Sport
Gallery | Massive turnout underscores successful Greater Shepparton Basketball Tournament with a big local win
You’ve read about the Shepparton Gators’ story, perhaps you’ve already seen the Underdog premiere, but young talent time arrived in a big way at the weekend.
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A frenetic two days of action up and down the courts at Shepparton Sports Stadium had many of the region’s brightest youths — and some from well beyond — converge for the Greater Shepparton Basketball Tournament.
All told, nine teams from areas as geographically diverse as Echuca and Warrnambool brought their A-games to top division under-18 basketball across four courts, while the hometown Gators set about defending their territory.
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Gators' Riam Schlegel turns on the jets. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 20
Gators' Riam Schlegel goes up under the rim. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 20
Gators' Cooper O'Neill extends out to keep control. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 20
Gators' Liam Broom gets a contest in the air. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 20
Gators' Joel Turner takes a restart. Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 20
Gators' Joel Turner assesses inside. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 20
Gators' Cooper O'Neill gets on the move. Photo by Megan FisherImage 8 of 20
Gators' Ashton Mellington has designs on a quick layoff. Photo by Megan FisherImage 9 of 20
Gators' Lebron Fetui Titimaea sizes up a pass. Photo by Megan FisherImage 10 of 20
Gators' Lebron Fetui Titimaea seeks the rebound. Photo by Megan FisherImage 11 of 20
Gators' Cooper O'Neill remains locked in. Photo by Megan FisherImage 12 of 20
Gators' Lebron Fetui Titimaea takes a well-earned breather. Photo by Megan FisherImage 13 of 20
Gators' Cooper O'Neill stays in possession. Photo by Megan FisherImage 14 of 20
Gators' Riam Schlegel soars above. Photo by Megan FisherImage 15 of 20
Gators' Archer Hueston dropped a game-high 20 points in the final. Photo by Megan FisherImage 16 of 20
Gators' Riam Schlegel hangs off the rim. Photo by Megan FisherImage 17 of 20
Gators' Liam Broom has a Sherrin-like grip on the ball. Photo by Megan FisherImage 18 of 20
The scramble is on for a loose ball. Photo by Megan FisherImage 19 of 20
Gators' Riam Schlegel gets some air time. Photo by Megan FisherImage 20 of 20
Gators' Cooper O'Neill gets play going once more. Photo by Megan FisherThe Gators Wayman under-18 side did more than handily through its group stage play, knocking over opposition from Warrnambool, Echuca, Hamilton and Wodonga by an average of more than 20 points a game and finishing Pool A undefeated.
Having topped the five-team pool, the locals avoided the need to potentially play two extra knockout fixtures, instead capping the tournament with a 57-38 final win over Baller Academy to keep the crown on home soil.
Among the winning side were players the likes of cross-code talent Alex Whitlock, just in case you believed that family didn’t already have it all.
Tony Long of the Greater Shepparton Basketball Association hailed the event’s success, which drew an enormous influx of participants well beyond the top tournament.
“We had over 120 teams in the area from various locations like Mildura, Geelong, Traralgon and Griffith,” Long said.
“It was a great competition, from under-12s all the way up to under-18s and we had over 1400 player registrations.
“All in all, we had around 3500 people involved, which includes spectators.
“It’s run mostly by volunteers, who do a great job, and it’s a great thing for the economic value of the area.
“We estimate anywhere from $1.4 million to $1.8 million was contributed with a lot of people travelling long distance to come and play here.”
The under-18 boys weren’t the only locals making the short drive home as grinning winners, either, with the under-12 boys saluting as well.
“It was a great weekend and the future looks bright,” Long said.
“Council and Darryl Twitt Ford were great in supporting us.”
Sports Journalist