ALTONA Gators were forced to take the bad with the good as they split a double-header weekend in the Victorian Basketball League Big V men’s division 1.
The Gators have endured a rough opening month under new coach Kyle Slack and that was further accentuated when their late rally from a big deficit came up short in a three-point loss to McKinnon at the Bentleigh Secondary College on Saturday night.
The Gators made amends on Sunday with a determined six-point win over Sunbury Jets at the Altona Sports Centre.
The key ingredient for the Gators was tight defence that has not been in evidence enough this season and a stellar shooting display from Nathan Wapshot and Robbie Elso.
Wapshot scored 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting and Elso finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Daniel Martin (six points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals) and James Guljas (11 points and 10 rebounds) were the other stat sheet stuffers for the Gators.
The Gators are struggling at 2-4 on the season and face the daunting task of hosting the white hot Mildura Heat at the Altona Sports Centre at 3pm on Sunday.
The Suns, however, could be ripe for the picking as they will enter the fray weary on the tail end of a double-header weekend, while the Gators will be fresh and ready
to go.
Altona Lady Gators are proving a hard nut to crack in the women’s division 1 – they made it an impressive five-from-five with a pair of wins in their road double at the weekend.
The league leaders recorded a comfortable 22-point win over Keilor Thunder at the Keilor Basketball Stadium on Saturday night on the back of strong performances from experienced trio Brigitte Ardossi (21 points and five rebounds), Sharon Grieve (14 points, eight rebounds and six assists) and Emma Coyne (11 points).
A little weary from the night before, the Gators found the courage within to get the job done over Camberwell Dragons to win by 11 at Carey Baptist Grammar.
Ardossi showed her star qualities under the basket with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Sarah Liebelt (nine points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals) and Louise Johnston (10 points and eight rebounds) had a big say on the outcome.
The Gators will host the Mildura Heat, a team they have built up a big rivalry with in recent seasons, at the Altona Sports Centre at 1pm on Sunday.
BIG V SCORES:
Men’s division 1: McKinnon 79 d Altona 76, Altona 62 d Sunbury 56.
Women’s division 1: Keilor 55 lt Altona 77, Camberwell 61 lt Altona 73.
