After entering the weekend with their NBL1 South men’s playoff hopes still alive, narrow losses have put paid to any finals involvement for the Hoop City Geelong United Supercats.
After being outlasted by Ringoowd 75-68 at Norwood Secondary College on Saturday night, Geelong United produced a stirring comeback from as much as 18 points down in the third quarter to lead Ballarat with just over two minutes remaining.
However, the Miners held their nerve down the stretch to keep their playoff hopes alive with a 107-104 result.
“The word failure comes to mind because we laid a great foundation,” coach Grant Wallace said.
“Walking out of the (Geelong Arena function) room and seeing past players and the feeling the club’s created, and all the work we did pre-season, everything’s coming to fruition apart from one area, and that’s wins on the court.”
In a scrappy contest against the Hawks, a Nick Velasquez-less United was level with just over seven minutes remaining.
However, the home team went on a 10-2 run to turn the contest in their favour.
“Friday night’s result was really tough; we were in the game until the fourth quarter,” Coach Wallace said.
“We shot at 12 per cent from the three-point line – we had some good looks but just couldn’t convert.”
George Blagoejvic produced a 24-point, 20-rebound masterclass, with captain DeMarcus Gatlin (13 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, three blocks) also pouring his heart into getting Geelong United over the line.
On Saturday night, it was Gatlin who tried to carry the Supercats to victory, posting 29 points, ten rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Gabe Hadley made some big shots on his way to 25 points, with Blagojevic (22 points, seven rebounds) and Matt McCarthy (20 points, eight rebounds) also making significant contributions.
However, Coach Wallace reserved special praise for the 15 minutes played by Cohen Blythe.
The Pivot City product scored five points, grabbed two rebounds and dished six assists as part of the comeback.
“He’s been a great work-in-progress,” Coach Wallace said. “He had some injuries early days.
“With that connection with Corio Bay, and coming in and finding his feet, and playing behind Nick and ‘Herbie’ (Liam Herbert) early.
“But, his defence is elite. He had a steal that drew an unsportsmanlike foul.
“His endeavour is outstanding.”
Despite the loss, Geelong United secured the inaugural Mark Leader Shield.
The women’s five-point win over Ballarat gave the Supercats enough of a buffer.
Geelong United will round out its regular season with a home-road double. The Supercats will host Keilor Thunder on Saturday night before travelling to Waverley to play the Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
Tickets for Saturday night’s Dry July matchup with the Thunder are on sale now via bit.ly/3JspNN5
