MOUNT Gambier Pioneers have retained their unbeaten status at the Icehouse after their final minor-round home game.
The Pioneers faced Hobart Chargers and were challenged at every turn, but eventually ran out 10-point victors in a dramatic finish.
From there a Sunday fixture saw the Pioneers travel to Melbourne to take on the Tigers, which they accounted for with relative ease, claiming the win by 27 points.
Friday night saw a tough hit out, where the Chargers led at the first two breaks, before the Pioneers finally hit their straps in the third term to claim the lead.
The opening term saw a fluctuating contest, where neither side led by more than four points.
The first score came after captain Tom Daly was fouled going to the hoop, with one successful free throw, which was followed up by two of the same to Luke Jamieson.
The Chargers then responded with three consecutive two-point baskets to claim the lead, but Daniel Alexander, Brad Hill and Jamieson replied with three of the same to wrestle back the advantage.
The see-sawing contest continued, with Hobart having the final say on the buzzer to lead at the first break by four points.
It was a similar scenario in the second term, but the Chargers threatened to blow the game open, leading by as much as 13 points with just three minutes to play in the quarter.
The Pioneers clawed the margin back with the help of three-point baskets to Erik Burdon and Hill, with the home side carrying the momentum to the long break with a big block to Hill on the buzzer.
The third term went basket-for-basket, until a pair of twos from Hill and John Jones gave the home side the lead again.
A pair of free throws to Jamieson and a two-point jumper to Daly pushed the lead out to five, but the Chargers responded and the game was again tied with three minutes to play.
Burdon, Jones and Jack Madgen finished the term with two-point baskets for a three-point lead at the final break.
Hobart again claimed the lead four minutes into the final stanza, with Matt Sutton then putting up a three to close the margin back to a solitary point.
The Chargers again responded, but when Jamieson put up a three, the game was again tied up.
With a minute to play the visitors trailed by three, when Burdon put up a text-book shot from outside the arc to extend the margin to six.
From there the Chargers had no response, with the Pioneers running out 99-89 victors.
Burdon was on target, top scoring for the home side with 20 points, 12 of those from three-point territory.
Jamieson and Alexander both finished with double-doubles – Jamieson with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Alexander managed 12 and 10.
Hill contributed 16 points, Daly 13 and Madgen 12 in a solid all-round effort.
Coach Richard Hill was pleased with the final result and the spectacle delivered to the sell-out crowd.
“Our fans have been pretty lucky and seen some good games in the last month, one after another,” he said.
“Fortunately we keep coming out on the positive side.
“Friday night was a good game against a good side.
“They were leading us in the last quarter and we went on an 18-7 run to close the game out.
“It was a hell of a game.”
Hill said the last part of the second term was pivotal in the final result.
“The last four minutes of the second quarter were crucial,” he said.
“We were down 13 and got back to four which was quite manageable.
“They could easily have got out to 20, but we were able to turn it around.
“They would have been feeling pretty good, being 13 up on our court and going pretty well.
“We changed up a few things and I thought our guys executed really well in that patch.
“Erik Burdon knocked down a couple of big shots, Brad (Hill) knocked down a big shot and we were able to get back on track.
“It was no surprise they were playing like they were, because they are pretty good.”
Facing the Tigers on Sunday, the Pioneers were without the services of Jamieson due to an injury sustained Friday night.
The opening term began even, with the Pioneers leading by just one point at the first break.
But from there they began to assert their ascendancy, with 30 points to 18 in the second term to break the game wide open.
The Tigers fought back in the third, losing the term by just three, but a strong effort at both ends of the floor in the final stanza saw the Pioneers add 27 points to the Tigers’ 16.
Again the points came from a wide spread of contributors, with Daly best this time with a big 28-point game.
Alexander was next best with 21, Madgen with 19, Jones 14, Hill 11 and Burdon 10.
