THE Mount Gambier Pioneers bounced back in style in Round 8 of the South East Australian Basketball League, with a dominating 45-point victory over Canberra on Friday night.
The Pioneers welcomed the Gunners in a must-win scenario for the club, languishing down in 12th position and as a result of the victory moved up one spot, to close in on the top eight.
It was a night that also welcomed new recruit Sam McDaniel, who made a good account of himself, with 23 points and 10 rebounds for a classy double-double.
In fact, the Pioneers boasted three players with double-double returns, with Lewis Thomas topping the score sheets with 24 points and 12 rebounds, plus Luke Jamieson with 11 and 10.
Erik Burdon was also solid from the floor, with 20 points, which included four of seven from beyond the three-point arc, while Tom Daly returned from injury to record 19 points.
The end result saw the Pioneers record 120 points to the Gunners 75 in a game that provided plenty of entertainment, from big three-point shots to more dunks than has possibly been witnessed in the Icehosue for many years.
The game was never in doubt, despite the Gunners claiming the first two baskets for a four-point lead.
Tom Daly responded with a triple, before the Gunners hit back.
There was little in the contest as time ran down in the opening term, but McDaniel had the crowd cheering when he found his first basket for the club with a few seconds remaining and the Pioneers were out by 10 at the first break.
McDaniel continued his work in the second term with a two-point jumper just 15 seconds in, leading the Pioneers on a 32 to 21 scoring spree.
A dunk by Jamieson later in the term had the crowd up in unison, while the same from McDaniel with a minute remaining saw the lead out to 19, with Thomas finishing the quarter with a layup
for a 21-point lead at the long break.
The Pioneers lifted the intensity further in the third term, with Burdon opening proceedings with a three-point bomb, followed by a Thomas dunk and a Jamieson layup before the Gunners could switch on.
The home side was relentless, with a McDaniel triple pushing the lead out to 37 points after just three-and-a-half minutes of the term.
With four minutes to play Thomas threw down another dunk and the onslaught continued.
McDaniel added to his impressive debut with back-to-back threes and by quarter’s end the margin was 38.
The scoring continued to grow in the final term and even with the full bench on the floor it did not abate.
The final minute saw a triple to Chol Luk, a dunk to Dellon Brown and popular two-point jumper to Lachie Hunter in his first game back from the USA.
Statistically it was an impressive performance, with the team shooting at 53pc from the field.
Burdon shot at 70pc from 10 attempts, Thomas at 64 from 14 and McDaniel 61 from 13.
The team gave up just four turnovers, compared to 17 from the Gunners, resulting in 25 points from turnovers for the home side, compared to just two from the visitors.
The Pioneers bench contributed 41 points, while the Gunners could only manage 21.
Coach Richard Hill was rightly pleased with the end result.
“We were pretty good,” he said.
“They could not keep up with our style of play.
“We had a game plan to run them out of the gym and we were able to do that, just by continually pushing the ball in offence and moving the ball.
“We shot the ball well, we defended well and the end result was very pleasing.
“It was good fun for everyone.”
Hill said much of the damage came from the Gunners big men unable to defend the perimeter, which allowed the ball to be moved around and create opportunities to score.
“Lewis, Luke and the other guys were able to create a fair bit of havoc, which opened up a lot of stuff for Eze (Erik Burdon) and Tommy,” he said.
“It was one of those nights that was good for the fans and to build some chemistry in what is a fairly new team.”
McDaniel was the new kid on the block and made a big impression with the fans at the Icehouse.
“Sam was running around getting shots off whenever he pleased and he played some really good defence,” Hill said.
“He had a great debut.
“He will certainly complement our group and will be a very good basketball player.
“He is only 23 years of age, so I think he will be good for us.”
Hill said the whole night provided plenty of entertainment for the crowd, from the regular starters in the roster to the bench players, who finished the game off in style.
“There were a lot of highlights,” he said.
“We have been dunking a lot all year – Lewis dunks a lot and Luke does some spectacular dunks.
“We shot the ball great, Eze was shooting the ball from the car park and I think it was a terrific night out for everyone.
“We were able to get the local guys on the floor which the fans like.
“They came in and held up their end of the bargain.
“They know how we play and came in and played as hard as they possibly could.”
With Daly returning to the lineup and the inclusion of McDaniel, Hill said it gave him the option of more regular rotations, which has been a big issue this season so far.
“You can play an awful lot harder if you are only playing 29 minutes as opposed to 39,” he said.
“Historically we do not have anyone average more than 29, maybe 30 minutes at a pinch.
“Over the last month we had Tim (Coenraad) play 40 minutes in one game.
“I do not think anyone has ever played a full game in my time here before that.
“To get back to playing with intensity for the full 40 minutes as a team makes a big difference.”
The team will now turn its focus to its next home game Friday night when they host a tough Dandenong outfit.
