Gatlin right on target

TICKET prices seemed totally disproportionate to the level of entertainment at the Arena last night when the DeMarcus Gatlin “showtime” spearheaded Geelong’s 20-point, 96-76, hammering of SEABL powerhouse Nunawading.

Gatlin landed a trio of three-pointers and slammed home three dunks in a masterful 27-point game that clearly separated the two sides vying for second place on the conference ladder.

“He told me he was feeling good before the game, that he was putting some work into his jump shot all year,” O’Neill said.

“He said he was feeling comfortable and the way they guarded him made him feel comfortable to shoot it.

“I never want to tell a good shooter not to shoot the ball and he was very good tonight.”

Gatlin also played his role on defence and was aggressive on the glass throughout a game in which Geelong was not headed beyond quarter time.

“He put on a bit of a show for the crowd, which was nice, but more importantly he showed that against quality opposition he is equally hard to guard as he is against other sides further down the ladder,” O’Neill said.

“I’m really pleased for him and glad that he’s on our side.”

Nathan Herbert also impressed with another 18-point game, while fellow veteran Jamie Medved chimed in with 12 points and Kris Blicavs 10.

O’Neill was quick to praise the performance of back-up centre Liam McInerney after he ripped down 12 boards, eight at the defensive end, after prematurely entering the game when Eric Gaff encountered early foul trouble.

“I think it was his best game for the club tonight,” O’Neill said. “A dozen rebounds and approaching 10 points, along with the fact that he understood the way we wanted to guard their players.

“Without his input and everybody playing their part we can’t be successful, we had contributions everywhere you looked.”

A key to Geelong’s success was an outstanding third quarter that saw the home side outscore the highly-rated Spectres 27-11, opening up a 21-point buffer entering the last quarter.

With both sides running their full rosters in the fourth quarter, the combatants were left to play-out a 96-76 scoreline, leaving Geelong with a two-nil season edge over its rival. “It does give us confi- dence if we play Nunawading in finals, but then we’re confident against whoever we play,” O’Neill said.

“We don’t think anybody is unbeatable.

“We’re not under any illusions as to how tough it’s going to be, but we think if we play our best basketball we’re a chance to beat anybody.”