The Pirates had good stretches of play after the 11.30am tip-off on Sunday, but the game got away from them as it wore on.
Shepparton started powerfully after the Pirates’ Oscar Jones sunk the first basket of the contest.
The Gators scored 12 straight, Liam Matthews doing much of the damage, to secure the early advantage, but Echuca stopped the run and went shot-for-shot over the remaining minutes, and went into the first break eight down.
Joey Mizzi connected from deep early in the second and followed with a pair from the charity stripe on the Pirates’ next trip to create a one-possession game, but Shepparton again had the response.
This time, the Gators really put their foot down.
It started with nine straight, prompting an Echuca timeout, but the run stretched to 17 unanswered before the Pirates could find a score of their own.
The Gators went into the main break in a commanding position, leading 38-22.
The battle was back-and-forth in the third period, but while the lead didn’t grow much over the term, Echuca also wasn’t able to make many inroads to close the gap.
The fight continued in the fourth, but the result didn’t fall into doubt, the Gators eventually prevailing 72-49.
The Pirates’ Mizzi led all scorers with 14, while Mitchell Sutton and Dylan Payne each added nine.
All 10 Shepparton players who took the court came away with points, but Sam Becks (12) and Cooper O’Neill (11) reached double figures.
Echuca will be looking for its first win of the season as it heads into an away double header in the east, first talking on Albury Cougars on Saturday at the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre, before crossing back over the river to battle the also winless Wodonga Wolves on Sunday.
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