Altona Gators have lost their best-of-three semi finals series 2-0 against the Pakenham Warriors in the Big V men’s division 2. The Gators played the game in Pakenham on Saturday night, which playing coach Jordan Lino said the team knew would be “hard slog uphill”.
By the end of the first quarter the Gators were down by 15 points, 22-7, but fought until the end to finish 76-65.
“We’ve been to their place before and last time we were there the crowd was a major factor in spurring their team forward,” Lino said.
“We knew it was going to be a hard slog but we were up for the challenge.
“Unfortunately when we got there, the first quarter didn’t really go our way.
“We just couldn’t buy a bucket, and it felt like every single time they touched the ball, the ball would go in.”
He said it was Gators players Dut Dut and Jovan Bojanic who helped pull the team out of their early game slump, the top scorers making 15 and 16 points each respectively.
Thomas Georgiadis and Samson Rocker also made double figures.
“[Dut] loves the physical contact, he loves the aggressive game style, the fast-paced game and I think he was a very good spurt of energy when we really needed him to pull us out of the first quarter,” Lino said.
“[Bojanic] did really well on the offensive end, making his trademark, mid-range elbow shots. He really drew out the defenders and allowed some of the other players to attack the ring when we needed.
“Our brand of basketball all year has been to be team-oriented … it’s all about who brings the energy and who can steer us back on track come game day.”
Gators started the season with 16 players and two training bodies, but injuries, personal matters and other concerns meant the team went into the semi finals with just eight players.
Lino, who is in his first year as coach, said getting to fourth spot in the regular season was an accomplishment in itself, especially considering the adversity they faced in terms of player numbers.
“I think we did really, really well to get there,” Lino said.
“I think we go in with a lot of confidence in the idea that we’ve seen how well we can do with a skeleton crew as it is.
“We all held our heads up high, being able to finish off the game in the way that we did, and winning the last three quarters.”
With Gators out of the semi finals, Warriors will now play Gippsland United in the best-of-three grand final series after Gippsland beat the Wallan Panthers 106-65 at the weekend.
Elsie Lange
