Supercats look ahead to ladder leaders for Lifeline Round

GEELONG United Supercats head coach Grant Wallace says it was “amazing” to get his first win of the season as Geelong coach, on the back of his side’s first win of the NBL1 South season against Frankston Blues on Saturday night.

The Supercats entered The Geelong Arena with zero wins from their opening four contests, but staved off conference frontrunner Frankston, 79-73.

“It was very amazing to get that first win, and against Frankston as well, who are sitting towards the top of the ladder, it also really just showed how much we missed Demarcus as well,” Wallace said.

“The younger brigade has done an amazing job keeping us competitive, but you can’t replace the experience that guys like Demarcus, and Owen Odigie for that matter, bring to the court.”

Gabe Hadley and George Blagojevic were again the main producers on the floor with 21 points apiece against the Blues, with each securing nine and 15 rebounds respectively.

Following a three-game suspension, Gatlin made his home debut for the 2023 season, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes of game time.

Supercats big man Ma’alo Hicks was also a standout performer against the Blues, ending the night with 10 points and four rebounds.

Geelong’s next matchup will provide no relief, kicking off the first leg of a double-header weekend Saturday night against an undefeated Mount Gambier outfit at the top of the standings, which will require a whole-team approach, according to Wallace.

“I see Mount Gambier as very similar to Frankston in the sense they go six-deep when it comes to their scoring contributions,” he said.

“Nick Marshall will probably be the focus for us defensively, but big man Jacob Lampkin who played at Keilor last year, he’s that meat and potatoes six-foot-nine, six-foot-ten centre that can make an impact in several areas on the floor.

“We just have to continue to improve on what we did last Saturday, because we sat in the rooms and came to the conclusion that this is just the start, and who better to try to do that on then Mount Gambier.”

This Saturday’s (May 6) clash against Mount Gambier at The Geelong Arena tips off at 5pm featuring the women’s side, before the men take the court at 7pm. Both sides head to Diamond Valley on Sunday to meet Diamond Valley.

For NBL1 tickets to this week’s Lifeline Round, head to geelongunitedbasketball.com.au