ALTONA Gators had to overcome a sluggish start before cruising to an 84-50 road win over Sunbury Jets in the Victorian Basketball League Big V women’s division1 at Boardman Stadium on Saturday night.
The Gators were in a spot of bother at the first break, trailing the home side by four points after landing an uncharacteristic four-of-17 shots and desperate to snap out of their funk.
Gators assistant coach Elisha Hogan described a two-faced Gators performance as lacklustre in the opening term but returning to their usual swagger in the last three periods.
Click on image below to see a full gallery of the big game
“To finish up and win by 34 points, we looked at each other and were a bit like ‘whoa, we finally got ourselves together’, but the start was obviously disappointing.
“The girls knew at the end of the first quarter that we were not playing up to our potential.
We had a bit chat about that and in the
next three quarters we were able to get it together.”
Louise Johnston, who finished with 14 points and got to the charity stripe 10 times with her trademark aggression inside the paint, was a barometer for the Gators.
The centre was a commanding presence from the second period onwards after enduring a rough start to the game.
“The thing with Louise is she knew she didn’t have a good first quarter,” Hogan said.
“She got herself together to show what a good player she is.
“She really set the intensity for the girls, scored some baskets and got everyone running.”
No player had a bigger say on the result than “workhorse” forward Nicole McMahon.
The netball convert was magnificent with 24points on 11-of-14 shooting off the bench.
She also reeled in 12 rebounds in 25 minutes.
“She’s the type of player who, when you watch her, even at training, it’s like get out of her way,” Hogan said.
“Once she gets that ball in her hands under the basket, there’s nothing can stop her.”
It turned into a real team effort for the Gators.
Brigitte Ardossi had a strong line with 17points, eight rebounds and a mixed bag of other important stats.
Sarah Liebelt finished with a double-double 10points and 10 rebounds to go with five steals and four assists.
The top-of-the-ladder Gators advanced to 7-0 and will host Chelsea Gulls at the Altona Sports Centre on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Altona Gators split a double-header weekend in men’s division 1.
They atoned for a loss to Sunbury Jets on Saturday night with a big 19-point win over Hawthorn on Sunday, sparked by 21 points from Shaun Phelan.
BIG V BOARD
Women’s division 1: Sunbury 50 Altona 84
Men’s division 1: Sunbury 72 Altona 59, Hawthorn 53 Altona 72
