MOUNT Gambier basketball fans witnessed history Friday night when the Pioneers claimed their fifth successive South East Australian Basketball League conference championship at the Icehouse.
The win came by just three points over a tough Nunawading Spectres lineup, with the crowd treated to an epic contest, which came down to the final seconds of the game.
The capacity crowd spilled into the Beth Searle Room, with standing room only for the historic win.
The Pioneers created history last year with an unprecedented fourth straight conference title and took it one step further Friday night.
It is a record that will now stand for all time, with the SEABL format changing, meaning conferences will no longer be part of the competition.
For that last East Conference final, the script could not have been written any better, with the final shot of the night deciding the champions.
It was a victory not lost on head coach Richard Hill.
“No one is ever going to beat it,” he told The Border Watch after the victory.
“We created history last year and to think we can come back and do it again is a real feather in my team’s cap that they continue to find a way to win games of basketball against high-quality opposition.
“We have beaten them (Nunawading) four times in a row and I think it was an enormous effort from our guys.
“I know how good they are, so to be able to beat a team of that quality four times in a row is unbelievable and a credit to my guys, because they are a heck of a basketball team.”
During the presentation speeches, Hill paid respect to Nunawading, noting the rivalry that had built up between to the two clubs over the last five years.
“We have nothing but respect for your team,” he said to Spectres coach Dave Biwer.
“It was a heck of a game.
“I feel for you guys – when it comes down to the last couple of plays of the game we all know it could go either way … I’m really proud of our guys.”
He also paid tribute to four players who had been present for every one of the five consecutive conference finals – Brad Hill, Tom Daly, Erik Burdon and Matt Sutton.
“These guys are not above the rest of the team, but they have created some unbelievable history,” he said.
“They came together five years ago and they have led us to five national finals in a row.
“They have been the core of what we have been doing.
“They have enabled the other guys to come in and fit in.
“They are unselfish to a tee and have been unbelievable over the last five years.”
Hill said those four players had been the single most important factor in the team’s recent success.
“They have been more important than me,” he said.
“Brad helped get Tom here, Erik and Suttsy were here, they knew each other then and have grown together.
“They have had an enormous impact on the rest of the group because of their leadership and unselfishness.”
But just like the change in format for the SEABL competition, the Pioneers could also face big change, with Hill suggesting the team may not be the same in the future, with age and other factors coming into play.
“Those guys might be back together, but I doubt it,” he said.
“Circumstances change, with age and getting married and so on, but it has been a heck of a ride.”
Hill said that ride had come from many factors, but mostly from the cohesion that has been built into the side over the years.
“A lot of people look at our record and think we must be head and shoulders above the rest of the teams, but we’re not,” he said.
“We have a very good team and the teams we manage to overcome, most of those are very good basketball teams as well.
“Basketball is one of those games where chemistry is vital.
“You just saw a team who has great chemistry that we played against.
“We also have great chemistry and that enables you to come through in tight situations.”
But as it has been in the past and is again this season, there is still one more hurdle to overcome.
The Pioneers will now face Dandenong Rangers in their fifth straight national championship playoff Saturday night at the Kilsyth Sports Centre.
“Winning (Friday night) is still not what we want,” Hill said.
“We still won’t measure ourselves until we get back there and win, but that will take a hell of an effort.”
