The Gators suffered a 78-74 loss to Keysborough on Saturday night in round five of the Big V division one men’s season.
Down by 10 at the start of the last term of the clash at Rowville College, a spirited fightback — led by star import Garrett Jefferson (26 points, seven rebounds, four steals) — saw the Gators force the game to overtime.
Jefferson was instrumental in the fightback, with the talented guard knocking down a three with 36 seconds left, which tied the game 76-76.
The Cougars were able to knock down both free throws to take their lead back out to two, before Jefferson rose to the occasion with two successful clutch attempts at the foul line.
A hot start in overtime saw the Gators get the early jump on the hosts, but the momentum swung once the visitors’ lead hit four.
Keysborough went on a match-winning 10-0 run to chalk up its fifth win of the season.
The loss leaves the Gators third on the table.
“It was tough to go down in OT but I thought we did a really good job to fight back from being down by 10 at the last break,” Shepparton head coach Josh Waight said.
“That was one of the real positives for us out of the match.
“We know we still have plenty to work on, which is really exciting as well ... we have got two solid training sessions coming up this week and hopefully we can get back to our winning ways next week.”
Jefferson had strong support on the floor from teammates Matthew Bartlett (14 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Matt Andronicos (nine rebounds).
Waight praised the efforts of his side’s US import in the narrow defeat.
“I thought Garrett did a really good job for us,” he said.
“He hit some big shots in the last quarter, none bigger than the three-point to tie the game and then hitting the two free throws to send the game to OT.”
Looking ahead to next week, the Gators are set for their second double header weekend of the campaign.
The Gators will return to Shepparton for a home match on Saturday night, followed by an away game on Sunday.
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