Coach Grant Wallace says the work done by the Hoop City Geelong United Supercats’ second unit during the second quarter of Saturday night’s 89-73 win over Dandenong was crucial for a seventh win of the NBL1 South season.
Trailing 31-22 midway through the second period, United outscored the Rangers 18-7 to grab the lead before half-time thanks to the efforts of Liam Herbert, Jack Terrill, Cohen Blythe, Liam McInerney and Jay Posterino.
From that point on, Wallace’s men never trailed the visitors again.
“One thing I’ve done a horrible job of, to a degree, is having trust in that second group,” he said.
“Our starters weren’t getting it done. Jay came in; ‘Herbie’ did a great job; I thought Cohen did a great job; Terrill did a good job.
“They all contributed, and that’s what we’re building towards.
“If we didn’t do that, we probably wouldn’t have won it because we were getting ourselves in such a hole.”
Captain DeMarcus Gatlin led from the front with a season-high 28 points on a tidy 58 per cent shooting clip.
He also recorded eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“He’s still pretty embarrassed about missing those three games,” Wallace said.
“He’s such a leader, and when he’s good, we’re good.”
George Blagojevic was also important, finishing with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, while Gabe Hadley complemented 15 points with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Newcomer Matt McCarthy showed glimpses of what he’ll bring to the group with five points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal before fouling out.
Sitting 9th with a 7-7 win-loss record, Geelong United now faces the first of four double-headers to end the regular season this weekend.
The Supercats travel to Mt Gambier (5th, 10-5) on Friday night before returning for a Sunday afternoon matchup with Eltham (4th, 10-5)
Avoid disappointment. Tickets for Sunday’s game day against Etlham are on sale now via https://bit.ly/3JspNN5
