GABE Hadley had 37 points, and DeMarcus Gatlin contributed 26; however, the Hoop City Geelong United Supercats fell to a buzzer-beater on the road against Kilsyth, 97-95, to open the 2023 NBL1 South men’s season.
Leading by as much as 15 points in the second quarter, the Supercats – who lost Owen Odigie early in the second half watched the lead get whittled away by the Cobras, with the home team moving to a six-point lead, 92-86, with 2:18 remaining.
Consecutive free throws from Gatlin, followed by a three-pointer by Hadley and a triple from Gatlin, gave Geelong United a two-point buffer.
That became three points with 42 seconds left on the clock when Liam McInerney made the first of two free throws.
However, a layup from Corey Jeffs followed by a three-point bomb by Mitch Dielmans was enough for the home side.
“(I’m) really proud of the boys,” new coach Grant Wallace said. “Down six with a couple to play, we hit the lead.
“But we turned it over with 7-8 seconds to play and they hit a buzzer-beater to win the game.”
Wallace was disappointed to concede 49 points in the first half and 48 in the second.
“We were struggling to defend as per our rules,” he said.
“There were many lessons learnt and the feeling we let one slip.”
Hadley’s 37 points came at 61 per cent from the field and beyond the arc, where we was 8-of-13. He also dished five assists.
Gatlin produced a sterling captain’s performance, with his 26 points on 69 per cent shooting accompanied by 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Four players pulled on a Geelong United singlet at NBL1 level for the first time; Nick Velasquez, Liam Herbert, Jack Moran and Marach Marach.
AN understrength Geelong United Supercats women’s team has fought hard but ultimately fallen short of Kilsyth, 60-51.
With only seven players taking to the court – including Monica Okoye and Ella Tofaeono, who had arrived in Geelong from Japan and the USA, respectively, the day before the game – the Supercats were unable to go the distance with the Cobras.
“We had a fair bit of adversity to overcome leading into this game, but I was very proud of the way the group stuck together throughout the contest,” coach Matthew Paton said.
“We played in a manner that was indicative of the amount of time we have spent together as a unit, but the players continued to work hard and grind out a close result.
“We know we have the talent on the roster, so the team is really looking forward to improving our chemistry over the coming weeks before our Round 2 game.”
Returning duo Sarah Elsworthy and Eve Braslis carried much of the workload for Matthew Paton’s roster.
Both played all 40 minutes, with Elsworthy tallying 23 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and three rebounds.
Braslis had 16 points and six rebounds.
Tofaeono finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Okoye grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocked shots.
As well as Tofaeono and Okoye, Georgia Cox, Macey Bowie and Nyidier Riak made their first NBL1 appearances for Geelong.
The Supercats men and women will have Easter weekend off before hosting the Bendigo Braves in the first of 11 home games at Geelong Arena on Saturday, April 15.
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