The side was promoted to the top division of Big V ball this year for the first time in almost two decades and won its last five games to sneak into the last finals spot, finishing fifth out of 12 in the regular season with a record of 13 wins and nine losses.
It then knocked out last year’s runner-up Hume City away from home in a thrilling victory to reach the final four.
The train ran off the rails and it all came crashing down at the weekend as Shepparton fell away to Keysborough, losing 65-91 on Saturday night, August 17.
Keysborough put the Gators to the sword from tip-off, but Shepparton hung in there, trailing by 13 at half-time.
Shepparton showed fight but never really threatened Keysborough in the third quarter, before being closed out convincingly in the fourth.
Keysborough put on a defensive clinic, leading to shooting struggles for all of the Shepparton stars.
Canadian import Jayden Coke and New Zealand import Josh Kooiman hit just three and four shots out of 14, respectively.
Kiwi sharpshooter Dylan Wilkie scored just three points in limited minutes, and American import Devin Thomas had an efficient 10 with limited shots.
Seymour native Tyler Best was a standout off the bench, contributing 12 points.
Coach Josh Waight said Shepparton just couldn’t get it going when it mattered most.
“Credit to Keysborough, they really showed up and shot the ball well,” Waight said.
“It felt like as soon as we’d hit shots and cut into the lead, they’d hit a big one, and we were just never able to get back into it."
It was a bitter-sweet ending to what was otherwise a remarkably successful first season back at Big V’s top level.
As Waight looked around at his devastated troops in the changing room after the loss, all he felt was pride.
“If I were to describe our group in one word, it would be resilient,” he said.
“We dealt with a lot of obstacles, including injuries and sickness.
"It’s tough for it to sink in, we want our season to be still alive.
“It was a roller-coaster of a season, but for the first time back in the championship, to make finals and to win a finals game, it was a pretty successful season.
“We showed we could compete with the best, bringing top-level basketball back to Shepparton.
“Who knows where we go from here or what the future holds, but I’m just so proud of the group.”
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