Saints look to secure a home final

MYRTLEFORD can book an all-important home final with two wins this weekend after grinding out an 88-75 win in Shepparton on Sunday. The Saints made the road trip to Shepparton with just nine players and two assistant coaches down with the absences of Marcus LaSpina, Ned Pascoe and Brendan and Hugo Cusack making for a difficult task for the second placed side. Coming off a big win the night prior against Albury, the Gators were full of momentum early on but Myrtleford were able to steady on the offensive end to lead by one point at the half. After a back and forth third quarter with points flowing for both sides, the Saints were able to run away with the match in the last quarter, winning the period 27-17 to seal the 13-point win. Coach Sam Gebauer said he continues to be impressed with his team’s strength of character as they pulled through with the win undermanned. “We were walking in with a bit of a skeleton crew and the boys just handled business the way they do,” he said. “Shepp put a good fight up and kept the game reasonably close but fourth quarter basketball is where we thrive and we ran away with it.” The Barker brothers were dominant on both ends of the floor, with Tyler going off for 27 points to lead all comers, ahead of Jalen’s 21 points. “It’s a blessing to work with this entire time but those boys in particular are incredibly experienced players and are absolute professionals,” Gebauer said “Tyler exploded and took the game into his own hands which allowed the team to do the same thing. “On the stat sheet it shows their points but the two of them on the defensive end are just unbelievable to watch.” Myrtleford remains undefeated away from home this season as they turn their attentions to a home double header this weekend as they prepare to host Albury on Saturday night followed by Wallan on Sunday afternoon. Two wins against the finals' calibre opposition would be enough to see Myrtleford secure a top two position with one round to play. Gebauer said he expects a full squad back in action for both games and was excited at the prospect of packing out the stadium for the weekend against two teams vying for a finals berth. “A double header is never easy but two games at home will be fantastic,” he said. “Getting a home final would be the absolute best case scenario; I think at the moment Myrtleford stadium might be the most difficult stadium for opposition teams to play in with how much we have and we fill that stadium every week.”

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