Upset of the season: Shepparton still alive in relegation fight after shocking top two team

Shepparton had three games left to play ahead of its clash with Chelsea, and if it is to jump out of the bottom two, it must win all three of its remaining fixtures.

First up, on Saturday night at the Swamp, was the second-placed Chelsea Gulls.

In the pairing’s last encounter, the Gulls swooped on a win by 31 points.

Even the most optimistic of fans would have struggled to see Shepparton overturn such a discrepancy in round 16.

But the Gators didn’t struggle to believe though, and with their season on the line, they had nothing to lose.

A crucial lead was taken in the first quarter as the Gators heated up from beyond the arc, shooting at a 57.1 per cent clip from range.

It was an even spread of scoring contribution in the period, a trend that would continue throughout the contest, as Shepparton had five respective players score double digits for the first time this season.

An 11-point unanswered run ended the first term for the Gators to lead by five, 27-22.

In the second quarter, defensive prowess came to the fore.

Shepparton was held to just 15 in the second term, but kept Chelsea to 18, maintaining a two-point advantage at half time.

The third term was halved at 21-apiece, leaving a thrilling fourth quarter to play.

It was played with swings of momentum - three lead changes occurred in the opening three minutes before the Gulls shot out to a five-point lead after three consecutive buckets.

After squaring the game back up more than halfway through the last quarter, a three-minute patch saw only three shots sunk, but all tallied points for the Gulls, leaving the Gators trailing by an equal game-high deficit of six points with two minutes remaining in the contest.

But not a single player on the floor in navy blue wanted the season to die when they had gotten so close to salvaging it.

Taine Wattie entered a stunning takeover mode, hitting back-to-back mid-range jump shots, before drilling a clutch three-pointer with just 30 seconds remaining to put Shepparton up one.

The Gulls took a timeout, but the plan drawn up on the board was quelled by a Samuel Maher steal, who was fouled and taken to the charity stripe.

Maher made one of two, leaving the door ajar for the Gulls but Chelsea would turn the ball over again, this time handing Joseph Allen an opportunity at the line.

He too missed one of two, the game remaining a one-possession contest with the chance for a tie if the Gulls sunk a three.

But the Gators’ defensive demon made sure to prove his claim for defensive player of the year only grew.

Leaping for a courageous block as Chelsea attempted to tie, Allen secured Shepparton the upset of the season, an unanswered nine-point run in the last two minutes securing a wild campaign-saving victory, 81-78.

The Gators must still defeat Bulleen and Whittlesea in the last two rounds, while Coburg must continue to lose if Shepparton is to elevate out of the relegation zone, but the hardest task has been completed - a 34-point turnaround against a championship contender.

Wattie’s 24 points led the charge, but Allen (18 points, 12 rebounds), Hawkins (14 points), Maher (12 points) and Kooiman (11 points) all had their moments in the clutch.

The women’s Gators suffered two defeats on Saturday and Sunday, a 20-point loss to Chelsea 56-76, and surrendered a four-point three-quarter-time lead to lose 45-53 to Mornington.

Shepparton’s women’s season closes out against RMIT University in a fortnight’s time, with the Gators hoping to end the season on a high after beating the Redbacks earlier this season.