MOUNT Gambier has suffered a late blow in its quest to defend its 2017 South East Australian Basketball League championship, going down to the Geelong Supercats on Friday night at the Icehouse.
With just three games remaining prior to Friday night’s hit out, the Pioneers sat just outside the top eight and out of contention for a playoff position.
A win would have helped the side as the season winds down, but with several teams vying for the final playoff position, the loss makes it a little bit tougher.
Recent signing Sam McDaniel was again sitting on the sidelines with injury concerns, while the Supercats brought a strong side to ensure they have a chance to reach the post season.
Geelong then went on to record a win Saturday night over Bendigo, displacing the Braves and moving up to fourth place, showing how strong the side is at the moment.
But Friday night it was all or nothing for the Pioneers, with plenty riding on the result.
For half the game the hosts were in with a shot, despite the visitors hitting the floor running.
Demarcus Gatlin found the first points of the night to put the Supercats up early, but Tom Daly replied with a pair of free throws.
Alex Marzette then slammed a crowd-pleasing dunk for the home side and the Pioneers were in the lead.
The back and forth continued, with neither side able to make a decisive break, but when Luke Jamieson drained a triple mid-way through the term the Pioneers were out by three.
However, that changed in the blink of an eye, with Kris Blicavs returning serve to tie the game up again.
The Supercats continued to apply the pressure, but with less than three minutes on the clock Jamieson hit another three to once more tie the game up.
But as the clock wound down Geelong added six points off two three-point bombs to take a seven-point advantage to the first break.
The second term saw much of the same, with Erik Burdon and Kyle Tipene finding early baskets for the home side.
The response was as expected from the visitors, with a three to Matthew Johns for an eight-point lead, which was extended by two from Nathan Herbert soon after.
Marzette then stepped up for a three, followed with a two from Daly and the game was back to five points.
The contest then went basket for basket, but triples to Daly, Jamieson and Marzette saw the deficit reduced to two points.
That would be the margin at the long break, but unfortunately for the home side it was also as close as they would come.
Spurred on by a Gatlin dunk early in the third term, the visitors went on a 6-0 run to reclaim some advantage and despite the Pioneers best efforts, with a minute to play in the term the margin was 10 points.
A three to Jamieson eased that margin somewhat, but by the time the final stanza arrived the lead had stretched out to 12 points.
The Pioneers closed the deficit to seven early in the final quarter, but from there it was all one-way traffic, with the Supercats out to a 20-point margin late in the game, before settling for a 17-point victory.
Jamieson topped the score sheets for the Pioneers with 20 points, shooting at 63pc from the field, 85pc from three-point territory, but just 25pc from the two.
Daly was next with 15 points, followed by Marzette with 14.
This weekend sees the final minor round of competition.
A full report will come later in the week, but for now, the season has reached the business end and there are no more second chances.
The Pioneers simply need two wins to have any chance at all.
Melbourne Tigers head to the Icehouse Friday night for the first challenge, then the Pioneers travel to take on the Sandringham Sabres Saturday night.
Both sides sit below the Pioneers on the ladder, but can certainly have a big effect on the makeup of the final eight.
Melbourne has just one game to play, so the Pioneers need to win that one.
That would put the Tigers out of contention, but it will certainly be no easy game.
The Sabres are not in the running for a playoff position and as such will want to go out with a bang.
They have nothing to lose and could be a real danger to the Pioneers’ hopes.
In Round 14 the Sabres defeated top side Kilsyth by one point, while on the weekend they went down to second-placed Nunawading by just two points.
Dandenong sits in 10th place with one game to play, an almost certain win over Canberra, which would leave them with 10 wins for the season.
However, the real danger could be North West Tasmania, with the Thunder in eighth place, currently on 10 wins.
They have one game remaining against fellow Tasmanians, the Hobart Chargers.
Should the Chargers win, it will open the gate for the Pioneers, providing they claim the final two matches to finish on 11 wins.
Should the Thunder win, they will be in the box seat for the final playoff position.
Things are certainly heating up out at the Icehouse, with the final round of games set to decide the reigning champions immediate fate.
