea Pacers in the semi finals on the line.
The Gators showed why they have been one of the two best sides this season, with a convincing 107-73 win in front of a big crowd.
Gators coach Josh Turton said it was the perfect way for them to start their finals series.
“We played really well,” he said. “We had a really good week of preparation and doing a bit of film and stuff.
“We executed well on both ends which was great.”
The Gators led by just one point at quarter time, with Turton saying a close start was a good thing to make sure they executed their game plan properly.
After quarter time the Gators started to run away with the game despite not playing at 100 per cent.
“Offensively and defensively we had a couple of mental lapses in the second quarter and they hit some tough ones,” he said.
“At half time we should have been up by 15 or 20 points, but we felt pretty good after the first half.”
The match blew open in the third quarter, with the Gators outscoring the Heat, 34-16. They were able to finish the match strongly, with every player getting on the court.
“In finals you shorten your rotation a little bit,” Turton said. “I don’t look at the score when I’m coaching and about six minutes to go Jordie [Lino] came up and said you know that we are 30 points up with six minutes remaining.
“I then got some of the guys on the court, which was awesome. Most of them scored or put up shots which was good.”
Tyson Burton top scored with 27 points, while Adam Anderson had 26 points as all five starters hit double figures.
Turton said it was nice to see Burton, who has come through the program, put out a really strong performance.
“He is the smallest centre in the league and he finds a way to get it done,” he said. “He works extremely hard and I’m happy for him.
“He’s had a great month and he’s been shooting the ball well. The guys keep getting him the ball.”
The Gators this week face the Whittlesea Pacers in the semi finals, with a spot in the grand final on the line. The loser gets a second chance and will play in the preliminary final.
Turton said they don’t think about having the second chance, which they had in the first week of finals as well, and if anything it lets them to play a bit freer basketball.
He said they were looking forward to the challenge against the Pacers.
“It should be an interesting game with both teams being the teams to beat this year,” he said.
“We lost by 20 something the first time, Tyson got married that game so we had a few miss that day.
“About six weeks ago with a full team we beat them by one point.”
