By Lachlan Onions
A HOME double-header awaits the Mount Gambier Pioneers men’s team this weekend for Round 12 of NBL1 South basketball.
These two home games will be the final times the Pioneers play at Wulanda in the home and away season, with back-to-back away trips for the final two rounds.
As we enter the pointy end of the season, the Pioneers are in a strong position in fourth place and have won their last five games.
Mount Gambier will host the 12th-placed Bendigo Braves on Friday night with action to tip-off at 8pm.
They will then welcome the 19th placed Dandenong Rangers on Sunday at 2pm.
For Mount Gambier, the recent return of crowd-favourite Titus Robinson has been a major acquisition in the quest for finals basketball.
Robinson was on fire off the bench last time out and scored 19 points in Mount Gambier’s win over Geelong last week.
He will be supported by the Pioneers’ very own splash brothers in Nick and Dylan Marshall.
Nick Marshall has been the standout performer for the Pioneers this season and averages 23.91 points per game.
His younger brother Dylan has been a vital part of the rotation this campaign and has been in solid form lately.
The young guard scored a season-high 21 points against the Ballarat Miners in Round 10.
In the paint, Jacob Lampkin has been the backbone of the side and averages 21 points as well as 11.91 rebounds per game.
Looking at the opposition for the weekend, Jesse Ghee and Jack Roberts will be key players for the Dandenong Rangers, while Lat Mayen, Adam Pechacek and Luke Rosendale will be the players to watch for the Braves.
Rosendale has been a solid contributor with 16.29 points per game, while Pechacek will likely matchup against Lampkin in the centre position and averages 15.2 points per game.
Mayen is the player who has the potential to cause the most damage for the Braves as he averages more than 20 points and eight rebounds per outing.
For the Rangers, Roberts and Ghee have been a solid backcourt duo and average more than 30 points per game between them.
With the Pioneers now close to a full strength side for the first time this season, they will head into both of these games as favourites but neither game is a given, such is the competitiveness of the NBL1 South conference.
