ALTONA Lady Gators' coach-of-the-month Sharon Grieve is gearing up for another tilt at the Victorian Basketball League Big V women's division 1 title.
The player-coach did it with the Werribee She Devils in emphatic style last season and now is hungry for more with her new team well placed to be more than a nuisance come finals time.
The second-placed Lady Gators stretched their winning streak to nine games with a runaway 80-21 win over Melbourne University at the Altona Sports Centre on Sunday.
The competition's most attack-minded team is getting more dangerous with every game and looms as the team most likely to upset 17-game unbeaten Warrnambool's mortgage on the title.
It was slaughter house Sunday for Lady Gators.
They held a 14-point quarter-time lead before tightening the screws on the defensive end to run out 59-point victors.
The most pleasing aspect for Grieve and her team was the tough 'D'.
The home side conceded only 13 points in the last three quarters, while maintaining their offensive fluency.
Never-let-up Lady Gators captain Emma Coyne knuckled down with 18 points, six steals and four rebounds to get the job done at both ends.
There were also strong performances from Sarah Liebelt (12 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists), Naomi Woon (11 rebounds) and inspirational leader Grieve (17 points).
The Lady Gators will entertain Craigieburn Lady Eagles at Altona Sports Centre on Sunday at 3pm.
In the men's division 1, the Gators' finals prospects are fading by the week.
Darren Davey's undermanned team slumped to a fourth loss in five outings by 32 points at home to Melbourne University on Sunday.
The Gators held their own in the first half. They went to half-time level pegging with James Guljas (nine points and nine rebounds), Daniel Williamson (15 points and five rebounds) and Arnaud Lenferna (10 points) showing the way.
The second half was a different story with Uni putting the Gators on the ropes in the third term before delivering a knockout blow with a 30-9 fourth to register a convincing win.
The Gators are fifth and sit in a precarious position with three rounds remaining.
They seem to be under siege with no fewer than one win separating teams third to eighth on the ladder with ninth-placed Sunbury not out of the finals equation a game further back.
It is make-or-break time for all those teams battling it out for the last two places in the top four after Geelong and Melbourne University locked in top-two berths on the weekend.
The Gators have four winnable games in the run home, including second-last La Trobe University away on Saturday night, followed by Warrnambool (fourth), Whittlesea (sixth) and Southern Peninsula (third).
At least, the Gators have their destiny in their own hands.
Email a friend