Altona Gators cannot afford to drop a single game in the remaining four rounds if they want to reach the Big V division 1 men’s basketball finals.
The Gators will avoid the Terril conference’s top two sides but must still square off with Latrobe City – the team with the best record in the division – in an inter-conference showdown in a fortnight.
The Gators will have a chance to close the gap on the top four in their own conference this weekend with a crucial double-header
of matches.
The Gators will take on Melbourne University Black Angels at the Altona Sports Centre on Saturday night, followed by a trip to Craigieburn Eagles on Sunday. They are hot favourites to win both games.
But Des Radoslovic’s Gators are behind the eight-ball for the finals after failing to defend their home court in a 97-75 loss to Warrnambool on Saturday night.
The Gators began positively and were in the match at half-time, but the Seahawks moved
up a gear in the second half to cruise to a 22-point win.
Tim Gainey slayed the Gators with 34 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and five three-pointers.
The Gators did themselves no favours, with shooting percentages down across the board. Joey Mausar led the locals with 15 points, while Wilson Arob reeled in 10 rebounds to go with eight points, but the centre coughed the ball up five times.
James Guljas finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
In youth league women, the Gators strengthened their bid for a finals berth with a stirring 74-70 win over the Corio Bay Stingrays at the Geelong Basketball and Netball Centre on Sunday.
Alysha Carden-David had yet another monster game with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
Carden-David has double-doubled in 15 of the Gators’ 16 games this season.
