After a well-deserved week off, the Gators returned to the court rejuvenated, recapturing their momentum and putting on a dominant second-half display to put the game out of reach of the Gulls and wrap up a round 12 victory.
The first half was a tightly contested battle, with the Gulls holding a narrow three-point lead.
Chelsea's star guard Elijah Davey caused havoc on the offensive end, getting to the rim at will, finishing plays and drawing fouls.
Davey's outstanding performance was evident as he topped the game's scoring charts with an impressive 36 points, while also contributing six rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
His heroics weren’t enough to keep the Gators at bay though, as an 11-point quarter from Detroit import Derek Murphy handed the Gators a seven-point lead heading into the final period.
Staci Richardson brought it home, using his physicality to fight for offensive rebounds and easy second-chance points before capping his scoring barrage with a mid-range jump shot.
With a 14-point advantage, the Gators swiftly closed out the game.
Gators coach Josh Waight said the squad could’ve performed better, but was happy it was able to grind out the win.
“In the first half we were getting beaten off the dribble a lot, which is uncharacteristic for us, but we did better defensively in the second half,” Waight said.
“And then on offence, it was just about trusting each other, moving the ball to create and convert high percentage looks.”
Murphy, Richardson, and Nick Dodd stepped up to compensate for off nights from sharpshooting guards Matt Bartlett and Joshua Kooiman, who struggled, shooting at a 25 per cent accuracy rate.
Murphy, despite missing all five of his three-point attempts, showcased his dominance around the rim, leading the team with 23 points and an impressive 16 rebounds.
Dodd continued his efficient scoring, tallying 17 points on a sublime five-of-six shooting, including a perfect three for three from beyond the arc.
“He’s (Dodd) a high percentage shooter, we’re doing a better job of finding him when he’s open and he’s knocking them down,” Waight said.
Richardson, making a significant impact off the bench, contributed 15 points, with 10 of them coming in the crucial fourth quarter.
His defensive prowess was on full display, accumulating three steals and a block.
Waight said Richardson did a great job of punishing mismatches and rewarding his teammates for giving him the ball when he was confronted by a smaller defender.
Rebounding played a pivotal role in the Gators' victory, as they outclassed the Gulls with a commanding 49-32 advantage on the boards.
Capitalising on Chelsea's failure to box out effectively, the Gators secured 13 offensive rebounds, leading to multiple easy points off missed shots.
“The bigs were excellent, we had a mismatch on size, so that was something we were focusing on, Chelsea is a great rebounding team, so to minimise them to just one offensive is a credit to the boys and their effort,” Waight said.
With an outstanding record of 12 wins and two losses this season, the Gators stand two wins clear of their closest competitors, Warrnambool and RMIT.
Although their position at the top seems secure, the Gators face a challenging few weeks ahead.
They are set to embark on a series of away games, including a back-to-back this coming weekend and another away game the following week.
“We enjoy it and we love the challenge,” Waight said.
“We’ve done a great job being unbeaten at home and now we have a chance to really get used to playing on the road which will only serve us well in the future.
“We look forward to playing in hostile environments, it builds a lot of character.”
Gators have a road trip this weekend, taking on fourth-placed Gippsland and sixth-placed Warrandyte, with a chance to further separate themselves from the rest of the competition or potentially be knocked off the top.
They return home on July 8 to try and exact revenge on RMIT, which handed them their last loss in round 7.
