IT was a year where the Mount Gambier Pioneers struggled to compete, after five years at the top of the South East Australian Basketball League.
The unprecedented run saw the Pioneers claim five straight South conference titles up to 2017, with three national championships the result of the hard work.
But in 2018 that all changed, with injury woes ravaging the side from the outset.
Big signing Majok Deng was out after the first game and the news did not improve from there.
Long-term player Brad Hill was forced into retirement after battling an ankle injury for several years.
Prime movers such as captain Tom Daly sat on the sidelines for several games nursing injuries, while even replacement players such as Sam McDaniel succumbed to the rigours of the SEABL.
It seemed nothing could go right for the Pioneers, but through it all they managed to remain close to finals contention.
There were no longer two conferences to compete in, but one competition, with the top eight to qualify for a playoff spot.
All season the ladder was adjusted by percentage, but when it came to the crunch head-to-head results were used to separate those sides on equal points once the minor rounds were completed.
The Pioneers finished the season inside the top eight, but after adjustments came into play, dropped outside and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Those lost games due to limited fit bodies came back to roost.
It was a devastating blow, but not nearly as bad as what would come.
Basketball Australia decided post season not to sanction the SEABL competition after 2019.
That forced the hands of many Victorian clubs who chose to finish immediately and run their own league, with the Pioneers shown the cold shoulder.
The club and the basketball fraternity in the Limestone Coast were left reeling from the decision, which saw the most successful team in the modern era – if not of all time – be cut from the competition, with no viable alternative.
Eventually the club was thrown a lifeline, with inclusion into Adelaide’s Premier League for the 2019 season, which will include a women’s team to be coached by former men’s captain Matt Sutton.
Regardless of the final 2018 result and the drama which unfolded post season, the Pioneers have certainly showed how a small-city team can take it up to the big boys and come out on top.
Their home court – the Icehouse – had become a fortress and the fans known as some of the most passionate and knowledgeable in the league.
Maybe it was their sheer success that worked against them.
In the end five straight conference final victories had never before been achieved and is now a record which will stand for all time.
